Should I dive directly into the coding or plan the project first? Should I use this library or that plugin? Should I work it out myself or look for some online help? Do all these questions sound familiar to you? If yes, then do not fear. It happens to almost every front-end developer (FED); whether it is a professional or a newbie; these questions repeatedly pop up, when any FED endeavors to take his career to the next level.
Seeking advice for becoming a better front-end developer has become a searing probe which is entreated by both fresh and experienced front-end developers. And the reason for this concern is very obvious. We have seen front-end development evolve unceasingly in the last two decades. For instance, we surely still use the CSS and JavaScript as we used to do back in 2008, however, a lot has changed during this span of time. This perpetual evolution and the ever-changing frameworks & technologies are consistently making it overwhelming and difficult for the web-development professionals to uproot effortlessly.
Considering these challenges and concerns posted by the proliferating front-end development drift, we have itemized 8 simple tips that will guide you in every possible aspect and assist you in becoming a better FED.
Good Planning Will Worth Every Second
Surprisingly, one of the most repetitive mistakes made even by the senior and experienced FEDs is that they do not spend sufficient and quality time in planning their projects. Most of the FEDs have also complained that they find planning tiresome, because, they believe that it is not their job. However, skipping this step often result in poor and cluttered outputs. Therefore, the first thing that you need to do to become a better FED is to spend enough time planning. Trust us, good planning will not only save a lot of your time, but it will also reduce your stress and improve your confidence over the deliverables.
Besides, you should also keep this in mind that the planning process does not become too complicated and nerve-wracking; in fact, it should be a simple blend of to-do-lists, templates and project-based component that is required to be transformed into HTML. Remember, good planning will always keep your work organized and your head focused and clear towards the task. Some of the common tools that you can use in planning and organization may include Writemaps, Workflowy, and Trello or simply a pen and a paper.
Adapt Proactive Work Practices
What could be even worse, if you need to tell your client that the project is delayed from its due time and date? This could deteriorate your entire professional image, even if you deliver the desired project sooner or later. Hence, to avoid such situations, you must embrace a proactive approach to highlight any sort of delays or roadblocks. This approach always works and keeps everyone happy; because it is always fine to tell people that the things are taking unusually longer than the planned time, however keeping this only to yourself is never advisable. So, whatever is causing problems and delay, just call it out loud and clear.
Excel at HTML, JavaScript, and CSS
JavaScript, CSS, and HTML serve as the lifeblood of front-end development, therefore, you must excel in these three languages. Also, remember that it is not a one-time learning, rather you need to stay updated with every new technology coming to the market so that your development skills also remain aligned with the latest frameworks and consumer demands. Some of the free resources that can help you with the latest FED advances include CSS Weekly, HTML5 Weekly, and JavaScript Weekly, etc.
Stay Curious & Pitch-In to the Lifetime Learning
Another important attribute that you have to have in order to become a better FED is ‘curiosity’. It is very important that you keep yourself completely open to all the new concepts, plugins, languages and tools coming to the market every now and then. The true magnificence of front-end development is that it moves really fast; which means that you can become an expert FED in a very short time if you are a quick learner, but at the same time your skills are also vulnerable to become obsolete fast. The solution to this problem is to bestow yourself to lifelong learning because front-end development requires a lifetime commitment. If this is something you are not comfortable with, we would recommend you to give your career choice a second thought. To stay updated about the advancements in the field, you can subscribe to Responsive Design Weekly, Web Design Weekly, and Sidebar.io etc.
Generously Invest in Acquiring New Skills
Front-end development itself and every other skill associated with it is completely learnable; which means that you need to learn to grow. Investing in skills here is not only about money and doing expensive diplomas and courses; rather, it is more about capitalizing your time on reading appreciated books and content, attending seminars and finding of knowledgeable free online learning resources. Some of the accommodating online sources may include CSS Tricks, ShopTalk Podcast, Codrops, Apply Filters Podcast and Boagworld Podcast.
Keep Your Eyes, Ears & Mouth Open
Do not behave like Gandhi’s blind, deaf and dumb monkeys. In fact, keep your eyes, ears, and mouth open to every problem that comes to you. Firstly, never shut your eyes when a problem ascends, hoping that your boss or client will not notice it. They will, and even if they won’t, then their customers certainly will. Hence, whenever you encounter any issue, and your instincts are indicating a possible problem, then go ahead and discuss it with your boss and clients. Trust us, they will be pleased with your proficiency of timely recognizing the potential bugs and glitches.
Tip: Don’t forget to differentiate between the actual problems, out of the scope tasks and the quick win adjustments.
Blame Yourself Before Clients Blame You
If you often think that the entire world is busy tricking you, then you cannot go far with this adverse attitude, especially when working with other developers and clients. Take your failures as the learning opportunities to improve your knowledge, expertise, skills, communication, and processes; so that your clients remain happy and satisfied.
Client relationship management is one of the core areas on which businesses are focusing these days. For instance, the client reviews of a leading web development company in London, shows that the core competency of this firm is that they always listen to their client and remain open for managing challenges and difficulties until their client achieve their desired goals. This tells us that the timely interaction with the client is a must. So, never blame your client for any problem that, rather think the other way i.e. you might have not done enough to prevent them from failure. This is how you will always remain open for learning lessons from your mistakes.
Get Your Hands on the Basics of Server-Side
Last, but not least, you should acquire the fundamental knowledge of the server-side too in order to become an efficient FED. Considering the technical aspects only, learning about the server-side is not essential for a FED since it deals with the development of the backend solution. However, to efficiently stitch together the elements of your front-end web development solution with the back-end in order to create a smart working system, you should at best have a basic understanding of the back-end development. For instance, if the back end developers of your program are working on PHP, then having knowledge about the fundamentals of the PHP web development can help you integrating the features of your program with the server in a more efficient way.
In sum, the path of becoming an efficient FED is not that easy, and it definitely requires plenty of time and learning. As discussed above, becoming a better front-end developer does not only take your time, but also necessitates for vigorous learning of the latest techniques, tools, programming languages, and frameworks. Since,the web-world is evolving like never before, a good FED must never give up learning.
