7 resources that made me a better Frontend dev

Being a frontend developer is intimidating. It's one of the fastest-changing areas in software development as new tools or frameworks come into popularity every few years. I started looking to work as a frontend engineer in 2020, but at the time, I had stopped programming for a year to pursue a diploma in film. It was apparent that I had missed a lot in only a year, and I knew that I had to make up for the gaps in my knowledge if I was serious about getting a job.

In this article, I want to share the frontend resources that I've been using to improve my skills, draw inspiration and solidify my understanding of frontend development. Let's get started!

1. Frontend Horse

Alex Trost does live coding shows on Twitch, often with other talented devs as guests. I love watching Alex's streams because they're both entertaining and educational. Below is an excellent video about Design Systems with Mike Aparicio.

2. Josh W Comeau

Josh Comeau is a developer I admire a lot. Firstly, he brings great joy to his websites with detailed animations and interactivity. Secondly, he is a great teacher. I'm currently taking his CSS for JavaScript Developers course, and he goes the extra mile when delivering his material. I recommend it for anyone looking to solidify their CSS knowledge.

3. Frontend mentors

I've been working on improving the quality of my portfolio projects, and Frontend Mentor is an excellent repository of high-quality designs for anyone to use. They have a good selection of free designs you can practice on, and there are several larger projects you can work on with a pro subscription. I'm working on the Audiophile eCommerce design and building it with NuxtJS.

4. freeCodeCamp

FreeCodeCamp is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to start learning code. I've been particularly interested in their YouTube channel because they do complete tutorials of projects built in different stacks. Last month, I needed to learn Webpack for a project I was working on, and I turned to this freeCodeCamp video:

5. JSConf

Another good YouTube channel to watch is JSConf's channel. They upload recordings of the different conferences they host worldwide, and the presentations are fun and digestible to watch. Below is a presentation by Philip Roberts about the event loop in JavaScript.

6. Codrops

I love getting newsletters in my inbox. I try to subscribe to useful frontend sources, and Codrops is my go-to for inspiration. They have a weekly roundup of articles and beautiful website designs. They also post tutorials on experimental website designs.

7. Michael Thiessen

My last resource is also a newsletter. Michael Thiessen writes a newsletter with tips on how to improve your Vue skills. When you start learning something new, you focus on getting things to work. We don't often try to make our code the best it can be because of a lack of experience with the tools. That's where I found myself when I started learning Vue. Thanks to Michael's newsletter, I've been able to refactor my components with confidence.

BONUS: Hyperplexed

This is less of a resource and more an inspiration, but I felt I needed to add this Youtube channel because it really motivated me to practice my frontend development more frequently. Hyperplexed breaks down some fun frontend challenges in quick bite-sized videos.

Thank you for reading my article. I'm new to writing, so any feedback on whether the article was helpful or topics you might be interested in is welcome.

See you at the next one!