In this article, I am going to tell You how to get Your first work/internship as a front-end developer. Why not full-stack? First of all, there is no difference between front-end, back-end, and full-stack developer salaries. Second, if there will be interest. I will write an article on how to find Your first work as a back-end developer. Disclaimer, this article is not include freelancing, because I was working only as an employed developer. I will talk about skills needed for a programmer and interview.
For every developer, there are main skills, that are required for every developer: soft, technical and problem-solving.
Soft skills
It is important to know how to interact with others developers, project managers, testers, etc. To keep a friendly atmosphere at work. For some people, it seems not worth mentioning, but I had an experience when a person is taking every comment negatively. In this case, it makes it harder for others to make their work, because there will be a person who is stopping them by not admitting mistakes, being rude, etc. Admitting and learning from mistakes is also important for personal and professional growth. Working under pressure, there will be situations when a deadline is close. This fact can make You feel uncomfortable and make a negative impact on your working speed. In this situation, it is important to stay calm and keep going, and do not afraid to ask for help. If You are working for a good company, other employees will help. If not, then this company is not worth Your attention. Attention to detail, after making changes on the dev server check result on the different devices. It is easy to miss something, that’s why it is important to spend time testing before merging changes to the live website.
Technical skills
For front-end developers, the main skills are JS, CSS, HTML, and framework. The first three must have before learning the front-end framework. If You are a newbie and only getting started your way as a front-end developer I can recommend:
W3Schools
This resource is only good for beginners.
Other platforms for starting Your journey:
FreeCodeCamp
or
OdinProject
I was discussing with different senior developers, they were always recommending MDN:
MDN
YouTube tutorials are always welcome. There is no need to buy any resources to learn a new programming language, concept, etc.
After learning HTML, JS, and CSS important to check, what framework is popular in the country where You are going to work.
Currently, I would recommend choosing between React and Vue.
Both are easier to learn than Angular. The statistic can change over time, make sure to check, what fits better for You before starting learning.
Tutorial hell
It is really easy to get stuck on tutorials hell, there is plenty of interesting programming stuff. To avoid this problem learn and use this in practice by creating your own project. At the start, create components like a search bar, sidebars, navigations, etc. In this way, the material will be memorized better, which will make the learning process easier.
Problem-solving
There will be situations where You are stuck on a task. Before starting applying to companies, I would recommend training problem-solving skills on platforms like:
Leetcode
Codingame
or
Codewars
If You are stuck on a task at work, google is Your best friend. If it does not help, only after, describe Your problem to another programmer. Would be nice to add what You did to try to solve the problem. In this case, another programmer will spend less time solving problems and You will look more professional.
Projects
After learning the basics and framework. Start making projects, where You will use a framework. Would be nice if You make a project, that solves the problem. It can be Your problem or someone else. Today it is hard to impress someone by creating a To-do app. If there is no idea, what to create find inspiration from other projects, which can be easily found. Try to find a problem, what You can solve, or google something like “react projects 2022”. It would be great to have at least 10 projects to show. First of all, demonstrate them to Your relatives and friends, ask for an opinion and what should be improved.
Interview
Before participating in a meeting make sure You wear the right clothes. Some companies have a dress code. Go to the company site where You are applying and check, what clothes are on company team members. To be sure find someone on social media and ask more about that. After solving the problem with clothes, make sure to brush your teeth to not have any smell from Your mouth. Companies are looking for a confident and responsible specialist. Your task is to be as close to employer requirements as possible.
Conclusion
Important to keep learning and making soft and technical skills better. After making better projects and learning how to pass a job interview successfully You will reach Your goal. In an interview, it is important to stay calm and friendly. This rule also applies to work/internship.
I hope this article was useful, have a nice day.
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