Front-end Developers are a buzz in the software development field these days, and if you are unaware of what they do, let me walk you through it. Front-end development offers a relatively straightforward entry point in the software field, as you don’t need to master higher-level programming languages here. Three simple hard skills- HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are all you need to master. However, higher-level proficiency in JavaScript is crucial to take on a top-tier job role in front-end development. Front-end developers with specialized skills may leverage ample opportunities for career advancement. Remote work arrangements even add a significant spike in demand for front-end developers.
To help you kickstart your career in a highly competitive software development field, I have put together this article focusing on diverse front-end developer careers at different tiers. Without further ado, let's get started.
Front-end Developer Career: Overview
Front-end developers are highly sought-after professionals in every sector who aim to deliver intuitive and user-responsive online experiences to their target audience.
If we define the job role of front-end developers in one general sentence, they make websites that users can navigate seamlessly.
To get a head start in competitive development, they must master hard skills involving mark-up languages, JavaScript, Libraries, Frameworks, version control like Git, and much more.
Their core responsibilities in front-end developer jobs involve building and managing visual elements. However, apart from managing the look and feel of a website or app, they also ensure cross-browser compatibility, performance optimization, interactive behavior, accessibility compliance, and much more.
Considering digital transformation, the demand for front-end engineers and developers will skyrocket in the coming years. Read on to explore various front-end developer careers.
Demand & Benefits of Front-end Developer Career
Take a look at the benefits of pursuing this lucrative profession:
- Websites or apps are primary touchpoints where businesses connect with their target demographics. Considering the expanding digital presence of business, demand for front-end developers is skyrocketing.
- Technological advancements and the emergence of innovative front-end frameworks, coupled with the popularity of Frond-end Developer Bootcamps, are also leading factors in increasing developer demand.
- Responsive design is buzzing in the digital world with varying screen sizes, which fueled the demand for skilled front-end engineers.
- Driven by a rising awareness of the importance of making digital content inclusive and open to all users, it led to a great demand for front-end developer positions with skills in accessibility standards such as WCAG.
- Growing demand for developers translates into career advancement and progression opportunities.
- Remote work arrangements allow developers to achieve a better work-life balance and broaden their scope of better front-end freelance job options and part-time front-end developer jobs.
All these aspects collaboratively make Front-end development a rewarding and exciting career choice for aspirants.
Source | Salary |
Glassdoor | $82,819 |
Zippia | $92,147 |
Indeed | $111,919 |
Payscale | $82,607 |
ZipRecruiter | $109,843 |
Opt for Full Stack Development certification to broaden your skill sets and qualify for appealing front-end developer positions.
In-demand Front-end Developer Career Options/Job Roles
1. Web Designer
- Job Description: Creates the visual look and feel of websites and applications.
- Role Level: Junior, Mid-Level, Senior Web Designer
- Responsibilities: Designs user interfaces, implements layouts, and focuses on branding and visual communication.
- Role Importance: Creates a positive first impression and user experience through design.
- Education & Skills: Expertise in design software (e.g., Figma, Adobe XD), understanding of UI/UX principles, knowledge of web development fundamentals.
- Average Salary: $81,000 per year (Source: glassdoor.co.in)
- Top Companies Hiring: Design agencies, marketing firms, tech companies (Tata Consultancy Services, CodeClouds, Google)
- Certifications Names: KnowledgeHut Full Stack Development Bootcamp Training, Google UX Design Certificate, Interaction Design Foundation Courses
2. Front-End Engineer
- Job Description: Builds the interactive elements and functionality of websites and applications.
- Role Level: Junior, Mid-Level, Senior Front-End Engineer
- Responsibilities: Develops HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create user interfaces, interacts with back-end APIs, and ensures responsiveness across devices.
- Role Importance: Creates the foundation for a functional and user-friendly web experience.
- Education & Skills: Expertise in HTML, CSS, Web Development training, JavaScript, understanding of front-end frameworks (optional), problem-solving, and analytical skills.
- Average Salary: $113,500 per year (Source: Indeed)
- Top Companies Hiring: All tech companies, web development agencies, e-commerce companies (Google, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Amazon)
- Certifications Names: KnowledgeHut Front-End Development Bootcamp Training, The Odin Project Full-Stack Curriculum, freeCodeCamp Responsive Web Design Certification
3. UI/UX Developer
- Job Description: Combines design and development skills to create user interfaces and user experiences.
- Role Level: Junior, Mid-Level, Senior UI/UX Developer
- Responsibilities: Designs and prototypes user interfaces, develops front-end code, conducts user testing, and iterates on designs.
- Role Importance: Bridges the gap between design and development, ensuring a seamless user experience.
- Education & Skills: Expertise in design software and front-end development, understanding of UI/UX principles, and user research methodologies.
- Salary: $107,300 per year (Source: Indeed)
- Top Companies Hiring: Tech startups, design and development agencies, product-driven companies. (Meta, Amazon, Apple)
- Certifications Names: KnowledgeHut UI/UX Design Bootcamp Course, Google UX Design Certificate, Nielsen Norman Group UX Certification
4. Front-End Developer (React.js)
- Job Description: Builds user interfaces using React, a popular JavaScript library for building interactive UIs.
- Role Level: Junior, Mid-Level, Senior Front-End Developer (React)
- Responsibilities: Develops reusable UI components, manages application state, and optimizes performance.
- Role Importance: Creates dynamic and interactive web applications.
- Education & Skills: Expertise in JavaScript, React, and front-end development fundamentals.
- Salary: $100,000 per year (Source: PayScale)
- Top Companies Hiring: Similar to the previous options (Qualcomm, Disney, Meta)
- Certifications Names: Coursera React - The Big Picture, edX React Fundamentals
5. Front-End Developer (Angular)
- Job Description: Builds web applications using Angular, a framework for building web applications and single-page applications (SPAs).
- Role Level: Similar to Front-End Developer (React.js)
- Responsibilities: Develops reusable components, implements data binding, and interacts with back-end services.
- Role Importance: Creates scalable and maintainable web applications.
- Education & Skills: Expertise in JavaScript, TypeScript (often used with Angular), and front-end development fundamentals.
- Average Salary: $92,000 (Source: PayScale)
- Top Companies Hiring: Similar to the previous options (Apple, Microsoft, Oracle)
- Certifications Names: Pluralsight Angular Core Concepts, edX Angular Fundamentals for TypeScript Developers
6. Front-End Performance Engineer
- Job Description: Optimizes website and application performance for speed and responsiveness.
- Role Level: Junior, Mid-Level, Senior Front-End Performance Engineer
- Responsibilities: Identifies performance bottlenecks, implements performance optimization techniques, and monitors website performance.
- Role Importance: Ensures smooth user experience by creating fast-loading websites.
- Education & Skills: Expertise in front-end development, web performance optimization tools, and performance monitoring techniques.
- Average Salary: $138,000 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Top Companies Hiring: E-commerce companies and large tech companies with high-traffic websites. (Amazon, eBay, Google)
- Certifications Names: Coursera Web Performance Optimization Specialization, edX Performance Engineering for Web Applications
7. Front-End Architect
- Job Description: Designs and implements front-end architecture for complex web applications.
- Role Level: Senior-level with extensive front-end development experience.
- Responsibilities: Defines front-end development tools and processes, mentors junior developers, and ensures code quality and maintainability.
- Role Importance: Leads the development of large-scale front-end projects.
- Education & Skills: Extensive experience in front-end development and a strong understanding of design patterns and best practices.
- Average Salary: $166,000 per year (Source: Talent.com)
- Top Companies Hiring: Large tech companies with complex web applications (Meta, Cisco, Google)
- Certifications Names: Meta Front-End Developer Professional Certificate, Professional Certificate in Front-End Web Developer.
8. Progressive Web App (PWA) Developer
- Job Description: Develop progressive web apps (PWAs) that combine the best web and mobile app experiences.
- Role Level: Junior, Mid-Level, Senior PWA Developer
- Responsibilities: Implements service workers, integrates with browser APIs and optimizes for offline functionality.
- Role Importance: Creates fast, reliable, and installable web applications.
- Education & Skills: Expertise in front-end development, JavaScript libraries/frameworks for PWAs (like Workbox.js), and understanding of service workers.
- Average Salary: $82,500 per year (Source: appinventiv)
- Top Companies Hiring: Companies looking to expand their reach with installable web applications (Google, Microsoft, Nvidia)
- Certifications Names: KnowledgeHut PWA Development Course, Udacity Progressive Web Apps Certification, edX Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) Development
9. Accessibility Specialist (Front-End)
- Job Description: Ensures websites and applications are accessible to users with disabilities.
- Role Level: Junior, Mid-Level, Senior Accessibility Specialist (Front-End)
- Responsibilities: Implements WCAG guidelines, uses assistive technologies for testing, and collaborates with designers and developers.
- Role Importance: Creates inclusive digital experiences for everyone.
- Education & Skills: Expertise in front-end development, understanding of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), and knowledge of assistive technologies.
- Average Salary: $77,500 per year (Source: Talent.com
- Top Companies Hiring: IBM, Google, Intel[GU3]
Top 10 Industries Hiring Front-end Developers with Salary
Industry | Salary Range (Annual) |
Technology | $60,000 - $150,000+ |
E-commerce | $50,000 - $120,000+ |
Finance | $70,000 - $150,000+ |
Healthcare | $60,000 - $130,000+ |
Media & Entertainment | $55,000 - $120,000+ |
Education | $50,000 - $110,000+ |
Marketing & Advertising | $55,000 - $120,000+ |
Telecommunications | $65,000 - $140,000+ |
Gaming | $60,000 - $130,000+ |
Consulting | $70,000 - $150,000+ |
Top 10 Companies Hiring Front-end Developers with Salary
Company | Salary Range (Annual) |
Google | $100,000 - $200,000+ |
Facebook | $110,000 - $220,000+ |
Amazon | $90,000 - $180,000+ |
TCS | $100,000 - $200,000+ |
Accenture | $95,000 - $190,000+ |
Cognizant Technology Solutions | $100,000 - $200,000+ |
Adobe | $90,000 - $180,000+ |
IBM | $85,000 - $170,000+ |
Deloitte | $100,000 - $200,000+ |
Salesforce | $95,000 - $190,000+ |
How to Start a Career as a Front-end Developer?
Use this roadmap if you want to kickstart your front-end developer career.
- 1. Learn Building Blocks of Websites: The best thing about front-end development is that you don't have to master high-level things. At the entry level, three skills are enough - HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. To create visually appealing websites using these building blocks, leverage "KnowledgeHut Frontend Developer Bootcamp," which offers entry-level and intermediate students' job-ready skill sets and resources.
- Practice Coding Constantly: This helps you write bug-free and optimized code.
- Understand Command Line and Version Control: Understanding how the command line works is imperative because it allows you to access operating system functions through a text interface.
- Learn Application Program Interfaces: Understanding how the backend works and how to communicate with databases and execute queries, frontend developers should also be familiar with APIs.
- Learn JavaScript/CSS Libraries: To make the coding part easier, there are already thousands of libraries available. They are pre-compiled JS scripts that make building JavaScript-based apps easier.
- Build an Appealing Portfolio: If you don't have a client project to display, build something spectacular to demonstrate your expertise as a developer.
Conclusion
Every online business wants to keep users engaged and engrossed, and here, Frontend Developer professionals step in. The field of front-end development has broad front-end developer careers, and with the correct certifications and skills, you can create great web experiences. Front-end developers play a pivotal role in crafting visually appealing and user-centric online experiences. If this role excites you, I would suggest you start building the required skill sets as discussed. Once you are armed with these skills, you will have many opportunities, from Web Designers focusing on visual aspects to Front-End Engineers optimizing performance and functionality and more.