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meurigbird
4,483 PointsFront-Developers, do you NEED to be Designers to be competitive too? (Junior roles.)
I have been looking at various front-end developer portfolio websites via Google. I understand that the ones I am likely looking at are incredibly high end being at the top of Google searches and all. However I can't see many that claim to be "just a front-end developer", most are designer / FE developer... and it shows in the quality of their graphics design skills.
As someone who is graphic-design-challenged how do I effectively "sell myself" as a developer (priority) with a portfolio website of my own?
I know it sounds like the "What is the the difference between designer/FE developer?" argument again, but has anyone here landed junior roles as FE developers without the graphics design skills to accompany it?
Just curious, don't get me wrong, I intend to go through the designer track, and the photo/illu deep dives at some point, however I think It will be a long ways off as I am still learning CSS/JS/JQuery.
As a beginner interested in Front-End (I would personally prefer UX design over graphics design) it seems completely overwhelming to tackle both before feeling "job ready".
Back-End is a possibility.... is that where the "graphics-design challenged folk" should realistically head?
Has anyone felt this way? how did you overcome it? what made you feel confident enough to say "right, I am qualified as a front-end developer, I will apply for Junior roles now!"?
1 Answer
John Locke
15,479 PointsHi Meurig:
This question encapsulates how the web industry is changing. These are a lot of the same things that I have had anxiety over as well. Here's what I've learned from my own experiences.
If you can do HTML-CSS, a little jQuery, and a little Photoshop, you are probably OK to apply to Junior FED positions already. The point of being a Junior is to contribute in those areas at an apprentice wage rate and continue growing until you are considered Mid Level. I'm assuming these are in-house positions you are applying to, but this can apply to remote positions as well.
If you are applying to smaller studios, they will need someone who is pretty good at a variety of things. Larger agencies with bigger clients will veer towards hiring people more for specialized roles, because they can afford to get the best of the best for specific roles.
That being said, I think being a T-shaped designer (learn broad at first, specialize as you mature) is the best path. Bite off a little at a time to get decent at. I try to stretch out of my comfort zone a little on each project.
If you end up becoming an elite Full Stack Developer and Designer, congratulations! Very few people have that Triple Crown, but don't feel insane pressure to master all of those at once, or you might not master any of them. You will learn what you are good at by trying. For example, I am OK at layout and design and OK at WordPress style PHP, but I'm best at front end development, and very comfortable with CSS. With all of these together, I can contribute to teams or handle my own projects fairly well. But I will likely never be awesome at designing logos.
Of course, the more you know, the easier it will be to get on a team somewhere. Just worry about getting in the door...that's the important part. Don't wait for someone to hold the door open for you either, you might have to kick it in.
Everyone (even elite people I'm told) feel like they don't know enough at times.
If you can build a decent looking website on your own, you are qualified enough to work at a web design studio.