4 Tips to Speed Up Your Front-end Career

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Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

It seems like everyone today is seeking full-stack developers, and it’s not hard to see why. Flexibility, adaptability, and a wide range of abilities make them extremely useful! But if you’re a specialized front end developer, never fear – your depth of knowledge is as essential as their breadth. Your expertise in frontend frameworks, tools, and languages makes you a valuable asset. Here are some tips to increase that value even further!

Tip #1: Be true to yourself and your skills

The tech industry has an extremely high turnover rate, and this can be as stimulating as it is terrifying. You’re always looking for the next big opportunity – but you might be worried that your employer is, too!

The good news is that you have a particular skill set that got you the role in the first place. Yes, you must absolutely be open to growth, development, and the ability to adapt. It’s equally important to know what you have to offer, though. What can and can’t you do? What got you to this point? What are your goals?

Don’t say yes if you don’t know how to do it! Faking it is never as good as the real thing, and if you show confidence and produce results, you’ll go further.

Tip #2: Don’t forget the importance of the fundamentals

Yes, your specialization in particular languages, strategies, and frameworks should be a big chunk of your reputation. But if you’re marketing yourself, make sure you are displaying your necessary skills, too! You want to make sure your code doesn’t have bugs (which means an increase in your testing talent), and that your designs are responsive in every format. You also need to know all the primary language, frameworks, and version controls – including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Git.

Tip #3: Focus on a growth mindset

First coined by Stanford Psychologist Carol Dweck, a growth mindset means approaching challenges, obstacles, and criticism in a new way. Knowing that your intelligence level and creativity can always be improved will help you enjoy challenges and have a positive attitude if (and when!) things go wrong.

Especially in tech, the willingness and ability to learn for your whole career are essential skills employees need. Be ready to embrace every new challenge that’s thrown your way!

Tip #4: Never underestimate the necessity of excellent soft skills

Software engineers have a slightly negative social reputation, especially with co-workers. If you want to be the highest value, though, you need to make yourself into a people person! The top soft skills that are essential to your success are:

Communication – Can you make it clear what you’re thinking in as short and clear a way as possible without missing out on any crucial points? Can you do this verbally and in writing? Communication can always be improved, and if you want to increase your value at work as well as in other aspects of life, you should embrace this skill.

Teamwork – Even if you’re a remote worker who never leaves their own bedroom, your product does not exist in that same vacuum. As a front end developer, you are working in the public face of the project, which means you have to be open to your team! That means accepting suggestions, criticism, ideas, and perspectives. And you need to compromise, too!

Accountability – If you say you’re going to do something, do it, and do it on time! It doesn’t matter how you organize yourself, so long as you do. A paper diary, a sticky note, up-to-date calendar software – whatever works best for you to keep you organized. And when things do go wrong and if it’s your fault, just admit it, fix it, and get on with the next job!