Career path
Frontend Developer
A frontend developer builds the part of a product people actually see and touch — the screens, interactions, and flows in the browser. It sits at the meeting point of engineering and design, and it's a common entry point for people coming from visual or content work.
What the job actually is
You turn designs and requirements into working, accessible interfaces. That means writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, wiring screens to data from an API, and making sure the result is fast, responsive, and usable on real devices. A surprising amount of the craft is in the details — handling loading states, errors, and edge cases that a static mock-up never shows.
Skills that matter
- HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — the foundation; learn them properly before frameworks.
- A component framework like React, Vue, or Svelte.
- Accessibility basics — building so everyone can use what you make.
- An eye for detail — spacing, states, and behaviour, not just the happy path.
- Working with APIs — fetching, displaying, and updating data.
How to switch in
Frontend is one of the friendlier entry points. If you're a UI designer, graphic designer, or marketer who has touched HTML, you already understand the user side — the move is to formalise the code. Build a portfolio of small, polished projects, learn one framework well, and get comfortable reading existing codebases.
Frequently asked questions
Frontend vs backend — which is easier to start with?
Many people find frontend a gentler on-ramp because you see results immediately in the browser, and visual or design backgrounds transfer well. Backend leans more on data, servers, and systems thinking. Neither is objectively easier; pick the side that matches how you like to work.