If you have an interest in technology and would like to pursue this as a career option, front-end web development is a great field to dive into. For one, if you’re someone who’s looking for a technology-oriented career, this is a job where you will be working with technology all the time.
Not only that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this industry is growing at a much faster rate than the average of all career options in the US- meaning a large number of jobs are available for beginners just getting into this exciting field. Plus, the work is paid well- in 2019, the average salary of a front-end web developer was $73,760 per year.
What Do Front-End Web Developers Do?
Web developers are the people who create and maintain everything you see when you visit websites. These are the individuals who understand programming languages such as HTML, CSS & JavaScript, and who can take that knowledge and build functional, working websites.
We asked Brian, the web developer who works on our NYIAD website, what a typical day is like working as a web developer. He shared,
“On a typical day as a web-developer, I’m working through a queue of tickets my colleagues have put in to request changes or additions to our website. Without the work of a professional developer, nothing on a website can change. So whether we’re publishing a blog like this one, changing the picture you see on the home page, or putting a new course discount up on the special offers page, one of our developers has to write the code and do the programming work to make these changes run smoothly.”
The benefits of a front-end development career
There are plenty of reasons why front-end development is a great career path worth pursuing. For one, we mentioned that front-end developers are paid a competitive salary, with the most recent average being reported as $73,760 per year.
Not only that, this is a career that can have a great deal of flexibility when it comes to your schedule, your workload, and your ability to work from home. If you’re looking for a full-time role, the number of jobs available in this industry are growing at a fast pace. However, many front-end developers also enjoy the flexibility of a freelance workflow- booking projects with a number of clients, and working from home with the benefits of self-employment.
For example, think of all the individuals who are looking to build a website for their own small business. Let’s say a local personal trainer is looking to make a nice, functional website where their clients can book training sessions, but this trainer does not have the time or technology skills to do this on their own. Individuals like this are always looking for reliable freelance developers who can help them tackle web development projects and meet their goals.
Where to learn front-end web development
NYIAD offers an online front-end web development course that covers the three fundamental languages of frontend development: HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
In the beginning of this self-paced program, you will study what makes websites work and what it takes for a front-end developer to create one. From there, you will delve into how CSS works with HTML, and how it can further enhance the design and style of the websites you build. Then, in the final unit, you will study how to add functionality to a web page using JavaScript. This is where you will cover the more complex, interactive effects you sometimes see on websites- things like interactive animated graphics or scrolling videos. Throughout every unit of the course, you will practice all these essential coding skills for maintaining websites while building your own beginner’s portfolio of coding projects.
The program can be completed at your own pace- meaning if you only want to work at night or on the weekends, that is totally up to you. Many of our students already have full-time jobs and are looking to make a career switch, which is why providing flexible study options is part of our mission. While you’re given up to 18 months to complete the program at your own pace, many students finish in 10-12 months. Our Frontend Development course costs $1,549 if you pay in full, or $1,849 if you choose monthly payments (you can look for our front-end development course discounts here).
Get started at NYIAD
If you’re thinking about getting started as a front-end web development student at NYIAD, you will be covered by our 14 day no-risk refund policy when you enroll. You can try your course for up to 14 days, and if you’re not satisfied for any reason, we will refund every penny, no questions asked. You can enroll and get started online or call 1-800-583-1742 to get started over the phone with one of our student services representatives.
