How to: Land a front-end job
Landing a front-end job is tough, especially in today's market. But what are some things you can do to stand out of the crowd?
Writing on front-end development, coding career advice and other fun stuff
All of my long-form thoughts on web development, programming and leveling up your coding career, collected in chronological order.
State of React
What's going on with React and NextJS?
From Junior to Lead
The 6 steps I used to grow from Junior to Front-End Lead over 5 years.
Just-in-time Learning
I was watching an old conference talk by David Heinemeier Hansson, where he discussed the concept of 'JIT Learning'. About learning exactly what you need to, WHEN you need to learn it.
Dwelling on mistakes
One of the most common pitfalls I see junior developers fall into is getting frustrated or giving up when they realize they've made a mistake.
Landing your first job as a junior developer
The job market for junior developers has never been harder.
Debugging code
A few days ago I was stuck on a bug.
No-code tools
There's many different ways to build a website. From static HTML/CSS files, to using a modern JavaScript framework, to a traditional serverside language like PHP or Python.
Project ideas
I wrote a post on Twitter and LinkedIn recently, asking about everyone's biggest struggle when learning to code.
Taking breaks
Consistent practice by coding every day is one of the most effective ways to learn. It's also the fastest way to level up your skills. But it can also be dangerous.
5 Golden Rules of Development
How can we improve our lives when working with code?
Dealing with imposter syndrome
Imposter syndrome is, unfortunately, very rampant in the development world. I'd wager most developers have felt it in some way at one point or another. But just so we're all on the same page, this is the official Wikipedia definition:
Keeping up with the Codeashians
Development is one of the fastest moving industries in the world.
Think twice, code once
As developers, our most important job is to solve problems.
State machines
You might have heard about the concepts of 'finite state machines'. But if you haven't, I don't blame you - they're largely a mathematical / computer science concept. Let's explore how we can use them.
Learn JavaScript (step-by-step)
I've been working professionally with JavaScript for several years. This is how I would learn it today.
Static sites vs. server/client-side rendering
There's 3 different ways to build and render a website, each with their own advantages and disavantages.
The All Powerful Front-End Developer
A few years ago, a front-end developer was someone who worked with HTML and CSS. Maybe some light JavaScript for dropdowns and basic functionality.
What programming language should you learn first?
Perhaps the most common question among new developers or people looking to enter the field. And definitely the one I get most often!
Front-End Roadmap
One of the most common questions I get asked is how to get started with front-end development and transition into a web dev career.
Soft skills
In development, there's naturally a big focus on technical skills - like what programming languages and frameworks you know or how familiar you are with database management.
From Junior to Senior
Personal update: I just got promoted to Senior developer
Degree or no degree 🤔
If you've been on Tech Twitter (like, ever) you're probably familiar with the discussion on whether or not a degree is required to become a web developer.
Flow state
You know that feeling when you're working on something, but whatever you do, you just can't manage to stay focused? You get distracted after every line of code, you don't make any progress, and your task just seems insurmountable?
Escaping tutorial hell
When I started learning to code, I would watch lots of video tutorials and read lots of articles about programming. I felt so productive - and it seemed like I was learning new things all the time! Turns out I wasn't
Tech in 2022
If there's one thing I can say for certain about the new year, it's this:
Writing for developers
As developers, a lot of the work we do is actually communicating. Our job is to understand and solve problems, and we can only do that if we communicate effectively with clients, users, stakeholders etc. And since writing makes you a better communicator, practicing writing will make you better at your job.
How to learn programming
A few days ago I posted a tweet on which programming languages I think would be best suited to teach programming at universities:
What is success?
Today I'd like to reflect on the meaning of 'success', and why it's important to find your own definition rather than chase some arbitrary or society-defined versions.
Which framework should you learn?
Web development frameworks are awesome. They help developers add structure to their applications by streamlining certain ways of doing things and abstracting away a lot of complexity.
Working as a front-end developer
Today I want to share what it's like to work as a front-end developer in a digital agency. Of course these are all my own personal experiences, but I think talking about it can help people currently looking for that first job get an idea of what a normal 'day in the life' of a dev looks like.
Coding principles
If you work as (or currently study to become) a developer, you might've heard of something like the SOLID principles of object-oriented programming.
Making small changes
I'm a big believer in the power of habits, and how small changes can compound to create amazing results.
You are not your code
One of our primary functions as developers is to write code. It's what we'll naturally spend a lot of our days on - writing code, optimizing it, fixing bugs, refactoring etc. The more time we spend on code, the more it can feel like a part of our identity.
Advice for developers
I asked a question on Twitter earlier this week, encouraging everyone to share their one piece of advice they would give to new developers:
Asking questions
I believe that asking questions is one of the best and quickest ways to improve as a developer, especially for juniors.
Avoiding burnout
To become a better developer, you need to build your habits and practice consistently. But you also need to be weary of a very real threat in our industry: burnout.
Beating the interviews
How can you prove to interviewers that you have what it takes as a developer?
Goals are overrated
Setting goals is how we usually decide if we're improving ourselves, but what if there was a better way?
What did you learn today?
This simple reflection exercise will help you measure progression and solidify any new learnings
Do you need math when coding?
It's very common to think that you have to be good at math to be a good programmer. This is a question I've seen a lot, and I've even asked it myself.
Embracing your tools
There's a few fundamental tools in development that provide a great return on investment, considering how easy it is to pick up the basics.
Design for developers
How to improve your design skills as a front-end developer
The 5-minute Trick
The surefire way to improve your development skills through consistent practice
Full-stack development
What does it mean to be a full stack developer, and should you aim to become one?
JavaScript
JavaScript is the most popular programming language in the world, but what makes it so special?
Asking for feedback
Asking for feedback is the easiest and simplest way to level up your development career
Company types for developers
Different company types have different pros and cons - but which one is right for you?
Building projects
When people ask me how to best improve their development skills or learn to code, I always recommend building real projects.
Everybody makes mistakes
Everybody has those days.
Freelancing
Freelancing is the idea of working individually with different clients, rather than being employed by a single company.
Good, better, best
One of my favourite coding philosophies is the idea that any feature/project can be done in 3 distinct way
JavaScript array methods
In case you're not familiar, JavaScript offers many awesome array methods to make manipulating data much easier. Especially in this time with modern front-end frameworks handling lots of data, being able to control that with brief and clear code is a godsend.
Landing a development job
By far the question I get asked the most is how you can go about landing a development job, especially if it's your first one. It can be tricky to stand out of the crowd when you're self-taught and don't have professional experience to show off to companies. But you obviously need a job to get experience - the classic chicken and egg problem!
Learn CSS through games
The best way to learn CSS has always been a mystery to me. There's lots of tutorials, and on the surface, CSS seems deceptively simple. But when you get into the weeds, you realize that it can be extremely complex.
Learning how to learn
Development is one of the fastest changing industries on the planet. There’s always new languages, frameworks, libraries or tools coming out. Regardless of your current stack or interests, sooner or later, you will always have to learn something new.
Making money as a developer
As developers, we have many unique opportunities to make money that simply don't exist in other, more 'traditional' industries. Here's how.
Perfect code
As developers, there’s this idea of writing “perfect code”. Code that is self-explanatory, concise, maintainable, looks good, and has 0 bugs. I think this is something we all strive for on some level.
Pragmatic Programming
Learning how to debug issues, without losing your temper, is one of the most important parts of being a developer.
Stand out when applying for jobs
One of the questions I get the most is how someone can go about landing a development job, especially their first one. It's an amazing question, and the correct answer differs a lot based on the situation of the person asking it.
Problem solving
When we work as developers, our job is actually not to write code. That might sound counterintuitive, but hear me out:
Productivity tips
Ahh, productivity. We all know it - when you get in the zone, everything is flying, and at the end of the day, you feel like you accomplished all the tasks you set out to do.
2020 in review and my plans for 2021
2020 was a weird year. Here's my reflections on the year passed, and a look-forward to 2021.
Expectations for your first development job
Landing your first development job is hard, but when you do, you need to prepare for what comes next.
The best thing you can do for your development career
There's no one piece of advice that will make you a great developer over night. One thing comes pretty close, though.
Catching attention when applying for jobs
You need to catch the attention of the employer when applying for jobs. These are my favourite tips for doing just that.
I got a new job
How I landed a front-end development job in a digital agency through a detailed hiring process.
From awkward gamer to front-end engineer
My journey from a shy, introverted gamer to leading development projects as a front-end engineer.
Writing a compelling resume
To land a job, you need to get your foot in the door and create a great first impression. It all starts with a compelling resume.
Tips for remote work in Corona times
Working from home during the pandemic can be very challenging, so it's important to do it right.
2019 in review
Reflecting on the year passed, 2019, on a personal and professional level.
Is coding for me?
How do you know if coding is for you? If you don't enjoy math, are you even capable of being a programmer?