What You Need To Know About Being A Javascript Developer 

The interest in tech is blooming across the world, and with it, many people are interested in building tech careers. This is a good thing because, despite talk of saturation, it’s clear that at the pace the world is developing in tech, we can never have enough software engineers, designers and developers. 

There are many challenging hurdles to overcome for these new interested techies to be. One of these challenges is confusion about what path to take. The tech industry is large, with so many caterer paths; sometimes, newbies don’t know enough to make an informed decision. 

This article would be highlighting JavaScript Developers. At the end of this article, you should know who they are, what they do, and how you can be one.

Who Is A JavaScript Developer? 

JavaScript Developers are front end developers. Their job is to write code that improves the user’s experience, and because of this, they work closely with UI/UX designers. 

JavaScript Developers are experts in the programming language JavaScript, which is not to be confused with Java, another programming language. JavaScript is a high-level programming language designed for web browser development. It helps make websites easy to use and interactive for users. Javascript developers use the programming language to build the following: 

• Websites; 
• Gaming apps;
• Presentations;
• Mobile apps;
• Virtual reality systems;
• Web servers and web server apps. 

JavaScript developers are highly sought after by companies, including big companies like Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Amazon, etc. So, if you’re planning to be a JavaScript developer, then you’re on the right path. 

But before you decide…

What Does A JavaScript Developer Do? 

A JavaScript developer generally designs, tests, and implements software using JavaScript. But there are more specific tasks they complete.

• Design front end applications; 
• Collaborate with other people whose tasks fall under providing the best end-user experience. These people are web designers, other front end developers, and UI/UX designers; 
• They collaborate with back-end developers to create responsive front end designs;
• Maintain the quality of already-built software; 
• Design prototypes of new concepts; 
• Perform system risk analysis; 
• Deploy code to live environment.

These are the general duties of a JavaScript developer. Other roles and responsibilities are specific to the employer. This means that you may do more than these tasks or a more specific version of them.

What Skills Should A JavaScript Developer Have? 

A successful JavaScript developer should have a mixture of technical and soft skills. This is because JavaScript developers, in particular, don’t work in isolation, so developing great soft skills is essential.

Technical skills that you should know as a JavaScript developer:

Good knowledge of JavaScript programming language 

Not only this, but you also need to know other web developer programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JSX.

Functional programming

This means being able to write functional code that is easy to test, alter and deploy. 

How to write memory-efficient JavaScript code

Memory-efficient code is optimised and performs better.

Keeping on top of innovations in JavaScript 

Knowing the latest trends allows you to keep your clients happy and be more prepared to stay ahead of the competition.

Familiarity with JavaScript technologies 

This includes Redux, Node JS, jQuery, and React JS Typescript.

Knowledge of JavaScript Framework

It is a collection of JavaScript code libraries that allows you to use pre-written code for routine programming tasks.

Soft skills required include: 

Team player

JavaScript developers work in teams with other front end developers and designers, so they must be good team players with good people skills.

Communication skills

Communication skills are also crucial for JavaScript developers who have to communicate with clients and other developers while working on projects.

Time management Skills

Every developer should have survival time management skills as they could be working on multiple projects simultaneously.

Creativity

JavaScript developers have to be creative to build interactive user websites.

Analytical Problem-solving skills

Being a developer is about solving problems with code, and JavaScript developers should have analytical problem-solving skills.

How To Be A JavaScript Developer

Being a JavaScript developer is clearly a fun job, and if you’re interested, here’s how you can be one. 

Knowledge of Basic Fundamentals and Asynchronous Programming

As a beginner to JavaScript, the first place to start is at the fundamentals. This should cover the basic concepts and fundamentals of JavaScript. These fundamentals include the following: 

• If/else statements; 
• Loops; 
• Let; 
• Var; 
• Const;
• Expressions and Operations; 
• Filter and Reduce; 
• Functions; 
• Map; 
• String; 
• Arrays and Objects; 
• Numbers; 
• ES5 and ES6;
• CSS and HTML. 

When you’re done with the basic concepts, the next step is to master asynchronous programming in JavaScript. Also cover prototypes, hosting, and other higher-order functions. 

Take On A Project 

Learning is one thing, and completing projects is another. Every good JavaScript developer became good by practising and working on personal projects. After learning the basics, it’s essential to learn how everything comes together in projects. Start with simple projects like currency converters and calculators. 

Take Courses and Get a Certification

After working on your first projects, the basics you’ve learned are somewhat solidified from practice. But there’s more. The next step is to take courses and get certifications for what you’ve learned. Look for boot camps and other learning resources. Some online courses are accessible on sites like freecodecamp, Coursera, and Udemy. 

At the end of your courses, you should be able to create simple websites, concatenate strings, create functions, etc. You’re definitely on the right track! 

Learn ECMAScript 

Next up is learning ECMAScript. ECMAScript is a standard that JavaScript implements. Learning it introduces you to higher concepts like arrow functions, maps, sets, promises and async, iterators and generators. 

Learn How To Use Frameworks 

Frameworks are super important in JavaScript, and here is a list of frameworks to familiarise yourself with.

• React; 
• Vue; 
• Angular. 

It might take you a while to properly navigate these frameworks, but you’ll be thankful for the time spent learning them. 

When you’re done mastering these frameworks, you’re almost ready for a job. You should start reading up on how to navigate interviews because you’re close to your first offer. 

Do a Refresher CSS and HTML-5 Course 

At this point, you should be conversant with CSS and HTML. Still, a refresher course wouldn’t be a bad idea. If you’re good with these programming languages, you may skip this step and consider yourself ready. 

Get Your Portfolio Ready and Apply 

Congratulations, you’ve put in the work, and now you’re ready for your first offer. This next stage in your career requires you to know how to market yourself. Build a portfolio and learn how to apply for roles online. 

Prepare For An Interview 

Get ready to show potential employers what you’ve learned. Look through your projects, take practice interviews and look for resources on handling JavaScript developer interviews. Read articles on how to hire JavaScript developers to learn how to present your skills in the most appealing way to hirers.

Conclusion 

The journey to becoming a JavaScript developer has no set timeline. But if you’re focused on learning and practising, you should be able to get an entry role in a year.