Best Online Courses and Resources to learn Front-end Web Development

What is Front-End Development?

The “Front-end” basically means, the front-face of the webpage, also known as client side of the webpage, with which the client and webpage interacts . The Front-end usually consists of 2 parts : The Web Design and The Front-End Web Development.

The Web Design part is generally managed by the Web Designers, who work with software like Adobe Photoshop and Firework, on the other hand a Front-end developer is someone who do the coding part and generally deals with scripting languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript and various frameworks.

Everything that you see when using the web is a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript all being controlled by your computer’s browser. These include things like fonts, drop-down menus, buttons, transitions, sliders, contact forms, etc.

Other part of the game, which is not visible to the client is known as Back-end of the web.

What are the Front-End Programming Languages?

Front-end languages includes HTML(Hyper Text Markup Language), CSS(Cascading Style Sheet), and Javascript. Utilizing JQuery will also be a common occurrence with front end development work, but remember these are only a few examples of the types of languages you’ll learn. You’ll also have to learn tons about responsive design along with typography, layouts, grid system, and color theory. When anticipating types of projects you’ll work on as a front end developer, think creating and redesigning websites. In order to be a front end developer, you do not need back end development skills. Sites created by front end developers won’t interact with information stored on a database in order to be functional. The content will be “fixed,” meaning that large pieces of new data will not be constantly uploaded. Small business owners and restaurants usually have great examples of static sites.

To get a good job, as a Front-End Developer I would recommend people to learn other things along with HTML, CSS, JS like: Various Frameworks such as: Bootstrap, Foundation, Skeleton which are HTML and CSS frameworks, they also need to learn various JS frameworks like: Knockout.js, React.js, Ember.js, Backbone.js, Angular.js . Other than these frameworks, a front-end developer should be able to use version control softwares like git and a good text editor for professional like Vim or Emacs. Other softwares which I will recommend are Grunt, Image optimizing tools like ImageMagick.

If anyone already know HTML and CSS, and will be learning frameworks, I would suggeest you to go for Introduction to Bootstrap Course on edx by Microsoft, you can download free notes made by me for that course and read the review here.

What are the Scopes of a Front-End Developer?

For professionals in many fields, finding a new job can be daunting. Scores of applications can go unanswered, and the competition for jobs—even at the highest levels—can be fierce. But for many skilled front-end developers, phones are ringing off the hook.

“Hiring great front-end developers is insanely competitive,” said Jen Pugh, a New York City-based tech recruiter. “It’s a total seller’s market. A lot of these folks are getting seven or eight emails a day from recruiters. Front-end devs are really at a place where they can pick and choose.”

According to Pugh, “Anyone who knows HTML5, CSS3, and the newer JavaScript frameworks like AngularJS and BackboneJS is highly in demand.” In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that web developer employment is projected to grow a whopping 20 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all other occupations.

It seems like everyone’s looking for developers with great coding skills. But there’s another skill that employers prize even more.

“Everyone’s looking for a problem solver,” she said. “Not just people who can code, but people who can sit down with visual and UX designers and solve major challenges.” For career changers coming from other disciplines, especially those who have significant experience working cross-functionally, this approach often comes naturally. It can also be extremely lucrative: Pugh added that developers who can demonstrate this approach often command higher salaries.

Source: Udacity Blog

What money does a Front-end Developer make?

Speaking of salaries, front-end web developers have one of the most bankable skill sets on the job market today. According to Glassdoor, the national median salary for front-end developers tops more than $75,000. In markets where the competition for top tech talent is fierce, the median salary can climb above $100,000.

“For a mid-level front-end developer here in New York,” Pugh said, “it’s pretty standard to see salaries that start in the low $100,000s.” For entry-level developers, salaries are still extremely competitive and often far higher than other entry-level roles.

Source: Udacity Blog

What are the best way to learn Front-Development?

When it comes to learning Front-End Development, my first choice would be to go for Bootcamps, there are various bootcamps available these days, from companies like HackReactor (the best for Web Development Bootcamp), etc. Yes, they are very costly but in a mere period of 12 Weeks they make sure that you become a very good developer, the one with all the latest required skills in the market.

Unfortunately not all the people around the globe have access to such good bootcamps, so the best options for them is go for online web development courses. I have done various web development courses from different websites, the best one was on Udacity. According to me the best course is the one which makes you work on a lot of real projects, that is the only way to learn scripting or programming languages, so always look for the course which offer you various project to work

I have also made notes which I will be sharing with you, but first lets talk about the top 10 online courses you should enroll in to become a good web developer are:

All these courses mentioned are awesome, but the one’s with are (awesome)².

Front-End Web Development Track (TreeHouse)
The Complete Web Developer Course 2.0 (Udemy)
The Web Developer Bootcamp (Udemy)
Front-End Web Developer Nanodegree (Udacity)
Ultimate Web Designer & Developer Course: Build 23 Projects! (Udemy)
Become a Front End Developer (Lynda Path to Web Development)
Build Websites from Scratch with HTML & CSS (Udemy)
Build Responsive Real World Websites with HTML5 and CSS3 (Udemy)
The Complete Web Development Course – Build 15 Projects (Udemy)
Explore Front-End Development (Lynda List od 14 Courses for Front-End Web Development)

Best Book to Learn Front-End Development are:

**Clicking on any book will take you to your local amazon store.

Few Other good resources to visit to learn Web Development and stay updated are:

**Hey, here is a small joke I found on internet . If you didn’t get the joke I would recommend you to enroll in one of the courses mentioned above and once you start coding you will definitely understand. ALL THE BEST

I want to make this blog a platform for the learners to find best resources and Online Courses available for particular technologies, So I request you all to please share any new resources you know of and will be helpful for everyone, in the comment section below and I will add the same in the article.