What Is a Front End Software Developer and How to Become One

By ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team

Front end software development involves coding the user-facing aspects of a website or software program. Your responsibilities include using a variety of tools or IDEs (integrated development environments) to write or edit CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), and Javascript code. As a front end software developer, your job is to use your skills to address the look, feel, and overall user experience of an application, more so than the speed, efficiency, or resilience of the backend of the application.

The primary qualifications for getting a job as a front end software developer are a bachelor's degree in a relevant field and several years of programming experience. Many software developers work in various other programming roles before applying for a position as a developer. This is because companies often have long lists of skills they want to see from applicants, and it takes time to learn many of them. Most employers are willing to be flexible about your skills as long as you can learn any of the essential parts quickly. Fulfilling the responsibilities and duties of a front end software developer requires teamwork skills, research skills, and familiarity with multiple programming languages.