This is a great video for pretty much anyone. It goes quickly over pretty much everything in Web Development and the current state of the industry as far as technologies go. It doesn’t cover everything and it doesn’t go in-depth on any subject, but it covers alot of things and a gives you a general idea of what they do and what they could be used for.
It’s not my video, I just found it.
Just watched it. Don’t disagree much but he mentions that to become a front-end developer, it’s not neccessary to become a CSS Ninja or be that great at HTML/Javascript. I have no clue why he would say that. That’s almost all of what front - end development is. He should be telling people that want to go front-end development, to get as good as possible. He just says to learn the basics and you can pick up stuff when you get the job. Huh? Doesn’t he think that interviews will cover situations where you have to think of the proper way to handle the code?
Overall he covers all the main aspects (and even true - my work uses grunt/foundation/sass/jquery/node) etc.
Yes, that made me raise my eyebrows a bit. IMHO learning the basics is enough to get you ready to start writing - while you learn - but I doubt many employers would want to pay you for the time you spend at SitePoint getting “fix my problem for me fast” help.
That’s something that really bothered me a couple years ago when I was trying to find a job - all these people (regulars!) coming here for fixes. Some users you could just tell that they didn’t really know what they were doing.
My job interview had multiple scenarios - along with asking how could you add in cool functionality for users with Javascript on, or for good browsers like FF/Chrome that supports some new CSS3. They went in depth with that, along with asking my knowledge about CSS properties and how they work together.
He even says he started as a front end developer…I wonder how far he went though (if he even got a job) because it doesn’t seem like he did. I’ve only had one interview for web developer though so maybe all interviews won’t be as intense but my current one made sure I wasn’t a beginner.
I’m looking over some debugging notes that I had to take over…some of the fixes here are laughable and just plain bad. They had me take over debugging partly because they know Sitepoint and they know I go here and debug threads so they thought it’d be a good fit. I love my job.
it’s not neccessary to become a CSS Ninja or be that great at HTML/Javascript
I missed that, I just listened to it while I worked. Where in the video was it?
He just says to learn the basics and you can pick up stuff when you get the job. Huh? Doesn’t he think that interviews will cover situations where you have to think of the proper way to handle the code?
A lot of Entry/Jr Positions don’t really require that much knowledge in any specific area and know that you’ll need to learn & be trained more to do you job, so I agree with him there. IMO, a strong grasp of the basics for an entry level job is better than someone who thinks they are really good in any specific area but are still at the Entry/Jr level.
My job interview had multiple scenarios - along with asking how could you add in cool functionality for users with Javascript on, or for good browsers like FF/Chrome that supports some new CSS3. They went in depth with that, along with asking my knowledge about CSS properties and how they work together.
Granted I have a CS Degree so my experience may not be the same, but none of my entry level interviews had any specific questions like this. The ones who did, made it very obvious they were looking for Mid Level developers at Entry level pay. Which is disgustingly common. Most were more theory & logic based to show that I understood how things worked, rather than knowing the syntax specifics… because it’s entry level, specifics are what you need to learn.
What you describe is what I would expect out of a mid level interview or maybe a non-entry Jr position.
The ninja comment was early on - I don’t feeel like re-listening to it, but somewhere within the first 10 minutes.
My job is junior web developer and they asked a lot. I mean I am going to be dealing with a lot of code and our team is small (4) so we have to make sure we know our stuff. I am at the U.S.N.A. though in Annapolis so I assume that they have a slightly higher standard than a regular small business.
My job title is junior web developer, with pay to match. And my work is pretty simplistic (what I’d expect of a junior.)
I think they were just testing to see what I DID know, not what I’d be using in practice. Their first questions were simple and answered easily and it got steadily more complex. When questions got harder, I’d have to think about how to answer and what I’d have to be careful of (browser bugs, etc)…
I am at the U.S.N.A. though in Annapolis so I assume that they have a slightly higher standard than a regular small business.
I wouldn’t know, I haven’t worked for one. But having dealt with plenty of DoD/Military systems, like AKO & MyPay, I think your team may be the exception, not the standard. 
Dunno…I haven’t worked with my team long enough tounderstand how good they actually are…we are using Foundation mainly and SASS…hard to gauge theire actual skill though :p.
A good video. I guess its only flaw is the comment that you should learn this stuff and then get a job in two years. Knowing how these technologies work, they’ll be out of date in two years. 
Knowing how these technologies work, they’ll be out of date in two years.
He might have mentioned that, I can’t remember. I might have just been thinking it while watching it. lol
I actually showed this to a lot of my coworkers who are good at their jobs, but don’t really keep up with current technologies as much as they should. I thought it was a great overall “State of the Industry” video. Despite the fact he missed a couple lower level things like Java, GO, and where C++ fits in.
I agree with the video author that you don’t need to be HTML/CSS ninja. For example, let say a person knows JQuery very well and he needs a GUI that provides him a Date Calendar widget. He can easily use JQuery UI plugin to do that. Of course, you need to know essentials like how to layout the page, create dynamic tables w/ sort columns, and etc… But, you don’t need to memorize how to make calendar widgets or drag & drop cart features.
But, I do agree for people w/o Computer Science degree will need a convincing proof that they know their stuff. Don’t ask me why how magically having CS degree means it’s ok to know less to be eligible for a job.
Probably for the same reasons why most schools have a 75% dropout rate during/after Data Structures. Not everyone can be a programmer or has the ability to learn how to. A CS degree shows you have at least some ability to understand things in the area and that you understand the theory behind some of the concepts. Theoretically, you should be able to take a CS graduate and mold them into any software position you need them for. Be it web dev or anything else.
Of course that’s not a guarantee and not everyone with a CS degree is cut out to be a programmer either, but it’s a fairly good indicator.
I could never be a Pharmacist, Nurse, Doctor, or pretty much any non-technical profession in the medical field. My brain simply doesn’t work that way.
I used to believe that until I met people with CS degree who should not be qualified for their job. I’m not sure about now but 90% of the courses I took from college have never been used. I think the ability to learn should be well established by Senior High School. However, all the courses I took for my Masters have been extremely useful. If I could change the system, I would eliminate undergraduate studies and go for specialized courses in Masters.
Honestly, if someone read a book about HTML, CSS, Javascript, AngualrJs, BootStrap, Java 8, and Spring certifications. I’m willing to bet this guy is much better candidate then any recent CS graduates.
Front end developers do much more than just jQuery though. Sooner or later, (s)he will have to move on from doing Javascript and do some HTML/CSS. Most front end jobs are basically HTML/CSS/Javascript (unless you have a dedicated Javascript person)…need all 3 to survive as a front-ender.
I think I use something I learned in college almost everyday, usually trivial but something. And I’m glad to have been exposed to concepts I would probably never have learned on my own. Plus, I was forced to learn things fairly in depth like Database Normalization, Regex, and other concepts that I probably would have learned on my own… but not to such a degree.
What did you focus on for your Masters? Has it helped you in your career?
Focused on Enterprise Computing. Basically, learn cool stuff like
Hibernate, EJB, Servlets & JSP, Maven/Ant, Ruby on Rails, Java Swing, Real Database Course where you get to write drivers, and etc… Keep in mind I graduated more then 10 years ago and I still use most of what I learned today. The BEST part was that these classes had no midterms or final!! Just weekly programming assignment and I loved it! Most of the professors were working at commercial training company.
Forgot to mention that within 5 years I earned the degree… it has boost 150% of the pay
By all means, I didn’t say you DON’T need to know HTML/CSS/Javascript. Basically, know enough to a point where a developer know what key words to search on Google to get his job done. I don’t expect a developer to memorize the entire Javascript API or write native AJAX requests.
Focused on Enterprise Computing
… I didn’t know you could do that. I’ve only heard of things that were more computational or theoretical. I already do that, I may actually look into those programs.
Do you think it’s actually benefited you other than looking good on a resume?
I graduated more then 10 years ago
back to
I’m not sure about now but 90% of the courses I took from college have never been used.
If you began programming any time up until about the early 2000s, you were forced to learn low level concepts to function. Like how memory works, binary, hex, maybe even assembler depending on how long ago. Today, you could be a Python, Javascript, or even a Java guru and not need to know any of these things. Each one may be trivial to learn by themselves, but all these things are taught during CS. You may not use them every day but at least when you do need them they are there. Not to mention things like Algorithm Analysis, that I may not directly use very often but the things I learned from that class are in the back of my mind with almost every line of code I write. These are the sort of things you get from a CS Graduate.
I agree that not every CS Graduate is good or even cares about what they do, some just go to get a job to sit in for the rest of their lives. But that’s something the person doing the hiring should figure out. I’ve met plenty of people who have made it fairly high without degrees that don’t belong in their positions either, or even in the field for that matter. lol
The way I understand it, the video speaks about what you need to know to get a job, not what you should know to excel and get a senior position
I’m not too sure about about other Masters program but I went to Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. There was only couple classes that was just theories but 8 others were hands-on programming courses.
http://ep.jhu.edu/graduate-programs/computer-science/computer-science-program-requirements
Enterprise and Web Computing
605.481 Principles of Enterprise Web Development
605.484 Agile Development with Ruby on Rails
605.486 Mobile Application Development for the Android Platform
605.782 Web Application Development with Java
605.784 Enterprise Computing with Java
605.785 Web Services with SOAP and REST: Frameworks, Processes, and Applications
605.786 Enterprise System Design and Implementation
605.787 Rich Internet Applications with Ajax
605.788 Big Data Processing Using Hadoop
635.483 E-Business: Models, Architecture, Technologies, and Infrastructure
Scroll down to see the courses. Of course, there are plenty of theory classes but there’s plenty of practical courses like “Hadoop”
Yes, it has tremendously helped my career! The earlier you get the better.[quote=“mawburn, post:18, topic:99477, full:true”]
>Focused on Enterprise Computing
… I didn’t know you could do that. I’ve only heard of things that were more computational or theoretical. I already do that, I may actually look into those programs.
Do you think it’s actually benefited you other than looking good on a resume?
>I graduated more then 10 years ago
back to
>I’m not sure about now but 90% of the courses I took from college have never been used.
If you began programming any time up until about the early 2000s, you were forced to learn low level concepts to function. Like how memory works, binary, hex, maybe even assembler depending on how long ago. Today, you could be a Python, Javascript, or even a Java guru and not need to know any of these things. Each one may be trivial to learn by themselves, but all these things are taught during CS. You may not use them every day but at least when you do need them they are there. Not to mention things like Algorithm Analysis, that I may not directly use very often but the things I learned from that class are in the back of my mind with almost every line of code I write. These are the sort of things you get from a CS Graduate.
I agree that not every CS Graduate is good or even cares about what they do, some just go to get a job to sit in for the rest of their lives. But that’s something the person doing the hiring should figure out. I’ve met plenty of people who have made it fairly high without degrees that don’t belong in their positions either, or even in the field for that matter. lol
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