Hi there!
I’m going trough some tough time and I’m unsure about my future as web dev.
I’ve been coding (X/HTML, CSS, JavaScript, basic PHP, MySQL + pretty good design skills) for a few years and I’m not sure what to do NOW?
I don’t feel so great about my job, like three, four, five years ago, I guess I’m getting bored and I see there is more and more front-end devs every freaking minute, what is really scary, because (and not only) of them I can’t even think about a salary that Java average coder gets…
I know you can’t make a decision for me etc., but maybe some of you guys just upgraded from front-end developer to something else… What would it be?
Cheers!
To answer your question about “Is Front End Development a Good Job”. I think front end will have a chance to grow in a way in never has in the past. Server side code was used to speed up web pages, but now that computers are so much faster, Web 2.0 has brought a lot of possibilities by way of JavaScript libraries. You know JavaScript, but do you know jQuery, MooTools, Dojo, Ext JS, Prototype, Scriptaculous? If not, this would be a good area to enhance your skills. Don’t let this next part scare you, but you could learn a little bit on Geographic Information Systems with Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, ESRI ArcGIS Online, and Bing Maps. These areas are growing fast and the power and efficiency that they add to a website besides the fact they are free tools, should ensure you not only have a good job, but a job that will continue to grow with you as the landscape is very dynamic. You’ve already got the foundational skill sets from the sound of it; now you can build on them.
Hope this helps.
Chris
Honestly, I wouldn’t want to give explicit examples because I don’t know what kind of things you enjoy doing on a day-to-day basis and if I were to suggest something you might not enjoy, it would only lead to more boredom, annoyance and perhaps an equally quick burnout ratio. Some people choose to go from simply building websites to producing physical products (like web based software) which they sell on-license, some choose to go from freelancing to work in an organisation (where there’s more structure) or the reverse (for more freedom), some even choose to dump development and go into something lighter (like design) or heavier (like training or consultancy), it really depends on your level of skill, what interests you, what you enjoy doing and where you think you could see yourself working. 