What Does a Front-End Developer Do?
November 26, 2024
Article
Prepare for a career as a front-end developer. Gain the in-demand skills and hands-on experience to get job-ready in less than 4 months.
Instructors: IBM Skills Network Team
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Master the most up-to-date practical skills and tools that front-end developers use in their daily roles
Learn how to develop web pages using programming languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React
Apply user interface and user experience (UI/UX) principles and best practices; manage your code with GitHub repositories and branches
Gain technical experience through hands-on labs and projects and build a portfolio to showcase your work to potential employers
Add to your LinkedIn profile
Prepare for a career in the lucrative field of software engineering. In this program, you’ll learn in-demand skills like UI/UX design, programming, and web development to get job-ready for an entry level role in front-End Development in less than 4 months. No prior experience needed to get started.
The role of a front-end developer is to build and optimize the user experience of a website or application They focus on creating the interactive and visual elements of a website, the physical layout of each page, and enhancing the site experience.
This program will help you plan, build, deploy, and test web designs and applications. You’ll create applications using automated build tools, and will learn the latest skills and tools used by professional front-end developers including UI/UX design, web development, and highly sought after programming languages, libraries and frameworks such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React and Bootstrap. You’ll also learn to manage your project source code using GitHub repositories, interface with external and back-end services like databases, and become familiar with DevOps and Agile practices and methodologies like CI/CD and Scrum.
When you complete the program, you’ll have a portfolio of projects and a Professional Certificate from IBM to showcase your expertise. You’ll also earn an IBM digital badge and will gain exclusive access to career resources to help you in your job search, including mock interviews and resume support.
Applied Learning Project
Throughout this Professional Certificate, you will develop a portfolio of hands-on projects involving various popular technologies and programming languages in front-end development. Projects and labs include:
Displaying Hello World using 11 programming languages
Understanding programming fundamentals with Python
Creating a single page portfolio website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Cloning and forking GitHub projects
Creating GitHub repositories, working with branches and performing Pull Requests (PRs)
Communicating with back-end services using RESTful APIs
Accessing a NoSQL database like MongoDB from a front-end app
Designing compelling User Interfaces and Experiences (UI/UX) using Figma
Creating a CI/CD pipeline and deploying updates to the application
You will publish these projects through your GitHub repository to share your skills with your peers and prospective employers.
Define front-end development, list roles and skills, outline web development steps, and explore UI/UX design, collaboration, and industry trends.
Explore web browsers, load balancing, and define web frameworks, platforms, hosting, languages, accessibility, and cloud benefits.
Compare front-end and back-end roles, version control, and CI/CD, discuss No-Code advantages and tools, and define CMS and SEO patterns.
Create websites using WordPress and plugins for website enhancement, outline qualifications, portfolio elements, and specialization paths.
Describe software engineering, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), and software development tools, technologies and stacks.
List different types of programming languages and create basic programming constructs such as loops and conditions using Python.
Outline approaches to application architecture and design, patterns, and deployment architectures.
Summarize the skills required in software engineering and describe the career options it provides.
Explain design, UI/UX concepts, best practices of visual development, and the key duties and responsibilities of a UI/UX designer.
Examine web design methodologies like Responsive Web Design (RWD), and Progressive Web Development.
Use Figma, the essential concepts of Figma, and its various features.
Develop applications and websites with web development frameworks, like Bootstrap.
Describe the Web Application Development Ecosystem and terminology like front-end developer, back-end, server-side, and full stack.
Identify the developer tools and integrated development environments (IDEs) used by web developers.
Create and structure basic web pages using HTML and style them with CSS.
Develop dynamic web pages with interactive features using JavaScript.
Summarize key features and benefits of using Bootstrap
Demonstrate your proficiency in building flexible and responsive websites using Bootstrap
Describe version control and its place in social and collaborative coding and in DevOps.
Explain basic Git concepts such as repositories and branches used for distributed version control and social coding.
Create GitHub repositories and branches, and perform pull requests (PRs) and merge operations, to collaborate on a team project.
Build your portfolio by creating and sharing an open-source project on GitHub.
Develop interactive user interfaces (UIs) and web applications using JavaScript technologies including React, JSX, and ES6.
Build dynamic front-end applications quickly and easily with reusable React components.
Employ various React concepts and features, including props, states, hooks, forms, and Redux.
Demonstrate your React skills by building several front-end applications such as a shopping cart.
Define CMS and SEO, identify their types, and list their features and benefits.
Describe Webpack 5 and list its advantages, functions, and significance.
Define Mocha and Jasmine’s testing frameworks and compare and contrast their advantages and disadvantages.
Describe the debugging process, explain its importance, and identify various debugging methods.
Explore cloud native applications concepts and methodologies, recognize CNCF’s impact, and analyse the benefits of CI/CD, Agile, and Scrum.
Recognize the DevOps culture, and its significance, differentiate between TDD and BDD, and explore the principles and characteristics of MongoDB.
Implement CI/CD practices and connect and integrate user stories using Zenhub to facilitate the Agile development process.
Enhance application functionality using tools and techniques, store, manage, and perform basic data operations using MongoDB and CRUD operations.
Apply your UI/UX design and Figma skills to demonstrate your proficiency in designing the layouts for various components of a responsive website
Develop static website pages and integrate them into the Landing page while demonstrating your expertise in HTML and CSS.
Demonstrate your React proficiency to create dynamic react components and convert static pages into a responsive website
Apply your GitHub concepts and skills along with the software development process to build, deploy, and update a fully functional website
Describe the role of a software engineer and some career path options as well as the prospective opportunities in the field.
Explain how to build a foundation for a job search, including researching job listings, writing a resume, and making a portfolio of work.
Summarize what a candidate can expect during a typical job interview cycle, different types of interviews, and how to prepare for interviews.
Explain how to give an effective interview, including techniques for answering questions and how to make a professional personal presentation.
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.
At IBM, we know how rapidly tech evolves and recognize the crucial need for businesses and professionals to build job-ready, hands-on skills quickly. As a market-leading tech innovator, we’re committed to helping you thrive in this dynamic landscape. Through IBM Skills Network, our expertly designed training programs in AI, software development, cybersecurity, data science, business management, and more, provide the essential skills you need to secure your first job, advance your career, or drive business success. Whether you’re upskilling yourself or your team, our courses, Specializations, and Professional Certificates build the technical expertise that ensures you, and your organization, excel in a competitive world.
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This program is for learners who are interested in starting a career in web and front-end development.
This program is suitable for those with and without college degrees. It does not require any prior programming or cloud skills. It does require a basic understanding of computing environments and computer literacy such as familiarity working with files and folders in an operating system, launching, using and switching between applications, running commands, copying and pasting text and files, taking screenshots, etc. Above all, it requires the desire and motivation to learn online in a self-paced manner.
Front-end development is the process of creating interactive elements of a website that the user directly interacts with.
Front-end web developers focus on the visual elements of a website or application. They create the physical layout of each page, integrate visuals, and enhance the site.
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
This Professional Certificate is self-paced and can be completed on your own schedule. It consists of several courses requiring 10-12 hours of effort on average. If you complete about 1 course per month, it would take you around 8 months to complete the entire program. Learners completing 1 course per week, could finish sooner in 2-3 months.
Many of the courses build on top of concepts and skills in previous courses, therefore it is highly recommended to complete the courses in order.
No college credit is available yet.
This Professional Certificate is designed to equip you with the skills required to take on the challenges of working as an entry-level front-end developer.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Certificate, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Certificate. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
¹ Median salary and job opening data are sourced from Lightcast™ Job Postings Report. Data for job roles relevant to featured programs (2/1/2024 - 2/1/2025)
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