3 ms·
It's interesting that you consider yourself a front & backend engineer - does that mean you would apply for both jobs? or Do you concentrate on either? My conu
by peterchon 14y ago
It's interesting that you consider yourself a front & backend engineer - does that mean you would apply for both jobs? or Do you concentrate on either?
My conundrum is that employers are actively seeking "Front-End Developers" without understanding what that really means.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- RollAHardSix 14y agoAs someone who wears all 3 hats, print/web/graphic designer, front-end developer, and back-end developer, I generally apply to whichever description seems the most relevant to my skill-set and what I would LIKE to be doing at the company(ie. which I would come off strongest in during an interview). I've seen many job postings where Front-End Developers are just HTML/CSS luckily this seems to be changing to include scripting languages, which I favor. Generally the database, server work is handled by the Back-End Developers and with communication the business logic is handled by both but more commonly by the back-end developer or general programming guys. (Depending on company size of course) Design belongs to designers (but really, more often than not, upper management). At this stage in the game, good designers can give you HTML/CSS, great designers can give you scripting work as-well. But their are also great designers who can't write a line of HTML/CSS, but that's more of a experience/working as-a-team thing. I would much prefer to work with a designer who can't code, but understands basic limitations of the web and is a fantastic mockup/layout-guy, then I would with a semi-decent mockup and semi-decent coding guy. (Let's face it, if you have time and it doesn't match your usual style, you generally try to make it conform as best as possible) Anyways, like all answers...it depends. Keep in mind too if an ad is looking for just a HTML/CSS guy; knowing how to script may be a bonus and may come off as such, until you sit-down and the 'coder' already in place, doesn't want you touching anything. Oh, silly politics.
- peterchon 14y agoThat's the thing - I currently am the design/web guy. But I would rather concentrate on a single area then be the guy who can do it all. Sure, it's nice to know every aspect of development, but I rather be REALLY good at one thing then be average across the border. With that said, I think it's really our fault that there's really no clear distinction between the front-end (client side) vs. the back-end (server-side.) I've seen senior "front-end developer" who only uses jQuery because he doesn't know JavaScript. And it's funny that you bring up politics, because that guys would get mad at me because I would show him a easier way (in jQuery, mind you) for traversing the DOM. Sometimes, I wish there's was a certification process to be able to call yourself a "designer", "developer", or "programmer". I think it would make finding job/candidates much easier.