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Front-End developer Job titles

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Front-End developer Job titles

Continuing from our previous post on front-end development, we’ll be taking a dive into what a front-end developer does based on their skills and education. It is sometimes assumed that front-end development refers to knowing HTML, CSS and JavaScript. This field as it is, also includes knowledge in user interface and experience (UI/UX).

Companies hiring now require knowledge in JS frameworks (collections of JavaScript code libraries), CMS (content management system) and some backend.
Some Job titles we will be exploring include; Front-end developer, Front-end Engineer, Web designer, User interface developer, Mobile developer and Front-end SEO and Accessibility Expert.

Front-end Developer

A front-end developer also known as a client-side developer is skilled in HTML, CSS and JavaScript and can implement these coding languages in creating a website and web application. The visual front-end elements which includes the website layout, images, buttons, navigations, internal links and content are converted from a design. These elements are made using the aforementioned coding languages so the end-user (client) can interact with a product or service and lead to a conversion or sales.

The objective of the front-end developer is to ensure the website or web application looks exactly as the design and that it is also free of bugs. It is also important that the website is displayed correctly across the different web browsers (cross-browser), works properly on the different operating systems (cross-platforms) and is responsive regardless of the device (cross-devices).

According to PayScale and Upwork, the average salary of a front-end developer is $ 74,000 per year. A senior frontend developer can net about $113,000 per year, a mid-career front-end developer makes around $74,000 and a junior front-end developer with about 3 years experience nets about $49,000. These salaries varies from country to country and cities.

Front-end Engineer

A front-end engineer also known as JavaScript developer applies to those with a computer science engineering background and can use their skill with front-end coding languages. They are responsible for the selection, installation and testing of the user interface elements of a website.

The objective of a front-end engineer is to build the user-interface, ensure request to the APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) works properly, manage local data and code for applications that can work offline.

The average salary per year of a front-end engineer is $122,000. This can also vary depending on years of experience, location and employer.

Web Designer

A web designer is skilled in graphics and creates website and application layout using graphic design softwares (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, XD, Sketch and Figma). They are required to have little or no coding experience, but a knowledge or education in graphic design.

The objective of a web designer is to research, plan and design a website and application layout to best serve the end-user and client. Therefore, there is a need to understand what is visually appealing, different devices orientation and how the end-user will interact with the product or services that will lead to a conversion.

The average salary of a web designer is $ 58,000 per year, based on position in company, location, experience and skill.

User Interface Developer

A user interface developer is skilled in interaction design, using both design and development knowledge to create website and web application. Applying this skill to improve user experience by making websites and application interaction simple, fun, easy and effective.

The objective of a user interface developer is to create a convenient interface to meet the end-user’s needs. To achieve this a user interface developer identifies the user’s needs through research and then determines the structure and design of the websites, maintaining a balance between functionality and aesthetic design.

The average salary of a user interface developer by UpScale is about $68,484 per year. This is also determined by the experience level.

Mobile developer

A mobile developer also known as a mobile app developer or an app developer is experienced in developing content that run on mobile devices using HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Java web application. They are responsible for creating web applications in line with the different mobile platforms.

The objective of a mobile developer is to ensure web application are made correctly for mobile technology, building apps that run on different platforms such Google’s Android, Apple iOS and Microsoft Phones. Developing APIs to support mobile functionality.

The average salary of mobile developer ranges between $44,000 and $200,000.

Front-end SEO and Accessibility Expert

A SEO (Search Engine Optimization) expert specializes in analyzing, reviewing and implementing changes to a website to optimize it for search engines. The role of SEO is to maximize traffic to a website by improving page ranking. An Accessibility expert on the other hand has experience in testing and providing accessibility support to website to meet industry requirements and standards.

The objective of a SEO expert is developing relevant and engaging content. Prioritizing quality content and including keywords or phrases that will increase traffic to a website.

The average salary is about $54,144 per year and varies according to cities and experience.