How to Grow Your Career as a JavaScript Developer?

JavaScript is one of the most beloved and desirable programming languages to learn in 2019. JS development is a hot career option in the programming world. It is one of the best-paying programming languages to get familiar with. It was developed by Brendan Eich back in 1995. Officially, the popular programming language is known as the ECMAScript.

JavaScript or JS is a high-level, interpreted programming language. The lightweight programming language is designed for creating network-centric apps. In addition to being open and cross-platform, JavaScript is easy to implement thanks to its integration with HTML. JavaScript, along with CSS and HTML, forms the underlying core technology of the World Wide Web.

Practice makes a man, and a programmer too, perfect. Programming is all about practicing and trying all sorts of possibilities, failing and rebuilding again, over and over until Eureka! Making mistakes is important but learning from them is a concern with added importance.

Learning is an endless process and one pivotal for a career in web development. Before discussing some of the best practices to enhance your skillset as a JavaScript developer, let us first know about the role of a JS developer a bit better.

Responsibilities of a JS Developer

The typical job of a JavaScript developer is to implement front-end logic that defines the performance pertaining to the graphic elements of the web applications. She often works in tandem with a back-end web designer or designing team accountable for entire server-side application logic.

Any JS developer is also liable for linking the development element with extant services in the backend. In some scenarios, a JavaScript developer might require to work with other front-end web developers that are focused on specializing the markup and styling of the application(s).

JavaScript development is one of the most sought-after career options as of now and will stay so in 2019. So, it’s a great option to choose as a web developer. However, doing so is just the start. You need to continually learn and evolve to stay competent in the rapidly transforming websphere.

Don’t know how to do so? No, worries as we are here for that particular reason. So, here are some great ways to ensure you grow and sustain your career as a JavaScript developer:

1. Acquaint Yourself With The Latest Technologies

Learning JavaScript isn’t enough. You need to be skilled in a host of JS-related technologies and frameworks. You must be aware all the latest technologies making their way to the mainstream programming community. Here is a list of some of the most important JavaScript frameworks.

1. Do Freelance

Freelancing has created a number of possibilities for professionals around the world. Freelancers rely on popular freelancing platforms like Fiverr, Freelancer, and Upwork, to flexibly offer their services to the clients. Making an account on any freelancing platform is a breeze. You need to simply fill out some basic details, bank information, and payout options.

Moreover, many of the freelancing platforms support a test system. It allows you to take tests based on your skills and then try to get the best score possible. This makes it easier for clients to evaluate your skills. You can either do bidding for yourself or hire a professional bidder to do the same for you.

1. Follow Veterans

It’s important to keep track of some of the most prominent names in the concerned programming language niche, which, in this case, is JavaScript. You need to connect with JS experts via social media, YouTube, personal blogs, websites etc. These experts can be either people or organizations. Check out the list of some of the most popular JavaScript blogs here.

1. Have a Blog

Discussing is effectual for learning. You can have your very own discussion space as a personal blog. WordPress is a leading place for starting a blog. It offers both free and paid versions of a blog. You can put anything on your blog, personal or professional. Anyways, you can also make a personal blog for free at Blogger too. The choice is all yours.

However, whatever you are putting at display on your blog needs to be accurate, especially when stats and facts are concerned. Therefore, keep up your research when writing about something. You can always ask your readers about their views and opinions, which just might turn out to be the start of a beautiful relation, or say discussion.

1. Keep Learning

Learning is an important aspect of web development. In order to stay relevant in the developer market, it is important to walk in line with the latest conventions and trends. You can always learn something new about JavaScript from a wide variety of platforms, which includes an exhaustive list containing names such as YouTube and GitHub.

There are all sorts of tutorials and lessons available for JavaScript. While some might require an in-depth understanding of JS, others might be beginner-friendly. Here are some opportune JavaScript tutorials both for newbies and veterans.

1. Learn New Programming Languages

Even though you’re some hotshot in JavaScript, it doesn’t hurt to know and appreciate other programming languages. In fact, it is a great way to extend your horizons as a developer. Any developer who is adept in multiple languages has several career avenues to explore. Hence, they have a multitude of choices to pick from.

Different programming languages have their distinct qualities. However, the more you know the better you get. Understanding and appreciating a specific type of programming language allows you to pick up the pace in other programming languages that are similar. So, what are you waiting for? Start right now! Check out preferred programming languages to learn in 2019.

1. Tinker With Open Source Projects

There is no end to the number of open-source JavaScript projects. There is some open source JS project coming out every now and then. Fiddling with such projects has two important advantages.

First is that you learn a whole lot of new things and second, you might be able to create something that can enhance the output of the concerned open source projects and make them better for their non-developer users. Here are some of the most popular JS open source projects that you can begin meddling with right away.

Opportunities for a JavaScript Developer

There is no end to the variety of opportunities that one can choose among as an adept JavaScript developer. All of them can be classified in these 3 broad categories:

1. Front-end JavaScript Developer – This is where a newbie JavaScript developer typically starts from. For front-end development, a JavaScript developer needs to have a knowledge of some other web development technologies too. This includes Bootstrap, CSS3, HTML5, jQuery, and advance frameworks to the likes of Angular, React, or Vue.
2. Back-end JavaScript Developer – There are several JavaScript-based back-end frameworks and technologies. For fulfilling backend responsibilities, a JavaScript developer needs to be familiar with these. Express.js, Meteor.js, and Node.js are some of the few. Moreover, backend responsibility also requires to have an adequacy in databases, such as MongoDB and MySQL. Learning how to set up cloud servers such as AWS and Google Cloud is also important for the role.
3. Full-Stack JavaScript Developer – For this role, you need to know both front-end and back-end development. Hence, you need to be adept in a number of technologies other than JavaScript. Presently, two of the most popular JavaScript-based technology stacks are MEAN and MERN.

• MEAN – Mongo DB, Express.js, Angular, and Node.js
• MERN – Mongo DB, Express.js, React, and Node.js

While the back-end frameworks remain the same for the two JS-based technology stacks, the front-end frameworks differ. Out of the 3 categories, this is probably the highest-paying one.

Sum Up

Remember that web development is something that continuously evolves. Therefore, you need to stay aware to stay relevant. JavaScript is just like any other programming language, objectively speaking, and hence all it requires to procure a mastery is practice. So keep practicing and following the aforementioned points to make it big in the lucrative world of programming.