For the creative and analytically minded, front-end development might be the perfect role. With the front-end developer salary rising every year—and increasingly impressive job prospects on the horizon—now is a fantastic time to begin a career in web design and development.
According to our research, the average front-end developer salary has risen by just over 20 per cent between 2021 and 2022. This is down to a number of factors, including the current candidate-driven marketplace; the current supply is not meeting demand. And, with over 50 billion devices set to connect to the internet by 2050, this demand will only rise in time.
Read more: 2022 Salary Guide
What is a front-end developer?
A front-end developer builds websites and applications using a combination of programming languages specifically for the web. They’re also called ‘client-side developers,’ as they work on the client-facing—or the ‘front-end’—of websites, or more colloquially as ‘web developers.’
Their main responsibility is essentially to ensure that users can easily interact with the page or application.
Front-end developer job description
Because front-end developers straddle the line between designer and developer, they need to be proficient in both graphic design and programming languages.
Their primary tasks include:
- Creating websites
- Liaising with designers and programmers for web-based projects
- Maintaining and enhancing existing websites
- User experience and QA testing
- Writing high-quality code
- Bug fixes
- Version testing
Consequently, they should have experience and/or proficiency in:
- HTML, CSS and Javascript
- Version control systems like Git
- JS frameworks and front-end frameworks
- Cross-browser coding
- Testing and QA practices
Read more: What is a front-end developer?
5 reasons to become a front-end developer
If that sounds like the perfect job for you, here’s why you should consider front-end development for your career path.
1. The average front-end developer salary is excellent
In an entry-level role, front-end developers can expect to start at £31,000, rising to £65,000 with the right experience and skillset. However, experienced developers can earn £96,000 on average, and managers earn around £100,000.
The salaries for front-end developers are above average in the UK, and given that it’s a candidate-driven market, there’s often room to negotiate job offers, particularly if you can demonstrate seniority and robust experience.
However, at the other end of the spectrum, if you happen to have skills in back-end development as well as the front-end, making you a well-rounded full-stack developer—a role which has also seen incredible growth in recent months—you are much more likely to command a higher salary.
2. Career prospects are strong
Along with increasing salaries, the demand for front-end developers is higher than it was this time last year, according to our 2022 Salary Guide.
CIOs are feeling more confident about their company’s growth prospects over the next 12 months than they were last year. And as our growing dependency on connectivity requires businesses to invest in digitisation strategies to remain competitive, it’s likely the UK will continue to see the demand rise in the years to come.
3. It’s a future-proof career path
According to some estimates, approximately 252,000 new websites are created every day. That’s 10,500 every hour, or 175 every minute. Our dependency on the internet isn’t going anywhere, so it’s a safe choice upon which to build a career.
4. It’s as flexible as you want it to be
However, just because it’s safe, doesn’t mean it’s boring! Many developers work freelance or remote roles, choosing where they want to work and when. With such in-demand skills, the choice of permanent or temporary contract is yours, depending on your lifestyle demands.
5. Specialise or generalise—it’s your choice
Just as the way you work is flexible, so too is whether you choose to specialise or generalise. There are benefits to either option: both specialists and generalists can command high salaries – most are decided on experience and seniority rather than breadth of skills.
With excellent remuneration and career growth and development opportunities, there’s never been a better time to invest in a career as a front-end developer. If you’re interested in career opportunities, search our front-end developer jobs.
