Welcome to the Treehouse Community
Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.
Looking to learn something new?
Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.
Start your free trial
mryoung
4,156 PointsWill I have enough to get hired?
So, with these skills and a portfolio with some basic work (a nice fictional website, an app using API’s, and a website with React) will I find a job?
Skills:
-Html5
-CSS3
-Sass
-Ajax
-Javascript (beginner knowledge VERY slow to figure things out, but I can do it if I take time)
-GitHub
-React (plan to scrape the surface of it to -figure it out)
setting up npm to make a local server to refresh my work as I save it
-I can pretty much make any website with Html and Css though.
I plan to do a ton of reading about Javascript still, and do the Javascript30 projects (small daily projects in Javascript) or something similar to help me get faster.
All this within a year of studying.
4 Answers
Brendan Whiting
Front End Web Development Techdegree Graduate 84,738 PointsDo you have design skills? I think it's hard to get a front end job without strong javascript skills unless you're bringing other skills as well. Digging more into JavaScript is a good idea. It's hard to be effective in React if you don't have the JS foundation.
Cooper Runstein
11,850 PointsFrom my recent personal experience Brendan is right, beginner knowledge in Javascript isn't going to cut it at most places unless you're highly skilled in design -- and even then you'd likely be making far less.
What makes me nervous is you're interested in React without a solid level of JS, you can learn to build basic sites with React, sure, but if you don't understand JS, someone with strong JS and no React will come off better in an interview every time. Spend another few weeks really understanding JS, and then try out react. React offers nothing that vanilla JS can't offer, you won't really understand why React is so great if you don't first understand the flaws in Javascript it addresses.
You'll look pretty one dimensional if you don't pick up another web language, if you understand JS, a few weeks of Python, PHP, Ruby or C# would be enough to make a HUGE impact on your employment options. Not that you necessarily need it, but an employer is going to pick a candidate that has that extra advantage over someone with just JS skills nearly every time.
I'm not trying to scare you away, by all means apply to every job you think you have a one in a million shot or better at getting, but be aware that if you have no formal training you have a higher standard to meet than others trying to enter the field.
Good luck, keep learning, and don't give up!
jrs0801
259 PointsNo they are not. If he wants to become a react developer no company is going to care that he doesn't know ruby for instance.Dont learn something if you aren't going to use it. It's an absolute waste for him if he wants to be a react developer to learn those things you mentioned. He needs to be going deep into JS. Not wasting his time with php, ruby, C#. A jack of all trades will always be less valuable than a master of one.
I'll bring this up again. General practitioner vs cardiologist. Who do you think makes more and is more sought after when someone has a bad heart?
I see too many people wasting time on things they'll never use.
Cooper Runstein
11,850 PointsJrs0801 - Right, no company is going to care if he doesn't know Ruby. But there are very few positions where a developer is going to be only working with a single technology. Not only that, but the popular tech of today is going to be different in 5 years. Knowing React today is great, but if you don't understand the underlying fundamentals of software development, it's going to be a lot harder to get a job.
Learning a second language is huge because it shows your skills aren't one dimensional. Learning some backend skills make it easier for you to communicate and work with others. It's by no means essential, but if you're struggling to find work, picking up a second language can only help. And it'll make you a better programmer, no doubt about it. At the very least, to become a proficient React developer, you should understand more than basic js, and I'm my opinion learning the basics of a second language is one of the quickest way to become better at writing code in general.
If you want to work in a more design oriented job, ignore everything I said. But if you want to get employed as a front end developer, you're going to be constantly learning new things for the rest of your career, it doesn't hurt to start now.
Finally the idea of general practitioner vs cardiologist is a strawman argument, if you're a beginner, it doesn't matter if you can do heart surgery if you can't bandage a wound properly. Fundamentals matter more than specific advanced skills. Understanding the basics of server side programming is very much a Web development fundamental.
Above all, just start applying. That's what matters most. It doesn't hurt to take a shot. Obviously you don't need to know everything about the full Web stack, but broadening your skill set when you're new is not bad advice.
Ari Misha
19,323 PointsHiya there! When I started on Treehouse, I already had some knowledge of Ruby and C. But I was doing freelancing back then. But after learning on Treehouse and off the treehouse, for 6 months, I finally had an opportunity to work Full time for a company. Believe me or not, It was a pretty decent company and they gave me the package I had asked for without any questions asked. So the moral is Don't doubt yourself even for a bit, these tech stacks or programming languages are just tools to survive within Teams after you get the job. Plus You can always learn after you get the job. Also, I'm pretty sure you'd make a great Designer with HTML and CSS. Anything else beyond HTML and CSS is a bonus. JavaScript and React/Angular is one hell of a bonus. But I'd rather suggest you stick with Designing if that's whacha enjoy doing.
~ Ari ~
David Moorhead
18,005 PointsBut I'd rather suggest you stick with Designing if that's whacha enjoy doing. ~ Ari ~
I see too many people wasting time on things they'll never use. - jrs0801
Good luck, keep learning, and don't give up! - Cooper
Thanks Guys!
Best of luck to mryoung!
mryoung
4,156 Pointsmryoung
4,156 PointsI’ve got some basic photoshop skills (cloning, graphic design, etc) but I wouldn’t say I have real skills in it.
As far as JS goes I’m reading through Ducket’s JS/Jquery book, I’ve done most of the JS stuff for front-end here, I’ll do javascript30, and practice in my free time.
I’m doing all of this while working 60 hours a week, so it’s a pretty slow process. It’s hard to know what to build and challenge myself with. I’m okay with doing all of the above and touching the foundation of a backend within the next 6 months.
Would that be enough, you think?