FRONTEND TECHNOLOGIES

Damilola Babatunde — Sat, 29 Jun 2024 16:56:58 +0000

Introduction

Rose owns a cake shop; Margaret stops by every morning to get some freshly baked chocolate cake from the cakes displayed on the shelf. She only sees the cakes freshly baked sitting nicely on the shelves. There are a lot of processes that have taken place in the background like mixing, icing, and baking before the cake is displayed on the shelf.

In building a web application, that is, applications that run on the web, we need two layers of technology which are the backend technology and the frontend technology.
In this article, I will be talking about only front-end technologies (the technology behind the nice cakes Margaret sees on the shelf every morning). Let’s go!

What are front-end technologies?
Frontend technologies are the technologies that are used to build the user interface side of an application; that is where the user sees and interacts with.

Some frontend technologies used to build modern-day web applications are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, ReactJS, Vue JS, Angular, Svelte, Gatsby just to mention a few.

In this article, I will be comparing two front-end technologies. I will be comparing the trio (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) with a popular JavaScript library known as React.

The Trio (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
Just like three cords that cannot be broken, these three have worked together for a very long time and are still working together. HTML, which stands for Hyper Text Markup Language is used to build the structure of a web page. You can liken it to a human skeleton.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheet), on the other hand, is used to style a web page that has been structured by HTML and make it appealing to users. Remember our example of a skeleton, now CSS can be likened to the flesh that covers the human skeleton and makes it look beautiful.

JavaScript is used to add interactivity to a web application. When you visit a page through the web, maybe your Facebook page, and you can like a picture, comment on a post, make a post, or delete a post, that is the power of JavaScript at work. Without JavaScript, a page will just be static, with no interactivity.

REACT JS
React JS is a JavaScript library that is used to build interactive and dynamic web applications. It is an open-source library built by Meta (Facebook). It works by creating a virtual DOM(Document Object Model) rather than directly manipulating the browser’s DOM.

One good thing about React is that it is used to build single-page applications. A single-page application is an application designed to be displayed on a single page. Unlike HTML where several pages are created and when a user wants to navigate to a page, it refreshes and loads the entire page, React only updates the elements that change on the page.

What makes it better than traditional HTML and CSS is its simplicity, it allows users to easily develop and maintain their applications. Another advantage is also its reusability. With React, one can create components that can be reused in different pages, it is called reusable components. This saves time writing the same functions on multiple pages. It is also used to build secure applications.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the type of technology you want to use sshould be determined by the kind of application you want to build. If you want to build a static web page, or a web page with less interactivity, you can go for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
But, if you are building a dynamic, interactive, and robust application, React will be a better option for you.

I will be building amazing solutions with React in HNG 11 internship https://hng.tech/internship https://hng.tech/premium.
Watch this space for more updates.

I hope you learned something new about frontend technologies from this article.
Thank you for reading.

Kickstarting a career in tech: A step-by-step guide to picking up a tech skill.

Damilola Babatunde — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:19:22 +0000

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I’ve seen many people ask different questions surrounding picking up a tech skill like, “Hey, I want to get into tech, how do I get started?” or “how do I know which tech skill to learn?”.
The tech space is a vast one with numerous opportunities. If you are looking to start a career in tech, this article provides you with a step-by-step guide to choosing a tech skill and building a tech career.

1. Do Your Research: The first thing to do when trying to get into tech is to do your research. The same way you research well about an organization before going for an interview is the way you should research. There are various fields in tech, like programming, product design, artificial intelligence, software development, machine learning, and data science amongst others.
You will do yourself a big favor by exploring and reading about the various fields, what it takes, and the opportunities available in those fields.
As someone who is looking forward to getting into tech, Google should be your friend. If you read something and you don’t understand, ask questions. This is very important. Ask people you know that are already in the tech space.

2. Make your Decision: After you have researched the various fields in tech, you have to decide which one you want to stick with. The truth is that you know yourself more than anyone else.
I can say, “Hey, I think you are good at design” and you think you do not have a flair for it.
Weigh your strength and abilities. Not everyone will code. Yes, you heard that right. There are various fields in which you don’t have to write a single line of code like technical writing, product management, and many others. For example, it is popularly said that if you have a knack for colors, you could consider a career in design.

3. Get Started: After you have chosen a path, get started. Draft out a roadmap, find resources online, or join a boot camp to get started. You can also choose to get a degree in your chosen path if you are just starting.
You will have to dedicate your time to learning. Tech is not fraud or a get-rich-quick-scheme. Even though a career in tech pays handsomely, it still requires dedication, consistency, and hard work to get there. It is a process.
Be consistent with learning. Dedicate at least an hour per day to learning in your chosen path. Remember, Consistency is key.

4. Ask Questions: This cannot be overemphasized. Always ask questions when you do not understand any concept or you get stuck in your learning process. Ask questions no matter how stupid or irrelevant they seem.

5. Practice, Practice, Practice: Most times, people get lost in what we call tutorial hell, it is a case where people just watch tutorials without practicing what they have watched. When you learn a new concept or watch a video, try practicing what you have learned by building something on it. That is the only way you can be sure you know that thing. It also helps you to overcome imposter syndrome.

6. Get a mentor: An adage says that when you know where you are going and take the right path, you will get there. But if you know someone that has been there, you will get there faster. As you start your tech journey, having a mentor or someone to guide you is very important. Going online to download or read resources is okay, but you need someone who has started that path to put you through because there are tons of resources online and you can get overwhelmed trying to consume every resource you find.

7. Join a community: There are different communities for beginners in various fields of tech. These communities help you grow and improve. You also get to meet other beginners like yourself and build relationships.

8. Showcase your skills: One of the ways to do this is to leverage social media. As a newbie, people will not know what you are doing or the skill you are learning if you do not showcase it. Build in the open. Let people know what you are learning. Do not be shy to upload your projects or tell your story on social media. This way, you open up yourself and make yourself visible to recruiters and employers. You never know who is watching.

9. Build your portfolio and start applying for jobs: The next step is to build your portfolio, craft your resume and start applying for internship opportunities. Oftentimes, people want to wait to know everything before they start applying, but the truth is, no matter what you know, there are a lot of things you will learn on the job. Once you have like two or three good projects; no matter how little, that you can showcase to your recruiter, you can go ahead to apply for jobs. Overcome imposter syndrome.

Summary

Kickstarting a career in tech is very much possible if you follow these steps. You do not need any formal education or degree to get started.
Picking up a tech skill is one of the best decisions you will ever make because of the wide range of opportunities that come with it. It will not come easy but with consistency, perseverance, dedication, and commitment, you will pull through.

Thanks for reading.
I hope you learned one or two things from this article.

Forem: Damilola Babatunde

FRONTEND TECHNOLOGIES

Kickstarting a career in tech: A step-by-step guide to picking up a tech skill.

Summary