Hey,
So I’m a beginner who’s now going through CS50, which introduces the basic concepts of computer science, and so far I’m finding it way more interesting and engaging than what I’ve done on the front-end with HTML & CSS. I haven’t done any back-end yet (though I have some familiarity with Python & JavaScript, and both can apparently be used on the back-end), so maybe I’ll change my mind in the future, but I suspect it will interest me more than the front-end. Since I find the logic part more interesting than the design part.
On the other hand, in most of the stories of self-taught developers I’ve seen they generally started with the front-end and it’s apparently easier than the back-end. The difficulty doesn’t scare me, however in terms of the job market is it generally easier to get front-end jobs than back-end jobs? Or is there not much of a difference?
Yes, both Python or JS can be used on the b/e. And f/e can have plenty of logic in it too.
Is f/e easier? I don’t know. Maybe in some cases - I think thère some lowe level and system administration skills that are good for b/e.
But I do think it is easier to get a first job on f/e. I think that there is more risk of doing something catastrophic on the b/e. In any case, keep learning both - each will make you better at the other.
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In my experience, “front end” web development does not consist primarily of HTML and CSS (although knowing how those work are important). The majority of the work you do is solving problems programmatically with JavaScript. Front end development requires styling, which many of us find to be on the scale of “not interesting” to “quite frustrating”. On the other hand, “back end” development has to concern itself with things like database interactions and data re-formatting, which many of us find to be on the scale of “not interesting” to “quite frustrating”. Increasingly, being a web developer means at least some degree of comfort in both front and back end.
I don’t think that front-end development is easier broadly speaking, but web development, especially front-end web development, seems to be a category that is generally more welcoming to self-taught developers (and, frankly, just entry-level developers overall). “Back end” development is still often mired in specific languages or technologies that do not have the volume or the quality of resources for self-teaching.
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