Mandy Michael:
If all you do in your job is write JS, that is fantastic and you are awesome, just like all the people that write CSS or have a focus in a particular area like accessibility, SVG, animation etc.
What I am very concerned about is that many still don’t see value in being skilled in CSS & HTML. This attitude is something I just don’t understand. All of us working together provide value in our industry.
+1 on all Mandy’s points.
I suspect HTML and CSS skill will swing back higher in desirability a bit as design trends swing toward more complicated looks. More interesting layouts being one of those things. I tend to find those developers who only dabble in HTML/CSS fall over quickly when it comes to from-scratch work that involves layout. There is a lot of gray area here too. For example, I write Ruby code, but I fall over quickly when it comes to even moderately complex things.
I also suspect this conversation is rooted in the fact that HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are so intertwined, it tickles some people the wrong way to see other people stop at the first two.
I would say that there is great value in someone that can write semantic HTML and beautiful, minimal, responsive SASS/CSS. As a matter of fact, I am trying to get my boss to hire some one like that to take some work off my shoulders, as I do have a lot on my plate. UI Design with CSS is invaluable and saves time for us Full-Stack ppl.