FRONT-END vs. BACK-END

[aoeui]

hi,

have sort of “poll” question
what do you picture and how do you see a person when someone says “he is doing front end” and vice versa ;]

what do you think?

I know it is good to have a basic understading of all fields
but I believe that man should specialise into certain area to excel in it
for me as I see it is like this:

FRONT END guy knows
* XHTML
* CSS
* JAVASCRIPT (AJAX, jQuery)

BACK END guy is more like
* PHP
* SQL

[jamygolden]

Yeah, that’s about right. Don’t forget htaccess for front-end =)
Back-end could also include python, ruby, etc.

[Brightonmike]

I agree.

It really depends on the situation though. I’m the sole website guy in my company, so whilst I specialise in design and front-end, I’ve had to learn how to work with backend code too, like PHP.

Although, when talking to non-web people it’s always best not to use these terms…

[Brightonmike]

The problem is whilst we know the difference, most employers don’t.

I’m personally sick of seeing adverts that have this long list of requirements, says you have to be “proficient” in all of them, yet really they need two separate people.

All you can do is specialize in one area, and be knowledgeable of the other. Then apply anyway, and at your interview perhaps you can then explain it to them.

A lot of employers need a website, but don’t know what their staff need to know to make it. So they just copy the “requirements” off another job, without realising that they’re actually asking someone to be able to do two different jobs.

[Brightonmike]

Agree.

I think though, that those who literally just design, and don’t code the front end, will need to change their ways. Just designing the site on Photoshop is never going to be enough for so many employers. Why would they employ you over someone who can also code it? So you have to really be a proper front end developer to get anywhere these days, even then it’s difficult because they expect you to do backend stuff too.

[Brightonmike]

Don’t be too worried about wages right now. If you’re young, like me, you just won’t get much these days full stop, what’s important is experience. I’m massively underpaid, probably by about £7000 a year, but I’m just concentrating on the experience that I’m gaining which will warrant the larger salary.

[Brightonmike]

Ah well, I guess its maybe an experience thing, regardless of age, I’m sure you will get there eventually :)

[TheDoc]

Front End Developer is definitely not a designer. A designer is a designer. While a front-end developer may also design, they are not the same thing.

A front-end developer may also have strong PHP skills, as I would include WordPress as front-end dev.

[armarra]

@krysak4ever,

It depends on your perspective as to what a single talent is.
computing systems are truly complex beasts and the more you think you know, the more there is to know.
Bigger companies are better at recognising your CSS JS and XHTML talents because their systems are so complex that one person simply cannot do it all, even if they had the time its impossible not just too hard.
Smaller companies, typically deal with smaller systems and so you end up being a “jack of all trades”. This is not limited to computing but true of other professions as well.

At 26 you are not old by any stretch, so take heart in the amount of stuff you’ve got ahead of you in your career, else you’d get bored eventually.

Outside the web world as Brightonmike astutely points out, the “back end” means mainframe computer with its presentation layer being distributed with the help of a complex client and server duality using css and xhtml ..etc on the client, jjms ejbs and mdbs etc.. on the server and then through to MQ and ims and cics regions or similar conduits on the mainframe for true processing grunt.

Each technology has distinct objectives. Cobol is designed for records processing and business is all about records processing when you get down to it. so cobol with a mainframe for virtually limitless computing power is used by large companies and there’s a world within them believe me.

there’s a lot to learn for us all isn’t there.

[wolfcry911]

he’s 28 now…

[armarra]

It may also be worth stating that a substantial study done in the USA found that the top 5 reasons for new hire fails, has technical fit as the least reason.

1 coachability – can learn from their peers and bosses
2. emotional intelligence – can withhold their emotions when things don’t go their way
3 motivation – Daniel Pink video – autonomy, mastery, sense of purpose
4 temperament – myer briggs scores show your preference for certain types of behaviours
5. technical fit -skills like css , javascript , php, xhtml etc..

throughout our lives we all struggle with number 2.

[armarra]

@wolfcry911

My comments still stand, age difference considered…thank you.

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