When developers fight, one of them is a frontend, and the other is a backend. Such a narrow cliché makes future and young programmers afraid of making a mistake in choosing a side. We also don't have a universal test to take and understand everything. But there are examples of IT specialists who have already made their choice.
Choice by recommendation
Maxim, 20 years old, a junior frontend developer:
By education, I'm a technical specialist in information systems. During my internship, I worked as a backend developer with other students. I built a database from scratch and designed the logic, but when it came to the styling part, I felt a real connection to the project. The course "Web Programming," focusing on page styling and JavaScript, had a significant influence on me. These are the two main concepts that frontend developers work with. I liked the fact that there's such a powerful tool as a web browser that allows you to bring any idea to life and showcase it to others. In backend development, on the other hand, you're essentially doing something behind the scenes, writing code, and you don't see the immediate result. Although due to trends, there's often a need to revise the visual aspects. The latest page layouts are drastically different from what was trendy five years ago. In general, I want to make services and applications user-friendly and concise, rather than focusing on backend development, unless it's for personal experience.
Vasiliy, 25 years old, a middle backend developer:
I studied in the field of "Applied Informatics." We were taught general information about development, but the emphasis was on programming fundamentals and creating internal functionality. Therefore, my education had a more significant impact on my subsequent work in backend development. In general, I think that frontend is chosen by those who enjoy being creative and don't want to deal with "boring" tasks. It primarily focuses on how the page display works. Speaking for myself, as a full-stack specialist, I occasionally work on both frontend and backend tasks.
In the end, the choice between frontend and backend development depends on your interests, skills, and goals. Both directions have their own characteristics and require a specific set of soft and hard skills.
Skill selection
Frontend development is responsible for the user interface and interaction. If you are drawn to design, layout, and creating interactivity, go for it. You will be using programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as frameworks and tools like React, Angular, Vue.js, and others.
Backend development focuses on creating and maintaining the server-side of applications. It's suitable for those with a mathematical mindset. You'll work with databases, data processing, and business logic. Programming languages like PHP, Java, Python, C#, or Ruby are used, as well as frameworks and tools like Laravel, Django, Ruby on Rails, and others.
Development fields are closely interconnected. Therefore, understanding both is beneficial for a programmer's development. Some specialists choose to become full-stack developers and do it all. However, it takes time to reach that level. If you have no prior knowledge, we recommend starting by learning one programming language, such as JavaScript or PHP.
Remember, there's no wrong choice; there's only the fear that it will be difficult. It will be, but it's part of the learning process.
