Frontend Engineering
Craft what millions of people touch.
Frontend engineers build the interfaces people interact with — fast, accessible and delightful.
What the work looks like
Building UI components, working with designers, optimising load speed, handling state and APIs.
Key skills
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript
- React or similar
- TypeScript
- Accessibility
- Web performance
Common tools
ReactTypeScriptTailwind CSSFigmaChrome DevTools
Pros
- Instant visual feedback
- Close to users and design
- Strong freelance and startup market
Cons
- Ecosystem changes very fast
- Browser quirks
- Sometimes undervalued vs backend
A 12-month starter roadmap
Months 1–3
- • HTML/CSS layout
- • JavaScript fundamentals
- • Git
- • Responsive design
Months 4–6
- • React + TypeScript
- • Fetching APIs
- • State management
- • Deploy a portfolio
Months 7–12
- • Performance & accessibility
- • Testing
- • Design systems
- • Next.js or similar
- • Internship applications
Reality check
Students like: Seeing your work live and used immediately.
Students dislike: Pixel-pushing endless design revisions.
Hardest part: Managing complex state and performance at scale.
Common myth: Frontend is not 'easy' — modern apps are complex software.