From Backend to Frontend: Why I Made the Switch in 2024 (And What It Means for Aspiring Developers)

Aspiring developers are sometimes perplexed about which career option of the two most popular software engineering tracks to choose: backend engineering or frontend engineering. With threats of AI taking our jobs, massive layoffs in 2023, and an oversaturated field, is switching to the acclaimed easiest tech path worth it?

Who am I

Hey, I’m Andrea Ozuem, and I'm a backend-turned-frontend engineer. I’ve been in the tech field for about 2 years now. I’ve built some projects and undergone the most intensive training ever at ALX, and here I am starting all over again, somewhat. Before I get to the meat of this article, I’ll start by telling you a bit about my tech journey thus far.

My journey in Tech

I learnt about tech through my cousin. He talked about how programmers make loads of money and still work remotely, which was a major selling point for most developer advocates at the time. The picture of sipping wine on a beach in Seychelles with a laptop beside me whilst earning my dollars was so enticing, and I decided to test the waters of programming.

I did what everyone who wanted to get started in tech would do—I went to Google and typed, “Best programming language for beginners.” That’s how my tech journey started with the Python programming language. I jumped on YouTube and stumbled upon Chuck Severance's Python for Everybody playlist along with his book. I remember when I developed my first if-else program, and it actually worked! I was ecstatic and had a good sense of achievement, and before you knew it, I was done with the book. Then the question of what next came up. I now know the Python programming language; what do I even do with it?

That’s where my first headache started. I discovered there was an array of fields in the tech industry - Cloud Computing, Backend Engineering, Frontend Engineering, Data Science, and so much more. I saw that cloud computing was the most paid field in tech at that time, and I decided to learn it. I set up GCE’s Google Cloud account, spun up a VM, and tried to follow the getting started article. But trust me, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, so I abandoned it.

In 2022, I came across ALX. I finished the Foundations level and created a simple portfolio project—My Space. One of the goals of the portfolio project by ALX, aside from putting into practice all we’ve learnt, was to help us discover the path in Software Engineering we intended to take between backend and frontend engineering. While coding my project, I was genuinely more interested in the frontend of the project than the backend. However, because I heard that backend engineers earn more than frontend and that the frontend field is the easiest to get into, and hence attracts a lot more competition, backend engineering became the best bet for me. My reasoning behind my choice was that I have a logical and detailed way of thinking, which is a necessity to excel in the backend field. I continued on the track that I chose but never really enjoyed it. I saw the cool stuff frontend engineers created and wished I could create like that, but I never felt cut out for it.

I finally graduated from ALX in April 2024 and joined the HNG Internship in June 2024. There, I discovered certain things about myself. I finally acknowledged I wasn’t really a backend girly 😩. Yes, I could code and create APIs, but I didn’t want to continue on that path for years. I put on my big girl boots and decided to make the switch.

Mind you, I'm not a beginner in frontend engineering; I’ve learnt a bit about frontend technologies in previous times. I followed the Learn CSS course from web.dev, completed Kevin Powell’s Conquering Responsive Layouts course, and took many more courses. Thinking about it, I have taken quite a lot of courses in this little life, and while doing all these, I was genuinely interested in what I was doing but never paid enough attention to it nor myself. Forgive me fronted people; I overlooked you!

Achievements in Software Engineering Prior to the Switch

In my few years in tech, I’ve amassed a few achievements. The most unexpected and important achievement of mine is becoming a Generation Google Scholar in 2023. I also won my first-ever laptop from Moniepoint, formerly TeamApt, in 2022. Backend engineering wasn’t all that bad.

Why the Switch and Why Frontend?

Now back to the topic: why exactly did I switch to Frontend Engineering?

1. Lack of Motivation: Although I engaged in backend projects, I just had an intense lack of motivation and enthusiasm for it. It was always work for me and no fun. I so desperately wanted to fit into the analytical box I created for myself.
2. I embraced my true self: I’m a minimalist, and so I have a thing for decluttering, organisation, and efficiency. These traits are essential for both backend and frontend engineering, but after testing both waters, I’m much more interested in improving the performance of sites, load times, accessibility of websites, than with API run times, caching, and all that other stuff.
3. To add to the previous point, I realised I’m not as nerdy or geeky as I thought. I genuinely do have a creative side that I’m yet to explore, and I’m excited to see.
4. I overcame my fears and decided to take a leap of faith: With the threat of daunting job searches, I felt safer making do in the backend field until I decided to do proper research. I found that to excel in the tech space, knowing how to sell yourself and communicate matters a lot and probably more than technical skills in our era.

Considerations before Switching

To those who were in a similar situation as I was, where I was confused about which track to choose and scared of choosing a track I felt fitted me. Here are some considerations you should have:

1. Know and embrace yourself.
2. Know your strengths and weaknesses.
3. Improve your skills: I’m not going to tell you the sky is big enough for everyone. However, I will tell you that the sky is big enough for those who labour to reach it. Don’t max out on tutorials and shallow YouTube videos. Invest in knowing the fundamentals of your craft. Know what goes on under the hood. You’re competing with bookworms and nerds globally in this field; put in your all.

My Current Plan

With all that aside, here’s my plan moving forward to become an excellent frontend engineer:

1. Master the essentials of frontend engineering quickly.
2. Build more products and document the technical & non-technical aspects.
3. Put myself out there. No more background, more foreground.
4. Dive deep into areas of frontend engineering that interest me, i.e., performance and, of course, pixel-perfect UI.
5. Focus on quality over quantity for every project I embark on.

Thank you for reading; I would appreciate a feedback. If you liked this piece or related to it, don't forget to share it with someone who might need to hear this :)