Hello World! (sorry I had to). I've been working in front end web development for the last 6 years or so. I've recently been laid off from a position as a lead front end developer. It gave me time to step back and think about where I want my career to go. Long story short, I became drawn to job postings for Front End Architects (FEA). While I could probably succeed at the job if I managed to get hired as a FEA, I could also be a stronger candidate with a bit of structured learning to get there.
This is where this blog will come in. I'll be documenting my progress over the next 3 years while I work to becoming a FEA.
What is a Front End Architect (FEA)?
A FEA is a Senior Front End Engineer whose focus is to design and strategically plan how a web app will be structured, organized, and developed and then oversee the work. This makes her the person who is ultimately responsible for the web app having a good user experience as well as being efficient, scalable, and maintainable.
Why I’m drawn to the role of FEA?
Every time I work on a project my goal is to build something great. The problem I’ve noticed is that most front end teams are all trying to build something great separately and to their own liking.
Imagine trying to build the Sagrada Familia without a design, plan, or someone to oversee it. It doesn’t matter how many workers you put on the job, the outcome is going to be less than great.
I could take or leave the title, but I’m drawn to the idea of having someone take ownership of how the front end of a web app is going to be built and leading a team to a greatness that they’ll never reach individually. Since I’ve never experienced having that leader, I’ve decided to become that leader.
High Level Responsibilities
Understanding requirements and making tech choices. There is no perfect choice, but it is possible to weigh the pros and cons of different options when you know what the needs and wants are of the person/people that are paying for you to build something. It's about finding the right fit for the project.
Vision. Have a clear idea of what the code will look like and what the minimum standards are.
Oversight. Code reviews to make sure that the end user will be delighted. Reviews of processes and tools to make sure that the developers working on the project are productive.
