I have been doing a lot of studying on Javascript and it's obvious it has endless possibilities. It also has about 20 (if not more) different types of libraries and frameworks. I have been looking on the job boards for web developers and I'm getting put off by their requirements. For example, even Junior web developer roles in the job description say "excellent knowledge of Javascript/JQuery/Bootstrap/Prototype"etc.

 

From what I can see it would take no less than 20 years to gain "excellent knowledge" of Javascript and all it's libraries and frameworks. Are there really web developers out there that know every part of Javascript like the back of their hand? It seems to me, because it's endless possibilities, that you only need it for certain things as and when required and when it is rquired its not too difficult to simply look it up in a text book and develop your required programme.

 

When they say "excellent knowlege/understanding of Javascript" I get a little confused because the question that comes up in my mind is "excellent in what aspect of Javascript and how would you measure your level of excellence to somebody else". It's like saying "excellent undertanding of using Adobe Photoshop". Considering the infinite possiblies of the application its too vauage. When I see requirements to jobs similiar to my role when an employer says "excellent knowledge/understanding/experience of whatever" what they really mean is "some knowledge/understand/experience".

 

So, my question is are web developers people who are experts, along with other scripts such as php, or are they developers who have "experience" in Javascript along with other scripts and look up things from time to time?

 

It seems to me at least that no-one can be an expert in so many languages because any given language has so many possibilities not to mention the language develops all the time and changes. Are employers really looking for expert programmers that know every aspect from the top of their head and do they exist?

 

My background is IT technical support at a failry high level and I know alot of things but there are alot of things I don't know. In my role I am learning new things all the time such as new systems, new software, etc and it's simply not possible to be an expert in any one particular thing. I know enough to carry out my job role and if there is something I don't know I just look it up.

 

As you can probably guess I am look at a career change to web developing and your thoughts on this would be much appreciated.

Are there really web developers out there that know every part of Javascript like the back of their hand?

 

Absolutely. JavaScript is ancient, old school developers have had plenty of time to master it.

 

There are endless possibilities yes, but you have to think of JavaScript like lego - there are only so many blocks to use, but you can create anything with them by piecing different ones together. It's not that there are hundreds-of-thousands functions in JS, it's just that you can create thousands of things with any combination. There are new innovative features and systems being made with JS even today. It's a case of thinking what you want to make, however big or small, and thinking how to go about making it using various JS functions.

 

I would say ignore that Junior Web Developer role you were looking at. Different employers have different demands for their respective roles. I work for a company and my JS is sketchy, at best intermediate, and I'm still learning and probably will be for years. As long as you have a good understanding of it, not basic and not terrifically advanced, then you should be good to go.

 

Also, there's no shame in looking things up. Employers would rather have something done correctly with some help from the web than doing it all yourself and possibly producing a buggy version. One of my friends, who is adept with most scripting languages, said their employer had a certain philosophy behind JavaScript-powered features: if it already exists and it's free, why make your own? It's a fair point but rather bad practise, but at the end of the day the goal is to make a website for a client using whatever means works best. (I wouldn't recommend hiding behind this philosophy though, it's probably not hugely popular, knowledge of JS is still necessary!)

It's a very interesting question. The web developer profession is often divided into two fields of expertise: Front-end development and back-end development.

I guess for the front end developers JavaScript knowledge is an absolute must where back end developers probably have more need for knowledge on server side languages.

Even further specialization is often seen in back-end development, it's not uncommon to see specialized job desciptions lik "Java developer" or "PHP developer".

However there are many syntax similarities in all the modern programming languages so if you learn one language it should be much easier to adapt to another.

"Absolutely. JavaScript is ancient, old school developers have had plenty of time to master it". Ok then how long would it take to become good at an intermediate level?

JavaScript knowledge is an absolute must where back end developers probably have more need for knowledge on server side languages.

 

This is true, but when it comes to the jobs market distinctions between front and back end are often out the door. I couldn't count how many "front-end" developer jobs I applied for which required candidates to know PHP. We're not talking mere exposure to it or basic knowledge - they must have heavy, professional experience using it, when PHP is purely server side scripting. Same for JavaScript, I see a lot of back-end job descriptions asking only for candidates with JS experience. It's a funky world, really.

 

 

"Absolutely. JavaScript is ancient, old school developers have had plenty of time to master it". Ok then how long would it take to become good at an intermediate level?

 

How much time you got? How fast do you learn? Only you can answer that question and you'd have a hard time answering it yourself. I would define an "intermediate" level as knowing a wide range of JavaScript functions, not having to look up how to handwrite it as well as not copying old code and changing it. Crack open a web tutorial of JavaScript and see where it takes you.

Here is a description of a job description from a job in my local area:

 

Our client, have been developing and promoting websites through
Search Engine Marketing for over 14 Years. They have constantly moved
with the demands of the Digital Industry and their clients.

They are currently looking to recruit a number of PHP Developers at the moment

Working
on their range of market leading websites and applications, the main
responsibility of these roles will be to develop attractive, clean front
end code using technologies such as PHP, HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

We are interested in candidates CV with strong understanding of PHP, HTML, CSS and JavaScript,

Equally important is that you must have a passion for programming and the desire to succeed in a development role.

This is an excellent opportunity for PHP Developers to join a forward thinking business with huge scope for progression.

 

If PHP is back end and javascript is front end how then are employers expecting you to be experts in both?

If PHP is back end and javascript is front end how then are employers expecting you to be experts in both?

 

Simple: they're cutting their staffing costs. They want one individual to manage both the front-end HTML, CSS and JS side while partially, or even entirely, working the PHP back-end. It says a lot about the company and it's disturbingly common. Either that or companies are numb to the distinction of front and back end and think all web developers know PHP (which wouldn't surprise me). Again, ignore it - try to find HTML/CSS/JS job adverts when you've studied JS in greater depth.

Can I ask you how I will know if I'm at an intermediate level of Javascript so then I can move on and learn other things like php? What should I be able to code or solve if I was that kind of level?

Can I ask you how I will know if I'm at an intermediate level of Javascript so then I can move on and learn other things like php? What should I be able to code or solve if I was that kind of level?

 

Like I said, you'll hit that point when you can write JavaScript without hesitating and having to look up codes. That's purely my opinion though on what an "intermediate" JS writer is, others may tell you differently. I would advise you look at jQuery - a library of JS which, as its slogan will tell you, you can "do more and write less"; it's essentially writing in JavaScript syntax, but much less it required.

 

Normally I, probably nor would others here, tell you to jump past traditional JavaScript and go straight to jQuery, but times are moving quick and I can easily see the old ways of writing JavaScript becoming outdated practice by the time you've learned it. Employers will expect up-to-date knowledge of JS, which right now is jQuery scripting.