JavaScript Developer, the ingredient list
I was asked to list some qualities that one should look for in a good front-end engineer. Here is my list:
- A strong understanding of Object Oriented JavaScript.
- Experience writing unobtrusive code.
- Experience leveraging modern javascript frameworks like YUI.
- Experience working with browser based debugging tools like Firebug for Firefox.
- A good understanding of W3C standards and how to code consistent behavior for all a-grade browsers.
I wonder why it is so difficult to find all of these qualities in one developer. It seems like focusing on these areas would be smart for anybody who wants to work as a JavaScript Developer.
July 12th, 2008 at 12:46 am
I can give you one reason for the difficulty in finding someone good at your first and second points, and your fifth point — some of the most talented folks on the fifth point generally shun JS-based workarounds for issues they can solve without it, and that tends to translate into an interpretation of JS use as a failure of some kind. Similarly, when someone comes to JS first, there’s a tendency I’ve seen to solve problems with JS instead of markup/css, and so those folks never delve truly deeply into the fifth point stuff. At the end of the day, only some folks (like you, which I know from working with you, heh) have such a strong interest in this stuff that you do it in your spare time, and the challenge of focusing on all the points is a feature instead of a bug. But, as you suggest, such people are rare.