Today I will be eating a looot of pizza 🍕
That's because Rebekka and I will be making pizza from scratch as an ode to her late uncle Richard, who used to have a pizza parlor and unfortunately passed away two weeks ago. It's going to be a sort of bittersweet day, as most of her family will be doing the same from where they live. The guy was loved dearly and was pretty funny himself.
So, in honor of him and the almost twenty pizza slices I'll probably eat today, here are 19 lessons on being an exceptional frontend.
19 lessons on being an exceptional frontend
Being exceptional doesn't mean you're the best, just that you're different from the rest 🎵
Always tell stories. Learn to tell stories well. Stories make you stand out and will make others remember you.
Always do your best, no matter how much you're paid. Treat most jobs as if you're being paid a million dollars, and one day you'll have the skills to make that much.
Your job as a frontend dev is to think about the end user. The client comes second. Whenever you have a chance to make something just a tiny bit better for the user, whether it's an animation, a design, whatever – take it. The client won't always care, but the user will.
Take pride in your work, no matter how small it might seem. Sometimes your company or its leaders won't remind you enough of the impact you have when you add a feature or fix a bug. But fixing something could save your users a headache or make their lives better. You did that 🙂
Never apply a feature or a bugfix without understanding why you're doing so. Is it to generate more money, make the site perform better, or help users do a task more easily? Somebody is paying for the hour you're spending to fix this one thing. Should you be doing so in the first place? Is this fix or feature actually going to accomplish the goal? Always ask so you're on the same page with the team. That's how you become outcome-oriented.
Talk to your leader in your 1:1s. Voice your opinion. Share your thoughts and feelings with them. Let them know about your progress and what you've been working on. It's the first thing you can always do to be more visible at work.
An easy way to stand out (which is key to being exceptional) is to take on a task or goal that nobody else is doing (or likes doing). Documentation and tests are great examples. Become the "go-to person on x". Take ownership of it and figure out what the project needs. People love those who take initiative.
Learn to learn. More importantly, understand what you need to learn better or faster.
Never forget why you got into this industry or role. Remember the magic you saw in it and always try to recreate it.
Choose something you care about. It could be accessibility, sustainability, client relations, open-source, code quality, whatever! Choose something and make the world a tiny bit better where you can.
Be okay with not knowing or feeling like you're behind. The tech field moves fast, and there's always something new to learn.
Understand and learn the fundamentals. Everything that's "new" that comes out, whether that's a new library, framework, or AI model, it's usually based on fundamentals that haven't changed in the last 40 years.
Always understand and remind yourself of the value your work creates.
Always push to make your work environment more fun and easier for others. Even if the project or work sucks (it can happen), at least make it better for you and others around you.
You are not your code. Just because you might write trashy code doesn't mean you're trash.
Always be kind to others, especially when they make mistakes. The same goes for you.
When something goes wrong, don't blame the person – blame the process. Use it as an opportunity to improve how things are done to minimize mistakes in the future.
Half of all projects tend to fail because of incorrect or misunderstood requirements. Focus on the problems you're solving, not how cool or interesting the solution you're building is.
As always, thank you for tuning in and reading. Eat a slice of pizza today if you'd like, in honor of this great man.
I'm so sorry for your loss. This is such a fun and still meaningful way to honor and remember your uncle. May he rest in peace. I appreciated the thoughtful tips in your article—thank you for sharing.