The global tech skills gap and tech skills shortage are real. Regardless of the unfavorable economic conditions due to Covid-19, there are still millions of tech jobs waiting to be filled. Tech giant Microsoft estimates that there will be 149 million new tech jobs created by 2025. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), by 2022 the rapid evolution of new technologies will displace 75 million jobs, but also create 133 million new ones in the tech domain.
Two tech job roles that are always in high demand are Full-stack and Frontend Developers. These two roles represent the backbone of the tech industry. They are the individuals who build and program both the functionality of the disruptive software we use daily, and their look and feel. There are never enough of them to satiate the world’s growing hunger for new technology.
Unfortunately, universities and colleges can’t meet the demand for programmers. Prestigious four-year academic degrees take too long to complete and don’t produce enough computer science graduates to catch up with the growing number of vacant positions. Academic programs also focus on theory and don’t sufficiently take into account industry needs for cutting-edge tech knowledge and much needed soft skills. Graduates are therefore, many times, not “job ready”.
Coding the Digital Experience
Frontend developers specialize in building the client-side software that we interact with. They know how to code everything from fonts, images, and colors to hamburger menus and rotating sliders. Programming languages like HTML, CSS, and Javascript are the tools of their trade.
Frontend developers work closely with designers and copywriters, who collaborate on bringing mockups and wireframes from planning to life. An eye for design, attention to details, and a strong desire to exceed expectations are essential traits. Even more important is the ability to handle critical feedback. Everyone has an opinion when it comes to frontend, and a good frontend developer is resilient to even the harshest of comments.
Jack of All Techs
Full-stack developers can do it all. They are generalist, all-purpose individuals who have mastered the different disciplines within the art of programming. They develop both the frontend client software — the part of the software that we can see and interact with — and the underlying backend server software and logic that powers the applications.
Full-stack developers also know how to create and maneuver databases. These developers are extremely valuable to companies, as they’re able to deploy a variety of skills in accordance with an organization’s changing needs. The amount of job roles that a Full-stack developer can choose from is also quite diverse.
Full-stack developers have proficiency in frontend languages, as well as mastery over server-side languages like PHP, Ruby, Python, and Java. They are also database wizards who know their way around languages like MySQL.
Full-stack developers are fast, eager learners who enjoy taking on new programming languages. Personality traits like problem solving, flexibility and self-motivation are critical to their success.
Opening the Door to A Career in Programming
Wawiwa Tech is an Israeli education provider that works with partners around the world to establish new tech training centers or expand tech programs at existing ones. Wawiwa’s programs focus on providing professionals — either with previous experience in tech or without — with fast, effective training that prepares them for a tech career.
Shahar Best is Wawiwa’s Head of Software Development Programs. An Engineer and Full-stack Developer himself, Shahar has many years of tech and training experience. Prior to Wawiwa, he has worked in various roles in the Israeli Air Force and startups. He brings his expertise in JavaScript, Java, C, and Bash, as well as his specialization in React, Node, MongoDB, Relational Databases, and Linux OS. Shahar also shares his coding knowledge and tips on his YouTube channel.
According to Shahar, “Frontend and Full-stack Developer programs are excellent ways to break into the tech world. There’s always a need for developers, and these programs provide both the knowledge and practical skills to find a job and get the work done. There are many programming courses in the market, but very few focus on skilling job-ready professionals. It takes long months and involves hard work in exercises and projects, but at the end of the day, you not only have a diploma for completing a program- you also have actual hands-on experience that you can present to potential employers.”
The Right Skills to Succeed
Wawiwa offers programs for both Full-stack and Frontend developers. Taking Wawiwa’s computerized assessment test is a prerequisite for all candidates. The assessment tool ensures that candidates have the right personality traits and the basic math and logic skills required to graduate and succeed in the chosen career.
Wawiwa’s Full-Stack Developer Program
The Full-Stack Developer program is 450-hours long and takes 9 months to complete. Students who successfully complete the program are able to handle both Backend and Frontend job roles, or combined Full-stack roles. The program is divided into four separate modules:
- Computer science basics – gives students the foundations they need in JAVA, control structures, functions, error handling, I/O, fundamental algorithms and object-oriented programming.
- Frontend – focuses on client-side programming languages like HTML, HTML5, CSS, JavaScript — including libraries and techniques — and Angular JS 8.
- Backend – in-depth training on server-side programming languages and techniques like SQL (with MySQL), JDBC, spring boot applications, APIs, authentication, routing and web app deployments (with Heroku).
- Bring-It-Together (BIT) projects – to graduate, students must complete projects that integrate the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the program. The Frontend project demands skills in HTML, CSS and JS while the Backend project is done in pairs who build a REST API with Spring Boot. The final project draws on both Frontend and Backend programming skills. It is a large-scale project and is executed in teams. Students learn how to collaborate and gain strong teamwork abilities as they integrate the various skills, concepts and technologies that they acquired throughout the program.
Wawiwa’s Frontend Developer Program
Wawiwa’s Frontend Developer program is shorter and takes 300 hours to complete over the course of 6 months. The program targets creative individuals with a knack for web development. It covers everything from web development basics with HTML and CSS, through JavaScript programming, advanced UI design, as well as SPA development with React.
Hands-on workshops and masterclasses give students practical skills in web development, as well as soft skills like leadership, teamwork and problem solving. The culmination is a BIT project, in which students must display knowledge and skills gained throughout their training.
