Why Data Fetching, Layout, and Tests Are the 3 Essential Frontend Skills

Frontend software engineers work with a lot of different technologies, but whether you prefer Angular or React you must be an expert in these 3 areas to succeed as a web developer.

This is what your interviewer’s face will look like if you can demonstrate you’ve mastered these 3 essential frontend skills. (Photo: Henrique Ferreira Unsplash)

It is important for specialist programmers to have a key set of technical skills that transcend the list of technologies currently being used.

Tech stacks change over time, but areas of expertise are forever.

For frontend software engineers (professional web developers), the most important areas of expertise are data fetching, layout, and testing.

Why?

• At the end of the day, nobody really cares if you use Tailwind CSS or CSS Modules. (OK, well, I do, but not customers and typically not the CEO.)
• They also don’t care if you fetch data from a REST endpoint with axios or a GraphQL endpoint with React Query.
• They even don’t care if you can write a useful automated software test that tests a React component in an accessible way.

People just don’t care “how the sausage is made,” but they do care that your app works: lightning-fast, no bugs, and a fantastic…