High School

In high school, take as many programming, web development, and other computer science classes as possible to build your skills. Mathematics courses will provide you with the theoretical framework behind programming. Other recommended classes include business, English, speech, and social studies.

Postsecondary Education

A bachelor’s degree in programming, software development, computer science, information technology, computer engineering, or a related field is required to work as a JavaScript developer. Most students also participate in at least one internship or co-op experience at a software developer to obtain hands-on experience. These experiential opportunities are also good ways to build your network. A JavaScript developer who is interested in becoming a manager or executive might earn a master’s degree in IT management or business management. One who wants to open a consulting firm should take classes or earn a certificate in entrepreneurism.

Some aspiring developers prepare for the field by taking classes and/or earning nanodegrees in JavaScript development from for-profit, online learning providers. For example, Udacity offers a nanodegree in intermediate JavaScript, which takes three months to complete. For more information, visit https://www.udacity.com/course/intermediate-javascript-nanodegree--nd032.

Certification

Many colleges and universities offer certificates in JavaScript development, software engineering, web development, and other IT-related fields. For example, the University of Washington offers a certificate in full-stack web development with JavaScript. (Full-stack development is the combination of front-end and back-end development.) Students who enroll in the program will learn how to combine JavaScript with CSS and HTML for application development, how to utilize various JavaScript libraries, and how to use JavaScript for both front-end and back-end applications. Visit https://www.pce.uw.edu/certificates/full-stack-development-with-javascript for more information. Contact schools in your area to learn about available programs. The International Web Association provides a variety of IT-specialist certificates that will be of interest to developers. Visit https://iwanet.org/profdevel/certification-levels to learn more.

Other Education or Training

Information technology associations and organizations, colleges and universities, tech companies (such as Oracle and General Assembly), and online learning platforms (such as Code Academy, Udacity, Udemy, and Coursera) offer continuing education in-person classes and webinars. Contact these organizations for more information.

Certification or Licensing

A wide range of certification classes and programs are offered by tech companies, for-profit education companies, and professional associations. Because their quality varies greatly and new programs seem to emerge every month or so, it’s a good idea to talk with your college professors and current developers to learn which programs are valued by employers.

The IEEE Computer Society offers several quality certification credentials to individuals who meet experience and education requirements and pass an examination. These include the certified software development associate credential (for entry-level software professionals), the certified software development professional credential (for experienced software designers and engineers), and the professional software engineering master certification (for very experienced and skilled software professionals).

In addition to having a bachelor’s degree, entry-level developers should have experience with JavaScript, CSS, and HTML and have completed an internship, cooperative education experience, volunteer opportunity, or a part-time job with a JavaScript development company

JavaScript developers should have expertise using JavaScript frameworks (React, Angular, Backbone JS, Node.js, Vue.js, etc.) and libraries (JQuery, D3.js, Underscore.js, etc.); strong knowledge of web markup languages, including HTML5, and Cascading Style Sheets; and excellent debugging and optimization skills. They also need knowledge of back-end programming languages, information security protocols and practices, database design and management; web application architecture; algorithms and their formulation; proprietary and open-source libraries for building user interfaces or components; and GitHub, a popular code hosting platform for version control and collaboration.

Important personal traits for developers include drive and self-motivation; top-notch communication, collaboration, organizational, time-management, and leadership skills; flexibility; creativity; a detail-oriented and big-picture–focused mindset, and strong analytical ability.