## Short version next September mark my 8 years of doing Frontend roles professionally. I love doing work in the web space because I start from a hobbyist web dev in 2010. during the era of Codeigniter 2.0 release, and its been thrilling for me seeing the technology grows. at heart, I am still this hobbyist that getting fascinated the first time I learn React on 2016 because it is so much different than using jQuery. I like seeing how our capabilities to build something improved as the technology in the web space improved. As my number of years grows I started to contemplate on things. I like the web, I like seeing the technology on the frontend space grows. but realistically, is there a place for those fascination on the industry, or it is just a niche thing that I won't get unless I have chances working at FAANG like company. or to be more precise, is the IC Engineering Career Path exist for Frontend ? Not just title of course. but is the work for one really exist ? and if it does, does it really beneficial for all type of companies? or again, just a niche. I haven't found the answer, but am trying to. Because I want to find the balance and don't want to go to the path where I see my career to just a job and never get fascinated anymore. --- ## Longer version I have been quite lucky that through that eight years I have been working with companies with different size and culture. I have been work with an early stage software vendor, early stage product company, and even a unicorn level product company. aside from that I also have been having few experience doing freelance project (most of it Fulltack though). Now, I am not always particularly have a “Frontend” title. I have a “Fullstack” role until 2020. but on those Fullstack roles when dividing task usually I will be assigned most of the frontend work because my knowledge on React, and a lot of this Fullstack guy who more leaned toward backend obviously hates React. My passion for frontend is not always high. when I first learn React it goes through the roof. now am started working professionally since 2016, but I have been doing web development as a hobby since 2010. around the time Codeigniter 2 release I think, and back then, at least in my country, there is no division between frontend and backend.\ I mean I live in the era where we do hover effects by creating sprites images in photoshop and doing tricks using css position to create hover effects. what an era.. so yeah when I first meet react, I mean, `fetch`? you can update the view dynamically after loading json ? without need to create a html page using `jquery.get`? that is crazy ! so yeah I ended up learn a lot of React and its environment, and get to really like it. I come to frontend from the fascination of the technology, and how the technology come so far. Other people might have different story, I knew some of my frontend friend who come to Frontend because they are interested in the UI/UX of a web and since they skillset and interest leaned more toward engineering than design then they choose Frontend as a career. It is not that I don’t like building great UI/UX, oh I love great UI/UX. I am one of the frontend guy who doesn’t have love/hate relationship with the designer. as long as the UX great I won’t complain and enjoy building it too and like collaborate with design/product too. but still I am super interested in the technical aspect as well. I am still a guy who amazed at how we could change our workflow from `jquery` to `React` and the result of what we are capable to build. the love of good UI/UX doesn’t hinder me from my technical curiosity, it quite the opposite. it make me wonder, how can we optimize the technology, the workflow, to build a better UI/UX. And as my career grow, my career are leaning toward product companies, and after working few years in various product companies my interest grows not only technicalities and good ui ux. but also about how we can build an efficient Frontend workflow. especially it become my contemplation after COVID and the whole layoff and tech winter thing. nowadays, I think being lean is more important than ever. With all this interest, it is not always been easy for me to get a career. because in my country many people or even company still consider Frontend as a second-tier engineer. Well maybe not as bad as it used to be, but the thinking is just shifted that Frontend is more of a Product role than Engineering role. is there any implication for it ? yes there is: It is harder to get an IC role career for Frontend Engineer. lets be realistic, how often you see a Frontend IC dev with an architect or principal level? not many. I even sometime tried to ask recruiter about the opening roles for it and they confirm by saying that there is only roles for that for Backend roles. I don’t blame these companies and I get the prioritization. If we can only get one then yeah obviously it is more important to hire 1 that is have full stack experience and leaned more towards backend. To be honest with you, I don’t have quite an answer or sound argument about this yet. like some of my Frontend friend think the solution is to go towards managing roles like Engineering Manager, usually the “Should be from backend background” requirement is more relaxed in the managing role. But I don’t know, I don’t really want to go to that path, at least not yet. I mean, I have once ask to be demoted from a lead role because it include people management like approving leaves and reimbursement. fortunately my Head of Engineer made a decision to remove those managing part from the lead role instead. I do think I found my safe haven though, I found that working in a smaller product based company is the best role for me. why it should be small and why it should be a product based company. because in a larger product based company, everything usually already set in stone. they might argue they are not. but lets be real, if you are on the bottom of the stack it would require ton of effort to even the changes you proposed to be approved (or even discussed! duh). not mentioning the friction of convincing other team. this is actually can be one argument why we need high level IC roles with good understanding on the frontend problem domain. which usually non-existent. but yeahhh why hire one just for that right… what about vendor or software house company ? well the good part is as long as we are working fast I think our managers won’t complain.. but there are some concern for me: first would be, the spirit of good engineering is hard to find here. I have been worked in one,and like I said right, I am one from maybe just other 1 or 2 out of 10 that know React in the company. if you worked in a small software house company and the company have good engineering culture, then you are lucky. and second, Even though lets say, I am lucky and get the one that is having a good engineering culture, the downside of software vendor is we work on a product only for a short amount of period. Even 1 year is short in the liftime of a product. it is harder to see the consequences of our decision here in the longer lifetime of a product. and as I mention earlier, I am on the quest of searching the answer of “Whether the IC Roles for frontend really needed (not just a title)”. then I need to be in a place where the effect of my decision can be seen in a longer period. In a smaller product company, It is easier for me to propose things, both to product and to my engineering lead, related to Frontend. like proposing using Design System, How to do release management and feature flagging, etc. And in the process I am actually also contemplating, is my work can be considered “Architectural” on the engineering sense or not. and yeah I also planned to see effects of my decision through the lifetime of the product. the good and the badside of it. so that when someday, I claim I know the answer. it would be from experience, I have walked the path and not just all talks.