This wasn't your normal path to a frontend developer by any means. Back in 1998, I wasn't thinking I'd be in this exact role. Paths in life might take you to unexpected places. You can plan ahead if you know exactly what you want to do--so if frontend development sounds like a great career for you, I would highly suggest going to college or university in an area known for its technology sector. As a norm, having prior experience and a Bachelor's degree seems to be the minimum to find a full-time position in this role, with a Master's degree being preferable. Of course that is not completely necessary, as you've learned from my experience.

If you apply yourself well in school or on your own, participate in hack-a-thon events, develop projects on the side, then you might easily end up as an intern or junior developer at some tech giant, or, fast-moving start-up as your first career move.

In those environments, it's likely you'll need to be familiar with agile development, learning to be flexible, and develop solutions that may be out of your comfort zone. Prepare for the future by staying up to date with the latest technologies. Frontend development may change to mean your job is to handle app development, databases, APIs, micro-services, and so on. It might not be soon, or take those paths where you work, but you should keep in tune with technology. Expanding your skills will guarantee you'll always have a job somewhere that leads to other amazing opportunities.

Derik's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derikschneider