The Frontend Reality: React is Not a Career
This article is for the "Bootcamp React Dev".
You learned HTML, CSS, and React in 3 months. You built a Todo App, a Weather App, and a Netflix Clone following a YouTube tutorial.
You have memorized the syntax for `useState` and `useEffect`. You know how to center a div using Flexbox.
You believe this qualifies you for a ₹15 LPA "Software Engineer" role.
You think Frontend Development is about making things look pretty, adding animations, and converting Figma designs into code.
The Expectation
You expect to be hired for your "Creativity".
You think your job will be to install `npm install framer-motion`, build smooth sliders, and argue about pixel perfection.
You believe that as long as you know the latest framework (Next.js, Remix, whatever is trending on Twitter), you are safe.
You think the "Backend" is scary and complicated, so you will just stay happily in the browser, manipulating the DOM.
The Reality
The Reality: "Pixel Moving" is dead.
The market has shifted. AI tools (v0, Cursor, Copilot) can write basic UI components faster and cleaner than you can.
If your value proposition is "I can write a nice Button component", you are obsolete.
The market doesn't need "React Developers" anymore. It needs Product Engineers.
Companies today expect Frontend Engineers to handle logic, not just aesthetics. They expect you to understand:
- Server Side Rendering (SSR) vs Client Side Rendering (CSR)
- Caching Strategies (SWR, React Query)
- API Design and Data Fetching Waterfalls
- Performance Optimization (Core Web Vitals)
"Frontend" is no longer just the View layer. It is becoming the entire Application layer. If you can't handle the logic, you are just a decorator.
Salary & Growth Reality
The entry-level market is flooded. There are 10,000 juniors for every React job.
Because the barrier to entry was so low (3 months), supply has exploded. This crushes wages.
If you want to earn money, you have to verify yourself. You have to move down the stack (Backend/Full Stack) or deeper into the browser (WebGL, Canvas, Complex State).
The days of getting paid ₹10 LPA to center divs are over.
| Skill Level | Pay (LPA) | Employability |
|---|---|---|
| UI Library User | 4.0 - 8.0 | Low (Saturated) |
| Engineeer (JS/TS) | 12.0 - 25.0 | High |
*Knowing `useEffect` is no longer a differentiator.
Where Most People Get Stuck
You get stuck in Div Soup.
You are great at building specific components, but you panic when you have to glue them together into a real app.
You don't know how the internet works. You don't understand HTTP, DNS, or CORS. If the API returns a 500 error, you freeze. You blame the Backend guy.
You keep learning new "Tools" to mask your lack of "First Principles". You jump from Redux to Zustand to Jotai, hoping the next library will fix your confusion. It won't.
Who Should Avoid This Path
Avoid if: You only care about the Visuals. If you hate logic and just want things to look nice, go be a UI Designer. Code is logic, not art.
Final Verdict
Learn the Server.
Frontend is just a consumption layer. The real logic is on the server (Next.js/Node/Go).
Stop labelling yourself as a "React Developer". Be a "Software Engineer" who happens to know React.
If you can't write a DB query, you are half an engineer. And you will be paid half the salary.