Zahid Karakaya: The Life of a Front-End Software Engineer
How does one become a front-end software engineer?
What skills do you need to have to become a web developer?
Best yet, can you become a software engineer without a CS degree?
How many times have you asked yourself some of these questions?
Starting a web development career from scratch may be challenging, but it is possible.
And, the example of Zahid Karakaya (zhtkrky.me), a successful front-end developer with a degree in Economics, proves me right.
Let’s learn more about him.
Who Is Zahid Karakaya?
Zahid was born in 1993 in Antalya, Turkey. He graduated from Selcuk University, with a bachelor’s degree in Economics.
Zahid has never worked in the industry – he pivoted his career early on. However, he strongly believes that his educational background served as a strong foundation for his future career in digital marketing and software engineering.
Today, Zahid lives in Riga, Latvia, and works as a full-time front-end software engineer and a UI/UX designer at Vigo Health, a company that helps stroke survivors to recover faster and more effectively using digitally accessible therapies.
Self-Learning As The Basis Of Success Of This Front-End Software Engineer
The words that best describe Zahid Karakaya are creativity, versatility, and assertiveness. He is a genuine philomath with a distinguished business sense. The fact that he courageously changed his profession and pursued the career of a front-end software engineer backs me up on that.
“I’m fueled by competition and learning. I like coding because I enjoy the idea of creating something from nothing, solving problems. I love clean code, and I am always open to feedback on how to improve,” Zahid emphasizes.
The success Zahid has achieved ever since is a reward for his hard work and willingness to constantly learn and improve. Probably the most impressive thing about this prospective front-end developer lies in the fact that he single-handedly paved the way for his career in IT by learning different programming languages on his own.
“My development roots are in WordPress & Shopify, of which I’m self-taught. In 2018, I started working at startups to broaden my knowledge of the React.js ecosystem. Since then, I fell in love with & have been primarily using React & Context API in web applications. I’m also a big fan of Next.js & Gatsby.js.”
Zahid’s Experience As A Front-End Software Engineer
Zahid has worked as a front-end software engineer for more than five years. He started out as a freelance front-end developer in 2017 when he built a multitude of websites using his HTML, CSS, and JavaScript skills.
Zahid has worked as a full-stack front-end developer at multiple companies in Turkey, Latvia, and the US.
He has also managed a multitude of side projects that help him showcase his industry knowledge and experience the best. To name a few:
- ToDo List using React Native
- WorldRanks using Next.js
- The Notes App
Front-End Development Skills
Zahid’s programming experience is enviable. He is proficient in various HTML and JS frameworks, e-commerce environment experiences, IDE programming, etc. Plus, his strong SEO and design experience helps him take his front-end development services to the next level.
Zahid is fluent in a multitude of programming languages, including:
- HTML
- CSS
- CMS theming and set-up
- JavaScript
- React
- Next
- Gatsby
- AWS Amplify
- Netlify
- JS APIs
- GraphQL
- JAMstack
- PWA
- Rest API
Additionally, his skills include a firm understanding of Adobe Illustrator, Lightroom, and Photoshop, as well as a wide range of tools for digital marketing and video editing.
Blogging Your Way To A Strong Online Presence As A Front-End Software Engineer
One of the most effective ways to get noticed as a front-end software engineer in the overcrowded IT industry is to build a strong online presence. It represents a multifaceted process that begins with the creation of a spotless personal website.
What’s interesting about Zahid’s personal website is that he developed it all by himself using Gatsby, Linaria, and DatoCMS.
However, what does it take to build trust with potential recruiters or clients who land on your personal website?
The answer lies in blogging.
By creating helpful articles and optimizing them for search engines, you get the opportunity to rank higher, increase your online visibility, attract relevant traffic, and earn quality backlinks.
Blogging is also an opportunity to establish credibility in your niche and set yourself apart in the overcrowded IT industry. Once they realize how helpful, informative, and insightful your content is, people will spend more time on your website and return to it for more. Above all, you gain a chance to position yourself as an industry expert and build trust with both potential clients and future employers.
Obviously, Zahid is well aware of that.
He runs a blog on his personal website, where he provides invaluable industry knowledge and experience. He shares insights into his past projects, the challenges he faced along the way, and the solutions he came up with.
In addition to his blog, Zahid has also introduced the Bookmarks section on his website, where he put together an incredible list of useful web development and SEO tools for web developers.
Plans For The Future
One thing that sets Zahid apart from other front-end developers is his confident personality and passion for the IT sector which keep pushing him forward toward greater achievements. His greatest goal is to familiarize himself with his profession’s background, variations, and the factors that impact it the most.
Zahid explains that one of his major plans for the future is to travel and meet front-end developers from all over the world. Through such invaluable experiences, he strives to understand how cultural background may impact web design – in what ways and to what extent.
Wrapping Up
“Opportunities do not happen, you create them”. This quote describes Zahid Karakaya’s professional growth the best. This successful front-end software developer proves that, when you are passionate about something and pour your heart into it, your odds of success increase.
Zahid teaches us a few invaluable lessons:
- Irrespective of your educational background, self-learning is the pillar of your success.
- Your success in the competitive IT industry starts with building an online presence. That means you should have a fully-optimized portfolio website that will showcase your industry expertise, credibility, and past projects.
- Blogging is a tried and tested technique for establishing online authority. It helps you position yourself as a trustworthy source of information and puts you on your potential employers’ radars.
- Curiosity, desire for continuous learning, and passion for your job are the only way to stand out from the crowd and succeed.
At .ME, we are happy that this exceptional front-end developer chose us as his online home. We are looking forward to hearing about your future achievements, Zahid. Keep rocking!
