The titles of the articles I previously wrote, "Web2 is the end, Web3 is the destination: Introduction to Web3" and "Web2 is the end, Web3 is the destination: Embracing Web3," may seem sensationalist, and some people even say that I am clickbaiting.
However, these two articles are about my personal experience transitioning to become a Web3 full-stack engineer. "Web2 is the end, Web3 is the destination" is my personal feeling and choice, and it cannot be considered a summary of the industry or advice for others - this article is the opposite.
The End of Web2#
After reading those two articles, someone commented, "You didn't explain why Web2 is coming to an end." Indeed, as I mentioned earlier, these articles are about my personal experience and not about advice for the industry or career development.
Furthermore, I have expressed my views on the decline of Web2 in a more comprehensive way in a small part of the article "The Last Advice to Frontend Engineers" and in an article in my paid column titled "What Kind of Job Should I Look For?."
To ensure the coherence and completeness of this series of articles, I will now extract the main content from that paid article. The following text is based on that article with further elaboration.
Mismatch of Supply and Demand#
During the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, while I was selling goods with a pig, I opened the BOSS Zhipin app to look for jobs.
After adjusting the expected salary range and setting my preferred direction, I found that most of the low-level positions, which used to be abundant, had disappeared. Instead, I saw higher-level positions such as Web IDE development, senior Electron development, frontend technical director, and frontend team leader.
The monthly salary range for these positions was roughly between 35k and 70k, which sounded great! But when I looked at the requirements, well, I didn't meet them...
Some people complain that it's difficult to find a job because the demand is saturated, while others lament that it's difficult to hire people because talented individuals are hard to find. At that time, I truly felt and understood the contradictions and gaps in this situation.
In the conventional job market, I found myself in an awkward position - not quite a low-level worker, but also lacking the abilities and experience required for a senior role in a large team.
The above is one aspect of the problems I faced when looking for a job. The other aspect is the issue of prospects, which affects the stability (lifecycle) of job positions, companies, and industries - without long-term vision, there will be immediate concerns.
Is Frontend Dead?#
When I was organizing content related to frontend development, I emphasized in the introduction:
"Frontend engineers" are "software engineers" who solve web-related problems using core web frontend technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
If you want to use technologies like Canvas and WebGL to create graphics, games, etc., you have already moved beyond the scope of "web frontend" in the general sense. Their knowledge system is focused on graphics and is currently not within the scope of this topic.
Ourei's "Self-Cultivation of Frontend Engineers."
In a Zhihu answer about Yu Bo's departure, I mentioned:
The new era is the combination of AI and the industry, with a significant increase in technological productivity, product reconstruction, and business reshaping.
As one of the functions of technical implementation, frontend will also usher in a new era. The value of experience technology carried by frontend will be recognized by a wider range of people and gradually become a basic understanding.
Yu Bo was a pioneer at that time. He established and led the Experience Technology Department at Ant Group, with remarkable achievements in concepts, products, teams, influence, and business value.
Yu Bo gained fame in frontend and achieved many technological products and the Experience Technology Department. In the next industry cycle, I believe that Yu Bo will continue to have the ability, space, and sufficient talent to "Make Something Better, Promote Something Change" and succeed in business and commerce.
As for frontend, most of the "problems" are caused by limited understanding. In the new era of AI productivity as the underlying engine, the new issue of delivering the value of interaction and experience may just be the beginning of the brilliance of "frontend." This certainly does not mean that it will continue to be limited to 2D pages within the familiar browser.
Tangzhu's "How do you view Yu Bo's departure from the Experience Technology Department of Ant Group?"
Combining these two perspectives, it reminds me of the "frontend is dead" debate that was heatedly discussed last year.
I expressed my views on this topic in a Zhihu question "Does frontend have a future?" in 2020 and further elaborated in an article titled "Does Frontend Have a Future?."
After that year, I added some additional thoughts:
In 5-10 years, there will be a large number of unemployed web developers, and the entry barrier will become higher. The salary growth will be lower, and it will no longer be as popular as a few years ago. People who have been working for more than 6 years should feel this.
This profession has already started to decline, and it's time to consider what to do in the next 5-10 years and make timely adjustments and changes.
What I want to say is that careers related to web development, such as frontend engineers and Java engineers, are coming to an end. It doesn't mean that there won't be any jobs, but it will become increasingly difficult to find jobs and the pay will be lower, moving further away from the term "high salary."
Twenty years ago, China entered the PC Internet era; ten years ago, China and the world entered the mobile Internet era together. During these twenty years, with the rapid growth of various Internet companies, the Chinese economy has risen and surpassed other countries.
However, at this stage, many things have reached a plateau. In ten years, no matter how the Internet transforms, web development will not create much excitement and will have little to do with web development.
Currently, the future lies in data intelligence, immersive technologies, graphical technologies, computing combined with biology/life sciences, and some infrastructure. In comparison, web development is just a "bricklayer" job.
Any tool-related things (such as technology, services, etc.) have a limited lifespan, so it is important to maximize the benefits and value they generate.
I have already shared the basic points with you. Whether you can afford to use them is up to you:
- Access to first-hand information channels and a keen sense of the world's development, challenges you may face, and opportunities to make money, steps ahead of most people;
- Ability to learn quickly, reducing the time cost of mastering new tools and saving more time to gain value;
- The ability to identify suitable tools and application scenarios, promote them quickly and vigorously, and use them to get promoted, get a raise, and make money;
- Expand as much as possible - increase and extend profits;
- Start the next cycle.
Ourei's thoughts
The "One Point of Reflection" section in the article "The Second Year of Three Years Belonging to Me" provides some further improvement to the above points and resonates with the article I wrote this year, "The Last Advice to Frontend Engineers."
Later, I revisited the articles and ideas mentioned above, as well as the article "The Future of Frontend" written by Ping Xia in 2019, trying to find a starting point for my job search.
The Cycle of Technology#
Whether it is Ping Xia's "The Future of Frontend," my "Does Frontend Have a Future?," or Tangzhu's answer on Zhihu, they all indicate that "frontend has a future," but this "frontend" is not the same as the "frontend" we are familiar with.
If you cling to the "traditional web frontend" represented by HTML, CSS, and JS, there is no future in the long run. Even if it is still based on these technologies, they will no longer be important or will be completely different from what they are now. It is equivalent to learning new technologies and mastering fundamental knowledge such as computer graphics.
The specific technology of the "next generation" of frontend and how long its lifecycle will be is unclear. It requires a long learning period to reach a working level, and the entry barrier is high.
From the perspective of employers, they tend to hire individuals with practical work experience and achievements. As someone who has just "switched careers," would they hire me as an intern? If they want to hire interns, why wouldn't they choose someone who is young and obedient?
Web3 is the Destination#
To summarize the previous text briefly:
The future mainstream human-computer interaction technology may no longer be HTML, CSS, and JS. Even if they are still used, they will be less important or completely different compared to now. It is necessary to learn new technologies and master fundamental knowledge such as computer graphics.
Learning new technologies requires a long learning period, and it is unclear how long the transition between generations will take. It is better to enter the "new era" as early as possible.
It is evident that the traditional internet industry has been growing slowly in recent years. Most frontend engineers are proficient in "traditional web frontend" technologies, and they work in business-oriented companies.
If you limit your vision to Web2, considering the technology cycle and the lifecycle of production and business fields, the prospects are limited, and there are only a few years left to "survive."
Although working in technology-oriented companies is also an option, it is only available to a few technical elites. It has little to do with the majority of frontend engineers who focus on business frontend development and lack advanced technical skills.
For these frontend engineers, especially those who have been in the industry for more than 5 years, the "traditional web frontend" has become a burden that is difficult to get rid of. Continuing to stay in Web2 will soon lead to the end of their careers.
In "Questioning Web3, Understanding Web3," I provided a detailed description of my understanding of "Web3." It is evident to anyone with common sense that even if you only master "traditional web frontend" technologies, you can smoothly transition from Web2 to Web3.
Moreover, considering the current stage of development in the Web3 industry, Web3 can extend the professional life of frontend engineers who rely on "traditional web frontend" for at least 10 years. Calling Web3 their "destination" is not an exaggeration, right?!
Conclusion#
Since I started writing articles related to Web3, there have always been comments questioning the legality of decentralization, blockchain, and Web3. However, when asked to provide specific legal provisions, they have nothing to say.
I would like to ask: "In China, blockchain technology is being applied in government agencies and internet giants. Are they openly violating the law? Or is it that they don't understand the law?"
Those who recognize the current situation are wise, and those who understand the changes in technology are heroes.
Read the rest of this article at: Personal Website | WeChat Official Account