Is it a good idea for me (a freshman in college) to focus on front end web dev and UI/UX at the same time, essentially learning to be a hybrid?

I was just wondering what you think about me (a freshman in college who is new to web development) learning front end web development and also doing UI/UX research on the side to hopefully learn more about design and user experience. Is it a good idea to try to learn both, or am I better off focusing on one and becoming really good at one?

My UI/UX research will be with a professor, and it will focus on the design of electronic voting machines and examine eye movements using eye trackers. It's something I'm very interested in, so I'm really excited to start...but should this be a long term commitment towards a career?

Should I maybe instead focus on being really good at front end web app development, something I am also very interested in?

Or is it viable for me to focus on both, and market myself to employers as a front end web developer and designer?