How do I know when I need a front and rear brake job.
When the brake pads are worned to a certain limit. Most shops offers free brake inspection.
And there are little metal tabs on disk brake pads that make a really annoying squeal rubbing on the rotor when the pads are too worn down.
Not all brake pads have the wear indicator that @Mustangman refers to, so have a brake inspection.
If you do hear grinding when you apply the brakes…have it inspected ASAP, because you are most likely destroying the brake rotors.
Yosemite
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My wife’s 06 Sienna had it front brakes replaced at ~35k miles. The van has 83k now and the front brakes are fine so far. She did a lot more stop and go driving when the kids were younger. It depends on your driving patterns.
Ed B.
Noise or lowered stopping power when braking.
Uneven braking or shaking when braking.
Failure of a visual inspection.
Remove (or have a trusted mechanic remove) all 4 wheels and visually inspect the brake components. Also, that is a good time to inspect and rotate the tires.
CSA 
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about 10 miles before they fail at highway speed and you go careening into the back of a stopped semi-trailer.
If in doubt, get them inspected.
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Every spring and fall I switch to seasonal wheels/tires. The front brakes rotors and pads are very visible with the wheels off. Each fall I take the extra step of removing the rear drums for a cleanout and look-see. Nowadays most cars have discs front and rear, so it’s a cinch to inspect the brakes.
Brakes should be inspeced on a regular basis rather than wait until onerous symptoms start appearing.
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