The web development field is growing quickly. This development has made the role of the full-stack developer even more critical.
It is a profession that receives the most attractive salary but also requires the candidate to have the most skills.
If you want to develop a career as a full-stack developer, immediately refer to the information in the article. You will certainly understand more about this challenging but also quite exciting job.
Job Description
Full-stack developers are the professionals every company wants to hire. They are well versed in frontend and backend web development and have extensive knowledge in many other areas. If you’re curious about what it’s like to be a full-stack developer, here’s all you need to know.
What is a full-stack developer?
Full-stack developers work with both back end and front end. They have to work with both the application server and the client.
In particular, with the user interface, full-stack developers will be responsible for the visual interface. Meanwhile, with the back end, they will have to deal with the infrastructure-related issues of the website.
Duties and Responsibilities
Full-stack developers are pretty versatile. They are responsible for many tasks, such as designing and developing the website platform to provide backend functionality to keep the user experience on the website.
- UI Development: What takes up the most time for full-stack developers is using HTML/CSS and JavaScript to build effective interactive interfaces.
- Design the application backend: This task will help fetch server data.
- Create database and server: Developers must ensure the system is up and running. Even if something goes wrong, the system still needs a database and a server to recover.
- Ensure cross-platform compatibility: Software must be compatible with many different operating systems.
- Meet all visitor requirements: They must regularly update the application to fix bugs and provide a better visitor experience.
Where Do Full-Stack Developers Work?
Most full-stack developers work full-time in offices. They have to coordinate with many web design professionals and deploy work for other departments.
Some full-stack developers also work part-time remotely. They must use many tools to manage, monitor, and maintain work progress.
Education Requirements
A full-stack developer is a job that requires many skills. Those pursuing this field need certifications in computer science and computer engineering.
Degree and Certificate
Employers will require applicants to hold a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related discipline. To apply for a full-stack developer position, you should also provide information security and web development certifications.
You can earn these certifications through short-term training programs at reputable universities or teaching centers. You can also prepare for certification exams for software professionals or IT engineers.
Some institutions that provide valuable certifications you may be interested in are our IEEE Computer Society, DevOps Institute, and American Council on Artificial Intelligence.
Essential Skills
Hard Skills
Full-stack developers work with both the front end and back end. Therefore, the specialized knowledge these people need to learn is diverse. They will have to be experts in the following areas:
HTML/CSS
HTML/CSS are tools for adding content and personalizing web pages. A full-stack developer must master these tools to refresh the website’s interface and attract visitors.
Their ultimate goal is to create user interfaces that are intuitive, engaging, and cross-platform-compatible.
JavaScript
A full-stack developer is required to understand and master JavaScript. They will spend most of their time developing web and software.
Hence, their in-depth JavaScript knowledge will help them write frontend and backend code for the server. In particular, full-stack developers need to master essential features like React and Angular.
Git and GitHub
Git is a powerful support tool for Full-stack developers. Relying on Git, they can manage daily changes to the website and software and application development issues. GitHub is a mandatory profile that any full-stack developer must own.
Auxiliary language
In addition to the standard user interface languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, full-stack developers must also understand and be proficient in additional backend languages.
These will assist the developer in building the backend for the application or software. PHP is one of the most popular auxiliary languages. It is cross-platform compatible and straightforward to learn and master.
Meanwhile, Python is also what full-stack developers often choose. It is trendy among both developers and programmers.
Web Architecture
Full-stack developers are responsible for software application development. Getting skills related to web architecture is quite important.
They will have to apply these skills to accomplish tasks such as structuring code, classifying files, calculating, and working with database data structures.
HTTP and REST
Full-stack developers need to be proficient in both HTTP and REST. The skills acquired by mastering this data transfer protocol will help developers perform various operations with data and communicate with clients more efficiently.
Soft Skills
In addition to technical skills, you will have to practice some essential soft skills to succeed in developing a career as a full-stack developer.
Many soft skills have the most impact on your individual and team performance.
Some might be analytical ability, attention to detail, good problem-solving, strong communication, and time management.
Especially because working in a changing field, developers need to learn throughout their careers constantly.
Essential Tools
To increase work efficiency, full-stack developers often use quite a few tools. Here are the most popular and beneficial tools that developers shouldn’t miss.
Backbone
It is a tool that helps a lot while practicing JavaScript code. Backbone will convert data on the fly to simplify the management process. The device also supports creating custom events and regularly updating the code.
With many of the above advantages, Backbone is the leading software to help developers build single-page applications or reorganize the code system.
CodePen
To work with the front end effectively, full-stack developers often use CodePen.
Its work environment provides a solution to your user interface needs. It makes building websites more accessible.
Also, the community of CodePen developers is enormous. You can share the work with them and get a lot of support to get the job done.
Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is a free and powerful tool provided by Microsoft. It supports editing in many popular languages , such as JavaScript and Rust.
In addition to the basic features, Visual Studio Code has many other valuable advantages. Some unique features include code refactoring, intelligent code completion, and Git and GitHub integration.
TypeScript
TypeScript is a tool to compile and statically verify code. It also has huge JS pellets and works well on many different platforms. This Javascript set also scores with constant updates to provide many valuable features.
WebStorm
WebStorm is also a support tool for writing JavaScript code. Features like quick fixes, definition finders, and compatibility with various devices can improve coding speed and accuracy for developers.
GitHub
GitHub is a real-time teamwork platform with a high user base of over 2 million.
The platform’s appeal comes from valuable features such as code storage, real-time collaboration, and error reduction. GitHub’s advantages have won the trust of many large global companies such as PayPal and IBM.
Electrons
Full-stack developers can use Electron to create desktop applications. The tool also supports cross-platform application development.
Job Outlook
Jobs in information technology and web development often receive attractive salaries and extensive career development opportunities.
And full-stack developers are no exception. Here is some information related to the average salary and growth rate in this profession that you can refer to.
Career Opportunities
Web development directly or indirectly affects the future of every business and organization. With technology development, the demand for full-stack developer positions is higher than ever.
By 2026, the outlook for web developers is to grow 13% per year. It is a much higher number than the current average.
Salary
In the United States, a full-stack developer earns an average salary of $107,690 annually. In addition to the salary, they also receive bonuses worth about $5,000.
The above salary and bonus will vary depending on experience level, company, and working position.
Advantages and Disadvantages
A full-stack developer is a job with quite broad career prospects. Yet, you also face quite a few challenges. Here are some specific pros and cons of becoming a full-stack developer.
- Flexible work in multiple positions: Full-stack developers can work in frontend and backend development positions.
- Great job demand: You have a lot of job opportunities when pursuing a career as a full-stack developer.
- High salary: It is a pretty versatile job position. Therefore companies are willing to pay high salaries to those who reduce their operating costs.
- Mindset and Vision: You’ll learn professional insight, web development, and future business prospects.
- Creativity: You will be creatively free and fully control the project.
- Heavy workload: Full-stack developers have to do tasks such as database administration, website updates and optimization, and backend coding.
- It takes a long time to train: A full-stack developer has to go through a multi-step training process.
FAQs
Here are the most frequently asked questions related to the full-stack developer field. If you are interested, don’t skip to my specific answers in this section.
What do I need to know for a full-stack interview?
To apply for a full-stack developer position, you need to understand many programming languages and front-end technologies.
Understanding Java, Python, or some backend languages like Ruby will give you a more competitive edge when participating in an interview.
How do I start full-stack development?
To start your career as a full-stack developer, you’ll have to understand the field.
Then the things you need to pay special attention to and master are the necessary programming languages and building a full-stack developer profile.
After that, you should focus on preparing for your full-stack developer interview.
How long does it take to learn to be a full-stack developer?
To learn the minimum knowledge related to the full-stack developer, it will take you at least three months. Yet, to become an expert in the field, it will take you quite a few years.
How many types of full-stack developers are there?
The two main areas where full-stack developers work are frontend development and backend development.
Which is a better full-stack developer or a software developer?
Both positions work to accomplish the project’s technical goals and meet access needs. However, the task for full-stack developers will often be heavier due to their versatility and flexibility.
Is full stack developer a promising career?
A full-stack developer is a profession with good prospects for many years.
The demands of this job always increase over time. And the salary for a full-stack developer is also quite attractive compared to the common ground.
What is full stack used for?
Full stack is available to develop both client and application server interfaces. These people will be responsible for developing both the front and back ends.
Does full stack developer require coding?
Full-stack developers must know how to write code to fetch data from the database. They must also clearly understand how the code works and controls it.
Is full stack developer the same as web development?
These two jobs have some differences. Full-stack developers work with everything from the back to the front. They have many responsibilities, like building websites and databases. Web developers only work with websites.
Career Advice
A full-stack developer needs to be fluent in both front-end and back-end programming simultaneously. Yet, their multidisciplinary knowledge enables them to strategize to develop more efficient websites and applications.
They are also easy to convert to many different jobs for many external projects. Therefore, full-stack development is still a job worth pursuing.
If you have a career development orientation in this direction, the above sharing is detailed and valuable enough for you. Good luck with your choice!