How to become a Full Stack Developer – 6 Vital Tips to Keep In Mind
When we think about the wide spectrum of development, a full stack developer strikes through and ticks off all the checkboxes, surging the need of full stack development.
The increase in demand for seamless technology has enabled programmers to work simultaneously on both back-end and front-end.
To surge these demanding needs, full stack developers are well versed with different technologies and are capable of solving glitches across several streams of app and web development.
Full-stack development is quite popular as it is becoming a much sought-after technical role for many companies. The versatility of diverse coding skills is what makes full-stack developers so preferable.
As per the recent report by The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates full-stack development employment to increase from 135,000 to over 853,000 by the year 2024.
The role of a full-stack developer might just be the ideal option for programmers from a technical background.
There is certainly a wide scope of opportunities for full-stack developers and professionals, who can work across several verticals, ranging from startups to giant tech organizations to full stack software development companies to public agencies and industries.
To hire developers, IT organizations are looking out for people with impeccable programming skills and thus it has brought me to jot down my rest of the blog for the tech professionals who want to try their hands on full stack development.
Scroll down below to read on: The 6 essential tips on How you can become a Full Stack Developer.
But first things first, What do you exactly understand by the term Full Stack Developer?
What exactly is a Full Stack Developer?
A full-stack developer is a programmer working with several databases, servers, systems engineering, and clients. This will depend on the type of project and what the client needs in terms of mobile, network and own stack.
The term “full stack” refers to the combination of technologies needed to complete a project. On the other hand, a “stack” refers to a collection of submodules.
These software submodules when combined together achieve the established function without the need for other submodules.
Tip 1: Learning the necessary programming languages:
For full stack app developers, it is essential to get a hold on necessary programming languages. I, being a full stack developer over the years, have carved my niche for these programming languages.
These languages have helped me to niche out my journey in the field of Full Stack Development.
1. HTML/CSS:
For Web Development, HTML/CSS is all what you need as the web is built on these technologies.
HTMLis the tool that helps developers input content into a website and CSS is a designing tool used to alter the appearance of web applications.
Both are essential tools for a full stack developer and can be imbibed through an online course.
You can enroll for the free course and learn HTML, CSS and all the other skills you need to make websites.
2. JavaScript:
This will be a no brainer, Javascript is a must-have for any full stack developer. It can be used for both front-end and back-end procedures.
As browsers are built on it, JavaScript can be used as a server-side language as well.
3. Backend Technologies:
After mastering the art of front end technologies and frameworks, it’s time to move to the backend technologies.
For coding the backend process, you need to be proficient in one of the programming languages for performing functions occurring in the backend of a web application such as database operations, user validation, and logical operations.
For the backend process, you can either make a grasp on PHP, Java, Python, or SQL. Learning one of the languages should suffice but you should attain proficiency in it.
Tip 2: Refine your Knowledge:
For a full stack app developer, just knowing the basics is not enough.You need to refine and redefine the fundamentals of programming languages to understand the complexity of the application.
For a beginner, you should be clear about all aspects of these technologies. Few pointers to hold on to before getting into the dynamics of full stack development.
- Just knowing is not enough. You need to practically amplify your knowledge by creating a web page, which you have learned in the online course shared above on HTML/CSS. Apart from this, you have to thoroughly understand the concept of JavaScript as it is found in 99 percent of web applications. You have to become proficient in its use.
- Knowledge of programming will help you in writing optimized codes for seamless application.
Some theories/knowledge to acquire before pushing ahead are:
- Servers and their functioning
- Networks and their nuances
- Web-hosting environments
- Algorithms and their formulation
- Data structures (types, properties, and use)
- Programming technologies
- Databases and their management
- As a full stack developer, you must learn the art of assimilation of different parts of the application and create a whole out of the parts. For this, you need to understand how each part works and what exactly its role in the bigger scheme of things and how one part connects to the other.
Tip 3: Familiarize with all technologies but Create a Niche of Your Own:
Full Stack programmers need to understand as the scope of your learning expands, you will realize that there is much more to learn than you possibly can master. But most programmers fail to understand that they try to learn too much of too many things
This pragmatic approach of learning everything is not going to help developers in the long run. Instead you can master one and understand the rest.
Your ease with technologies is also going to improve with your working years experience. Make most of your time specializing in one technology.
As the technology is expanding in every single year, there are experts who keep an eye on the latest trends in technologies, which you can go by while carving out your niche in latest technologies.
You can also choose a technology popular among clients. This will help you to compete effectively with others in the field of full stack development and exhibit outstanding work.
And with the way this economy is growing with lower taxes, you should have a bright career ahead and be able to relocate to other states if you wish to.
Tip 4: Enroll Yourself Up For An Online Course:
To remain relevant, you need to up your learning game. There are many online courses that are available in the full stack development space.
A full stack developer needs to stay abreast of the latest technology and trends. What a better way to upscale yourself than taking online or virtual courses.
Apart from these, there are several online courses which you can go for keeping in mind these validations to choose the best:
- Mentoring by knowledgeable coders
- Flexible schedule that matches yours
- Projects as part of the curriculum (see the University of Phoenix, which incorporates teamwork into the curriculum with acumen)
- Tutoring to clarify doubts (either individually or in groups)
Tip 5: Getting Practical Exposure:
As they say, learning is just not enough. After a thorough understanding of all the necessary technologies—HTML/CSS, JavaScript, back-end programming, databases, and HTTP/REST. Now, it’s time to get your hands on practical exposure or implementation through an application.
For this, all you need to collate is:
- The right way to structure code
- Means to separate files
- Environment to host large media files
- The right data structures to use
- Location of each computational task (client-side or server-side)
Getting to the thrust of learning theoretically is possible through online learning modules, however to understand application architecture properly, you must implement an actual web application.
The practical exposure on an application can be achieved through while working in collaboration with other full stack developers to develop an application.
IT companies are looking forward to connecting and hiring individuals with impeccable coding skills, this will be addressed through practical implications on theoretical knowledge collated through online learning modules.
Tip 6: Take up Additional Assignments:
As a developer, acquiring new knowledge continuously and staying on top of trends or developments in your field, will lead you as an expert in a particular subject and thus making you more likely to succeed for new projects coming up.
This will not only upskill but can also add extra value to your organization as well. Most IT companies will appreciate these types of initiatives, of being proactive in taking up assignments out of your comfort zones, certainly showing courtesy in your pursuit of learning.
Conclusion:
The journey of becoming a full stack developer might appear herculean. But the chronology of the steps mentioned above makes it easier.
Continuously upgrading your skill-set is not as daunting as it may appear at first. Moreover, being able to understand all aspects of a project will make you an indispensable part of your company or department.
But, if you are looking for a quick fixature for your project, you can hire full stack developers here!
