Full Stack Developer Career Path

If you’ve decided to become a Full Stack Developer, you’ve made a great career choice. High demand and equally high salaries are amazing benefits, not to mention career longevity and the chance at a challenging yet rewarding profession. Wondering what comes next? This article will help you navigate your journey to becoming a Full Stack Developer, so keep reading to learn more. 

Getting Started

The first thing you’re going to want to do is get a better understanding of full stack development, the industries that employ Full Stack Developers, and what skills you’ll need. There are endless online forums, free introductory resources, and YouTube videos available on the internet, but you can also search your local library or bookstore for print resources. If you know anyone who works in the field, ask if you can pick their brain over coffee to get a better idea of the scope of the role. Additionally, check local colleges and universities to see if they have any free informational sessions or speakers coming up that cover full stack development. 

Do I Need a Degree to Become a Full Stack Developer?

While not strictly required, most Full Stack Developers will have a degree in computer science, information technology, or something similar. Many job postings you see will list a bachelor’s degree as a general requirement but won’t specify the field of study, but most professionals you encounter will most likely have taken the traditional route and attended a four-year institution for a bachelor’s degree in something related to computer science and coding. 

If you don’t have this background, don’t fret. What matters most in the field of full stack development is being skilled. Full-stack development bootcamps and professional trainings are good options for those who want to enter the field without a traditional degree. These programs offer practical, hands-on experience with languages and frameworks. You can gain the skills needed, as well as develop a portfolio of work to prove those skills to potential employers. These programs also tend to offer networking opportunities, resume development, and interview prep, all of which can help you land your dream full stack development job without a four-year degree in computer science or programming. 

Internships

An internship can be a great next step that allows you to get experience in a less traditional route. You could start by shadowing a Full Stack Developer and work your way up to performing certain tasks. Whether it’s a paid or volunteer position, the hands-on experience that an internship can provide is truly invaluable. Plus, you can add your projects from your internship to your professional portfolio so you can prove your competency to future employers. Interning as a Full Stack Developer will allow you to see projects through from start to finish and help get you comfortable with handling any hiccups or roadblocks that Full Stack Developers commonly encounter.

Entry-Level Full Stack Developer Jobs

When you’re ready to look for an entry-level Full Stack Developer job, you can start by searching job sites like Indeed and LinkedIn. These sites allow you to search by job title and filter your results by location; whether you prefer remote, in-person, or hybrid; pay range; experience level; and so much more. These sites are your quickest way to get a pulse on the general job market for Full Stack developers but it’s important to remember to filter for the most recent postings as well, so you’re only applying to jobs that are still available. 

There are a few common job titles you can look for when searching for entry-level roles which have been outlined below:

• Junior Full Stack Developer: Working under the guidance of senior developers, they contribute to both client and server-side coding, gaining experience in various programming languages and frameworks essential for modern web development.
• Associate Web Developer: These individuals will write code for new features and fix bugs within existing projects. You’ll gain exposure to the collaborative process of web development and the opportunity to learn best practices in coding and design.
• Entry-Level Software Engineer: These professionals have the chance to be involved in the entire software development life cycle, designing user interactions on websites, developing servers and databases for website functionality, and coding for mobile platforms.
• Web Application Developer: This entry-level role is tasked with creating and implementing web-based applications. You’ll typically start with smaller modules or components of a larger application, learning to integrate user-facing elements with server-side logic and database handling.

Mid-Level Full Stack Developer Jobs

As your career progresses, you’ll move into a mid-level role and take on more responsibilities. You’ll see job titles and descriptions like the ones listed here:

• Full Stack Developer: With this title, you should be proficient in both front end and back-end coding languages, development frameworks, and third-party libraries. You’ll be responsible for creating and maintaining web applications and work on both the client and server sides.
• Application Developer: This position focuses on creating, deploying, and improving software applications. You’ll need to be adept at working with multiple programming languages and comfortable with multiple platforms and environments, ensuring a seamless user experience across devices.
• Software Engineer: With a full stack background, you can apply engineering principles to the entire stack of an application. In this role you’ll design, develop, test, and maintain software, ensuring that systems are scalable and optimized for performance.
• Web Developer: Professionals with this job title are capable of implementing responsive design, optimizing web applications for maximum speed and scalability, and ensure that web security protocols are adhered to.
• Systems Developer: Utilizing your full stack capabilities, you can develop and integrate software systems. Professionals in this role often work closely with database administrators and network architects to ensure that all parts of the tech stack work harmoniously.

Senior Full Stack Developer Jobs

Once you’ve gotten several years of experience under your belt, a senior level promotion will be within reach. Titles for these types of roles can vary, as can the level of responsibility, so it’s important to understand the differences.

• Senior Full Stack Developer: Sometimes called Lead Full Stack Developers, these professionals lead full stack development initiatives across an organization, ensuring that both the client-side and server-side aspects of web applications are seamlessly integrated and optimized for performance and scalability. You may lead a team of developers in this role, helping guide and oversee entry and mid-level professionals.
• Lead Engineer: In this role, you’ll be responsible for leading an engineering department, including full stack development teams. You would be responsible for setting the technical direction, overseeing software architecture decisions, and ensuring that development practices meet the highest standards of quality and efficiency.
• Software Architecture Manager: This position involves strategic planning and oversight of software architecture with a focus on full stack solutions. The Director of Software Architecture defines best practices for coding and system design, ensuring that the technological framework supports the organization's objectives.
• Director of IT Project Management: A slight departure from development, skilled Full Stack Developers can transition into this role with the right amount of existing managerial experience. As a Director of IT, you’d ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget, and in accordance with the technical and business requirements.

Another Path: Freelancing

Freelancing is an alternative option for those who wish to chart their own course. You’ll need a strong skill base in full stack development, as well as additional skills like budgeting, proposal creation and presentation, and a basic understanding of how to file taxes as an independent worker. 

Freelancing has many challenges, most notably being that you’ll need to find and acquire your clients, particularly while you’re starting out. It’s possible that once you’re more established, you can develop a name for yourself and have clients that come to you. In most cases though, you’ll be searching for potential clients and pitching proposals. Developing your business plan is another challenge of freelancing. A corporate job will provide you with the projects, assignments, and career path, allowing you to simply focus on the tasks at hand. As a freelancer, you’ll need to be an expert at mapping out your market strategies, revenue projections, and cost analyses.

Challenges aside, freelancing does have its benefits. You can choose your clients and projects, only working on subject matter that is of interest to you. You can also typically set your schedule and work from where you choose. Plus, you can schedule for extra time off in between clients and not rely on limited company PTO for much-needed vacations. 

How Do I Find A Full Stack Developer Job?

There are many ways to find a job in full stack development. If you attend professional training, you may be able to network with your instructor, fellow students, and other alumni. You’l also typically have the opportunity to create a portfolio of your work and receive coaching on applying and interviewing for positions. 

Job search sites are the easiest way to see everything that’s available. You can search in your current area, your desired area, or for fully remote roles. Most of these sites will allow you to filter your searches for specific job titles, pay ranges, and experience levels. It’s important to note that these sites rely on the job posters to remove their postings when the role is filled, which doesn’t always happen in a timely fashion. You’ll want to pay attention to posting dates or filter your search to list the most recent postings first to ensure you’re viewing the most up to date positions. 

While not as common, internships can be used to work your way into a full-time role. Internships can be paid or unpaid but both will offer you real-world experience and plenty of professional connections. If you work hard and prove your competence, the company may even hire you at the end of your internship, allowing you to begin your dream job without having to deal with the ups and downs of the job application process. 

Learn the Skills to Become a Full Stack Developer at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers several professional training courses that will properly prepare you for a career in full stack development. Held both live online or in-person at their office in New York City, Noble Desktop’s courses boast top-notch curriculum, industry-expert instructors, and additional career and support resources. Their certificate and bootcamp programs result in a certificate of completion that can be added to your LinkedIn profile and presented to potential employers during the interview process. Below are a few of the most relevant courses for those interested in becoming Full Stack Developers. 

Full Stack Web Development Certificate

This thorough certificate training teaches you how to program the visual appearance of a web application (the front end) and the infrastructure that allows it to function (the back end) to create complete web pages. Project-oriented, it will cover everything you need to know to code websites from scratch while building a portfolio of working web applications to showcase to potential employers.

This course takes 17 weeks for full-time students and ten months for part-time. This course includes 1:1 mentoring and one free retake, and financial assistance options (like installments and financing) are available for those in need. You’ll receive a certificate of completion at the end of this training that can be added to your resume, cover letter, or online portfolio. 

Software Engineering Certificate

This program is divided into front end development, React Development, and Django (Python) Development. You will learn HTML to mark up web pages and CSS for styling; the fundamentals of JavaScript and Git; and how to use Flexbox and Grid to layout, align, reorder, and adapt web page content to different size screens. You’ll then move on to the fundamental JavaScript programming concepts, including variables, data types, loops, and DOM. Plus, you’ll cover topics like React, a powerful JavaScript library for web development, and master Node.js, MongoDB, and Express.js to round out your JavaScript development skills.

By creating a portfolio of projects, preparing for common interview questions, and polishing your resume and LinkedIn profile, this course will have you ready to pursue a new job in software engineering in as little as 20 weeks (on a full-time schedule). One-on-one mentoring and a free one-year retake are included in the cost of this course. Payment plans and tuition assistance are available, and this training requires no previous experience, making it great for beginners.

Python Developer Bootcamp

This three-week course teaches Python for software development with Django, Django REST, and other developer tools like Git and SQL. You’ll start by learning the basics of Python including its lexical syntax, then move to more advanced topics like dictionaries, custom functions, and sorting algorithms. In week two, you'll learn object-oriented programming, how to work with APIs, and get an introduction to web databases using SQL. By creating projects that can be added to your portfolio, you’ll master URL dispatchers, querying models, and automating tasks with Django, as well as how to work with images, authentication, and use API endpoints with Django REST. 

It’s recommended that you are comfortable coding HTML and basic CSS. You should possess equivalent knowledge of Noble Desktop’s Web Development with HTML & CSS class, and mastery of another programming language is helpful, but not required. Payment plans and financing are available, in addition to extra perks like one-on-one mentoring, a free one-year retake, and a verified digital certificate are included with your purchase.