Full Stack Developer Requirements

Full Stack Developers are responsible for building the front end, or user-side, along with the back end, or server-side, of websites, applications, and software. Responsibilities for working as a Full Stack Developer include updating and maintaining websites to meet current standards, creating prototypes from wireframes, and designing the look of websites and apps to facilitate a satisfying appearance as well as reliable functions that fit the specifications dictated by employers or clients. A Full Stack Developer must understand the fundamentals of web development that includes a high level of knowledge in front end and back end technologies.

While many Full Stack Developers have four-year college degrees in computer science, possessing thorough knowledge and experience with coding and programming languages can also help with qualifying individuals for jobs related to full stack development without needing to have a college degree. People can make themselves more marketable by demonstrating proficiency with skills in programming languages and procedures like JavaScript, C#, Python, and SQL for working in full stack web development. Methods for getting employed as a Full Stack Developer include gaining certification or compiling a portfolio to display projects that may impress potential employers. Full Stack Developers usually work with Front End Developers, Back End Developers, Software Engineers, Project Managers, and Product Managers. In a nutshell, duties for Full Stack Developers involve building, maintaining, and troubleshooting websites, smartphone apps, software, and other web-related platforms.

Full Stack Developers must also possess strong time management skills, the ability to communicate articulately with coworkers, and a good business sense. Full Stack Developers can also find plenty of work opportunities as independent contractors or freelancers, earning about the same as someone working full-time at a corporation or government agency.

What Is a Full Stack Developer?

Becoming a Full Stack Developer involves building websites and applications from knowledge of front end and back end procedures that require training in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and Java. The front end of a website or mobile app is what users see on their screens and built using HTML and JavaScript. The back end handles powering, functions, and interaction with servers and databases and is built with programming languages like Python and Django.

Full stack web development includes creating websites and apps from scratch. This means applying front end and back end technologies. Front end development focuses on how a user interacts with a website while the back end concerns the functions with how that website operates on web browsers. Full stack web development combines both procedures. 

The skills needed as a Full Stack Developer can qualify people to work as Web Developers, Software Engineers, and Product Managers.

Read more about what a Full Stack Developer does.

Education

Prospective web professionals don’t need to have a college degree to become a Full Stack Developer. And while a degree is not strictly required for finding work in computer technology, many Full Stack Developers do have four-year college degrees in computer science. However, ambitious Web Developers can make themselves appealing to potential employers by learning the skills necessary for working in full stack web development without needing to attend college.

Noble Desktop, for example, offers courses, bootcamps, and certificate programs to train you in coding and programming languages even if you don’t have a college degree or work experience related to full stack web development. These courses strive to teach you how to create websites and web apps through knowledge in programming languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python.

Noble Desktop provides training inside Manhattan classrooms as well as options for enrolling live online. Whatever method of training you choose, you can find the appropriate way for learning full stack web development that best fits your temperament.

People also have options with on-demand or self-paced classes that allow students to learn at their own pace and on their own time.

Read more about if you need a college degree to become a Full Stack Developer.

Experience

Full Stack Developers should have several years of experience with creating websites, smartphone apps, and software. Full Stack Developers must have knowledge of programming languages along with front end and back end technologies, which includes a thorough knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, Django, Node.js, and jQuery.

It’s essential that Full Stack Developers be familiar with front end and back end procedures as well as having some knowledge of artificial intelligence and machine learning. A Full Stack Developer should be constantly self-educating with the latest technology as well as on the lookout for the most recent updates and latest approaches to full stack web development. Best practices in technology are constantly changing with today’s perpetually evolving digital environment, so continually learning new information is a career requirement. Full Stack Developers have options with finding full-time or part-time employment for either working inside an office or remotely. Some also prefer the freedom of being an independent contractor as a viable option.

Internships and apprenticeships also offer effective methods for getting a foot in the door to a profession for finding work as a Full Stack Developer. Students seeking careers in web development can arrange an internship through educational counselors at their schools or universities for finding organizations that are willing to bring in young talent for training or eventual employment. This benefits interns by giving them boots-on-the-ground experience related to full stack web development that gives them a taste of whether or not the profession fits their expectations. An intern usually works in an unpaid capacity with a commitment of working 20 to 30 hours a week along with the possibility of getting hired. However, an apprentice typically gets paid for their participation with an understanding of being employed following the observation period. An internship or apprenticeship related to full stack web development can help students gain knowledge through hands-on experience from immersion in a working environment to observe and work alongside Full Stack Developers, Front End Developers, Back End Developers, Web Developers, Software Engineers, and Product Managers.

Many organizations usually prefer Full Stack Developers who have good communication skills since the position requires working with others. Working as a Full Stack Developer requires being detailed-oriented, self-motivated, and a problem solver who possesses a capacity for critical thinking.

Skills

Full Stack Developers must understand the full scope of building web-based properties. Working as a Full Stack Developer requires knowledge with both front end and back end web development procedures. The front end of a website is constructed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript programming, frameworks, and libraries including React and Node.js, which is what users see on their computer and smartphone screens. The back end of web development handles functions and database interaction facilitated through programming languages like Python, JavaScript, and SQL.

Front end web development focuses on how a user interacts with websites. Working in front end web development requires being detail-oriented and self-motivated with an emphasis on attracting users through an appealing visual design. A Front End Developer must also be a problem solver who has no issues with working under pressure for meeting deadlines. The profession also demands being able to adapt to changes in technology that emerge and alter methods for doing things.

Back end web development emphasizes the “server-side” of web building that includes how web properties and databases integrate. Back End Developers typically work with other Web Developers, including Front End Developers and Full Stack Developers to ensure that websites and applications perform as a cohesive unit.

Read more about what skills you need for becoming a Full Stack Developer.

Portfolio

A portfolio provided examples of a person’s work that reflects accomplishments, skills, experience, and abilities in a specific area of employment. Anyone hoping to become a Full Stack Developer should compile a portfolio that showcases skills with programming languages, completed projects, and experience with work in full stack web development.

A portfolio can serve as a critical tool for getting hired. For Full Stack Developers, the content of their portfolio should reflect skills with coding and programming languages that can make a candidate stand out from others by emphasizing how they handle user interface and database integration. To find a career in full stack web development, a portfolio should emphasize skills with programming languages as well as a candidate’s comfort with front end and back end technologies.

A prospective Full Stack Developer can build a website to serve as a portfolio that includes screenshots and other examples of a candidate's work. Of course, as an example of that work, the website itself should look attractive and professional in order to appeal to potential employers as a main reason for why the candidate should be hired. A portfolio should display a candidate’s best work along with providing an engaging design. The purpose of a portfolio is to provide credibility and brand recognition for an individual as a job prospect along with displaying that candidate’s personality and creativity through the design and composition of the website.

Because the purpose of a portfolio is to gain employment or attract clients, the candidate should be sure to include contact information or have a contact form prominently displayed on the website. 

Resume & LinkedIn Profile

A resume should be no longer than two pages and must concisely present a candidate’s background and qualifications:

• A good resume begins with an engaging summary that states a candidate’s career objectives.
• List the candidate’s work history in reverse-chronological order with a brief description of job responsibilities.
• Include information on the candidate’s educational background with details on degrees, certifications, workshops, foreign languages, and other relevant learning experiences.
• Also, briefly discuss any self-training related to full stack web development.

In addition to building a resume, it would also be beneficial to establish an account on LinkedIn, which is a social media platform focused on connecting people who are seeking work with employers looking for the right people to fill open positions. LinkedIn provides a great venue for connecting or reconnecting with former employers and coworkers as well as providing opportunities for networking with potential job opportunities. Creating a LinkedIn account and profile helps people with getting their resume seen by companies or individuals who may have never met a particular candidate but find that the skills listed match what they have been looking for.

Noble Desktop provides advice for building your resume or tips for using LinkedIn.

References

Finding qualified people who will testify on an individual’s qualification is helpful with finding employment. Gathering references who can help with gaining work as a Full Stack Developer is a vital part of the process. As with any line of work, getting good references from past employers can provide strong support for finding that next job. In addition to current and past employers, recommendations from current and former coworkers or people in the profession who are familiar with the candidate’s work, background, and capabilities can help that individual with accomplishing career ambitions. References do not have to be directly related to the field a candidate is hoping to work in. A person’s general character is important and provides a general foundation juxtaposed to work-related references. However, although it is important that people speak well of the candidate, it is also essential that whatever they have to say about that candidate is relevant to the job being sought even if not directly related. In this capacity, while teachers often provide good references, using friends or relatives should be avoided.

Additionally, if a candidate has done independent work, client recommendations can provide strong testimony about a person’s abilities that should appeal to potential employers or other clients.

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

People have several options with training for becoming Full Stack Developers, which includes in-person and live online courses, bootcamps, and certificate programs with lessons from hands-on projects. For instance, Noble offers several live online Web Development courses that will train you in coding, programming languages, and front end and back end procedures.

You can also enroll in the Full Stack Web Development Certificate program that teaches you how to code websites from scratch for building smartphone apps, websites, and software.

You have other options for learning how to build websites and apps with information from Noble Desktop’s Learn Front End Web Development, which provides guidance to become a Front End Developer or Learn Back End Web Development for working on the functional-side of building websites and apps.