The‌ ‌ultimate‌ ‌guide‌ ‌to‌ ‌become‌ ‌a‌ ‌full-stack‌ ‌ developer‌

If you go around in IT companies asking questions to the HR team on who is their highest paid employee, 8 out of 10 of them would instantly speak up, full stack developers. Boasting these fat paychecks along with the immense growth potential, it’s now a dream of many to become a full stack developer these days. 

Full stack developers are some of the most desirable professionals in the world. A profession that stands out in the IT industry for its multifaceted nature, full stack development is a holistic engineering practice that tends to all aspects of web development. 

The roadmap to become a full stack developer

We are here again doing what we love doing the most – helping you. Here’s a complete roadmap that will help you conquer your dream of becoming a full stack developer.

Frontend Development 

To begin things on a lighter note, frontend is the part of your project that your user interacts with. So, to be hailed as a top full stack developer, you gotta have solid knowledge of front-end development. HTML & CSS are the two key elements of frontend development and you have to be a master of them both. Another key element is Javascript. As more and more applications are being written as Single Page Applications, you gotta be skilled enough in JavaScript and its frameworks like jQuery. Anything on top of these three skills is an added advantage.

Backend Development

The next step to become a full stack developer is to get well versed with the backend development process. Backend is where all the logic lies and it’s usually in the form of a programming language that you need to learn. You can either learn one or more back-end programming languages with Ruby on Rails (RoR), Python, Laravel being some of the most popular ones. 

Database Management Systems (DBMS)

Learning the art of handling databases is another key aspect of becoming a seasoned full stack developer. You gotta understand how the databases work and what kind of database you need to use for your application.  This is crucial as it will enable you to have a better understanding of how your application is being stored. Currently, MySQL is the most popular open-source database. You must consider learning MongoDB, PostgreSQL, or Cassandra if you wanna get your hands dirty with NoSQL databases.

UI /UX Design Concepts

A thorough understanding of UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) design principles will help you in creating user-friendly applications with ease. Here, it’s not just about the visual part but also designing the application’s architecture. All of these need to be taken into account at the same time so that you can create good interactions between the user and your application. Adding this skill to your arsenal will surely make you a more valuable candidate.

Final Thoughts

Hailed as the one of most desirable jobs, to become a full stack developer is not a cakewalk. It takes some decent effort to be one as there are some different skills that are needed to be acquired. But it’s surely not that hard as well. Just take one step at a time and you shall make it there. Let that game begin now.