If you like the idea of building stunning websites for a living, a career in full-stack development awaits. Positions in this space are in-demand, so you can expect job security, excellent career progression, and a lucrative compensation package. And the good news is, you don’t even need a degree.

But before you dive right in, it’s important to understand exactly what the job entails. In this post, we’ll look at what a full-stack developer does, and the technical skills you'll need. We’ll also discover how you can kickstart your career by enrolling in a full-stack developer bootcamp.

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What Does Full-Stack Mean?

A stack is a collection of programming languages, frameworks, technologies, and tools used by a developer. Here are three examples of popular web development stacks:

A common front-end stack is HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Some people also include certain business processes as part of the stack. For example, requirement capture, testing, and maintenance.

The term full-stack relates to a professional that can work on every aspect of the development stack, from top to bottom. Full-stack developers are all-rounders that handle both client-side and server-side technologies.  

In some organizations, they’re also responsible for interviewing clients, capturing requirements, and defining system specifications.

Full-stack developers replace the need for separate front-end and back-end specialists. Front-end developers focus on anything the user can see or interact with and are experts in UX/UI (user interface/user experience) design. Back-end developers work on site functionality, server configuration, and data handling.

That’s it in a nutshell. But if you’re interested in pursuing web development full-time, you’ll probably want an explanation of what a full-stack developer actually does.

Full-Stack Developer Soft Skills

Rather than specializing in a single area, full-stack developers need to be competent in many different technologies. You’ll also need to learn interpersonal skills to communicate with clients, team members, and senior company stakeholders. Here are some of the skills required, starting with soft skills:

Full-Stack Developer Hard Skills

Let’s now look at some of the technical skills needed to make it as a full-stack developer:

What Does a Full-Stack Developer Do?

We’ve already discussed what makes a career in full-stack development a great choice. But perhaps one of the best perks about this role is the diverse set of tasks you’ll be involved in. You’ll rarely have two days the same as you put into practice a wide range of skills.

In the morning you could be working on the front-end. You’ll use your HTML skills to finish designing the layout of the homepage. Maybe you’ll tweak the colors and layout using CSS, to come up with your final design.

Later in the day, you could have a meeting to capture customer requirements. You’ll need to empathize with the client, listen carefully, and build a professional relationship.

Just before you finish for the day you may decide to work on the back end. You’ll use PHP and MySQL to build a login page and store user credentials to a database.

How to Become a Full-Stack Developer

To fast-track your way into a well-paid developer position, consider enrolling in our full-stack developer bootcamp. Our expert team will teach you how to build responsive sites, code in both front-end and back-end languages, and build easy-to-use interfaces. We’ll even provide you with interview prep and support you in your job search so you can land a job you’ll love.

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