A Promising Career Option – Full Stack Developers and The Future in Store for Them

In the era of digitalization, we have seen the rapid rise of e-commerce and observed how technology has changed the way businesses operate. Every business today wants to have an online presence, be it a website, social media marketing or a full-fledged business model to take advantage of the online segment. Obviously, this in turn, has led to rising demands for all kinds of developers, both front-end and back-end, web designers and other related software development skills. Front-end developers usually work on the user interface as per clients’ requirements, with skills like html, CSS and JavaScript, while back-end developers work on infrastructure aspects like servers, data storage etc. A much sought-after person to hire is one with the skillsets of both front end and back-end developers – a full stack developer. A full stack developer is an interesting, versatile, and dynamic career and the demand full stack developers continues to grow.

Full stack development is one of the rising industries in the tech field. According to the U.S Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), the need for full stack developers is likely to see a 27 percent growth by 2024. Full stack developers are given the significant task to handle both the front and back end of the web development. They are responsible to expand the operations and functions of the web applications for a company. Full stack developers are responsible for creating and designing a concept from scratch, developing a code, and finally deploying the final product.

So, what does it mean to be a full stack developer?

Today, full stack software developers are in huge demand, making this a popular choice of career, and leading to growing curiosity about what they do. Full stack developers are essentially software developers, which is a large term that covers a broad range of careers. A full stack developer is a sort of jack of all trades, who can handle a variety of responsibilities and languages.

A full stack developer is involved in working both aspects of development – the front end, or client-side of the application and the back end, or server-side of software development. They are extremely significant and versatile all-rounders who can handle both aspects of a web application.

Full stack developers are prepared to take on a multitude of tasks. Depending on where a full stack developer learns their trade, they will come equipped with many skills in many coding languages. They will understand languages, technologies, libraries and frameworks like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Python, Bootstrap, Github, jQuery, APIs, MongoDB, Django, and much more.

What Does a Full Stack Developer do?

Having the skill sets in both front and back-end programming, a full stack developer has a significantly larger scope in comparison to other software development positions. This means that full stack developers will cover a variety of tasks, including: 

• Use their knowledge to see the bigger picture
• Work with multiple technologies
• Develop and design applications from end to end
• Work on both front end and back end of applications
• Manage both front and back-end teams
• Test, debug and maintain software
• Increase efficiency by using React
• Seamlessly work with version control systems
• Work with databases and servers for the back end of applications & sites
• Develop and integrate APIs

Benefits of Being a Full Stack Developer

Full stack development can be a fulfilling career path for those who are keen to build comprehensive skills of both front end and back-end development. While it takes a lot of learning and self-development, there are several advantages to becoming a full stack developer.

• Lucrative pay structure – Full stack developers are better paid because they can offer more to an organization. And as with any profile, the harder you work, the more out of box you think and the more you upscale yourself you will see a growth in your career.

• Rising Demand – The demand for software developers is huge. However, the opportunities for full stack developers are even wider as they are experienced in front-end, back-end, and full stack development and are suited to more roles. They are well rounded and have a better understanding of the whole picture. As they have a 360-degree view they are able to think from an all-round perspective and this gives them a better understanding of what will work and won’t work.

• Versatility – Working with both the front end and back end means that a full stack developer is more versatile when it comes to web and application development. Full stack developers are exposed to the needs of both front and end back end needs hence they can design and launch a superior service, as well as ensure the most efficient development process.  

• Increases your knowledge -Because you understand the full stack, your knowledge should make you an indispensable employee.

Soft Skills that can Help a Full Stack Developer Fast-Track their Careers

These soft skills can be useful for all developers to progress their careers. Full stack developers are already placed in a valuable position, with skills across the front end and back end, critical insights into the development process and into the user behavior aspects. Investing in development of soft skills will help full stack developers to move deeper into business aspects and customer needs, allowing them to make themselves more and more valuable to the company and to their customers. 

• Problem solving – Obstacles and challenges are integral and inevitable in the world of web development. A quick and efficient solution to a problem under stressful circumstances may help you work more competently.
• Creativity – Creativity can be helpful for front-end, back-end and full-stack developers. Be it designing the look of a website, managing records and data or structuring code, there is an opportunity and need for creativity in all these roles. Also ensuring it matches the vision of the client and company at the same time being creative is an important detail that cannot be missed.
• Patience – Coding takes time and sometimes can be time consuming process. Being patient and maintaining a calm and positive attitude can go a long way.
• Attention to detail – As a developer, you’ll need to pay close attention to the code you’re creating and understand the inter-dependencies of both client-side and user-side. 
• Communication – Having open communication with your peers and superiors can lead to a more efficient and comfortable work environment. If you’re able to communicate technical issues or concerns immediately, you may find a solution faster.

Advantages of Pursuing a Career in Full Stack Development 

There are no disadvantages of pursuing a career in full stack development, only advantages. It is an intense field requiring constant learning, but this expands the canvas and enhances the value to an organization. Here are some of the advantages a full stack developer can look forward to: 

• Higher Salary Structure – Full stack developers are experts with varied knowledge and skillsets, making them highly sought after. Recruiters are observing an evident demand in the hiring of these professionals, driven by demands from both large tech enterprises and startups, who want to have multi-skilled people who can be deployed in various situations. This leads to a promising salary structure for the right professionals with right mix of skills.  Full stack development is a highly demanded field in India. On average, a full stack developer in India can earn around 6.5 lakh per annum with a range from 2.5 lakh per annum to 17 lakh per annum. The salaries could be higher decided on the experience, skillset, and upskilling level.

• Growth Landscapes – As large enterprises pursue technology consolidation, IT modernization and development of new applications for both internal efficiency and external customer engagement, they are looking for full stack developers. On the other hand, startups also see a full stack developer as the ideal all-in-one solution to operate in lean teams and with reduced confusion in development cycles. 

• Increasing Job Opportunities – With the enormous profits that accompany hiring a full stack developer, companies and startups that have financial countdowns ticking continuously, prefer to employ them over individual stack developers. This inclination is creating more and more growth opportunities and employment chances across industries.

• Continual Growth in Knowledge & Learning – There is no end to what learning the full stack developer should possess. This factor constantly develops the demand for more and more skills in a single package. Developers are now aiming to increase their skill sets, expand knowledge grasp and are continuously looking to upscale themselves and become better and more qualified.

• Work Flexibility – The industrial upheaval due to the recent pandemic, along with the demand for this unique skill set allows workers to secure the flexibility that they want. A full stack developer has the option of flexibility, to work from home and carry out development activities and coordination. 

Demand for Full Stack Developers Will Only Grow 

As digitalization progresses on every front, the demand for full stack developers is only beginning. The skills gap that is being experienced by the industry is also now calling for more full stack developers. In addition, companies are now experiencing the dearth of managerial skills at the mid-level and at supervisory levels and team leadership. Full stack developers who have trained and practiced soft skills, managerial and supervisory responsibilities will prosper. 

The growing needs of businesses have led to companies hiring more and more full stack developers. Some of the top recruiters for full-stack developers in India are 

• Tata Consultancy Services
• IBM
• Vassar Labs
• Nuclei
• Report Garden
• Accenture
• Wipro
• GALE Partners
• Infosys
• Cognizant Technology Solutions
• Oracle 
• Schlumberger
• Tapzo
• Posist Technologies

Estimated Salaries Paid by the Top Recruiters in India

Entry-level full stack developers can expect a salary range between 6 to 12 lakh INR per annum. Some are below: 

Tata Consultancy Services- INR 452846 per annum

IBM- INR 659371 per annum

Vassar Labs- INR 785542 per annum

Nuclei- INR 10,55,280 per annum

Report Garden- INR 809013 per annum

Accenture- INR 530241 per annum

Wipro- INR 420826 per annum

GALE Partners- INR 818863 per annum

Infosys- INR 335000 – INR 424000 per annum

Cognizant Technology Solutions- INR 240000 – INR 625000 per annum

Oracle- INR 1390000- INR 1693000 per annum

Schlumberger- INR 168000- INR 2117000 per annum

Tapzo- INR 1100000- INR 1210000 per annum

Posist Technologies- INR 834000- INR 995000 per annum

Conclusion

The future of a full stack developer in India is lucrative, and a growing demand. India is becoming digital from a small to a big business. For companies that comprehend the importance of having a strong online presence, and implementing digital initiatives internally, they are looking for full stack developers en mass. It is a worthy pursuit for every developer, whether front end or back end to now move towards becoming a full stack developer.