Full stack developers are more in demand than ever before. Every single business requires an interactive, responsive website with robust and secure databases in this day and age. The pandemic created an even greater need for full stack developers as more businesses moved to the digital landscape. Continued labor shortages only exacerbated an already deep problem.
Full stack developers are the link that connects front-end website building activities with core back-end maintenance responsibilities. As such, they are vitally important to the creation, development, and management of layered web apps and websites.
Here are the key qualities that comprise a successful full stack developer:
- Thinks like a software architect
For full stack developers, the website is the product, literally. The best developers know how to treat their websites like tech products on display and give them the full attention required.
Doing so requires thinking like a software architect and approaching the website from a manifold position. Imagining use cases and plotting out user experiences is key to creating convincing and emotive websites that satisfy both the consumer and the client.
- Fully understands both form and function of web applications
The best full stack developers understand both the form and function of web applications at high levels. Making services and scripts flow smoothly throughout an application or website is key to technical skill but what about the ethereal? (Or the psychological, the experiential, the social?) These are the extra considerations that great developers have to make if they are to compete at the highest levels in their field. They must also consider the aesthetic of their implementation to engender themselves to the client’s brand.
- Consistently applies critical thinking skills
Great full stack developers must have even better critical thinking skills. Full stack development is a complex trade filled with minutiae and technical skills that would take anyone years to master.
Additionally, being great at it means that you must be able to develop while being bombarded by a host of requests and alterations that invariably throw wrenches into plans. However, this quick thinking and adaptability are what make full stack developers so good at what they do. Fluidity and mastery are the names of this game.
- Easily collaborates with both creative and technical developers
Full stack developers must also be able to work seamlessly with both technical and creative minds as part of the development process.
Each team has their own ideas and approach to products and the vision of their business. No matter what, it is absolutely imperative that you take into consideration each team’s idea equally and speak with them fluidly. Communication is an essential skill for full stack developers and is the cornerstone of forming long-term relationships.
- Fluent in scripting, web, and database programming
Of course, any full stack developer should be fluent in at least one language of each major type. For instance, JavaScript for the frontend and Ruby for the backend (or whichever languages are more prevalent in your area of interest).
There is such a vast array of choices in the programming space and each of them defines a separate piece of a superset system. While certainly getting to know each of them would be great, it takes real research and education to decide upon and master a few specific languages.
The more you learn the more you can do. However, resist the urge to become a jack-of-all-trades. Regardless, getting to know languages up and down the stack is essential to mastery.
Conclusion
Full stack developers have a very unique skill set that allows them to see website design and development from an elevated angle. It is therefore vital for them to think as a software architect does, building a high-level plan for the creation, deployment, and maintenance of layered web applications.
In order to do this, full stack developers must understand both the front-end and back-end aspects that make a website possible. Critical thinking is crucial as combining both skill sets requires creative problem-solving.
It goes without saying that every full stack developer should be adept at scripting and web programming, using Python, HTML, and CSS to create both the back-end and front-end of websites. Leveraging these skills effectively requires adaptability as well as a penchant for project management.
