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David Okpare
David Okpare

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How much do you need to know or learn before calling yourself a developer?

Can anyone tell me what I need to know or learn before I can call myself a front end developer or a back end developer, maybe even a full stack? And is it possible to become one of this developer in a year or two? Any path or resources to learn from will be great :) Thanks!

Top comments (5)

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Scott Tadman

The moment you write your first line of code you’re a developer. Obviously that first line will be but one of many on your journey to become something more than a beginner. The way to improve, to build on that, to train and hone your skills, is highly personal. It’s important to try different things and see what motivates you.

Once you find something you like, dig deeper, explore more, learn about the subject on a more fundamental level. The great thing about web development is that everything is documented either in manuals, blog posts, or if you’re really curious, the source itself.

Wrapping your head around some programming concepts might not come naturally, but don’t stress out about that, it doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for it. There’s a multitude of programming languages out there and some might make more sense to you than others. Find one you like and learn it well. Learning a second programming language is always easier than the first because you can build on what you already know. Start by solving little problems that are meaningful to you, then build up to bigger challenges.

It only takes a few months to get the basics under control. From there there’s no limit to what you can learn and try and master.

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Fabian Holzer

Any path or resources to learn from will be great :)

FrontendMasters have just very recently compiled a great list of resources, which might serve as an inspiration: frontendmasters.com/books/front-en...

And if I may add some general advice: try not to get overwhelmed by choices and materials, pick one route, focus on the fundamentals, build a lot of (small) things, repeat with another skill.

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Dustin King

If you can plan and write programs to solve problems, you're a developer. If you can fix bugs in programs, you're a developer.

To do this you would typically need to know the basic syntax and semantics of one or more programming languages. It's okay to make mistakes-- that's what compilers and testing are for. It's okay to not know every library function or obscure language feature-- that's what Google and StackOverflow (or the docs for whatever language you're using) are for.

If I could give you a problem like FizzBuzz, or a problem like "the software does X but it's supposed to do Y" and you could solve it, you're a developer.

I don't know the answers to the specific types of developer you mention, because I've been more of a generalist. But I'd say if you can convince someone to hire you as a front-end/back-end/full-stack developer, you're that kind of developer. What it takes to get hired is a whole other topic :)

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Rémy 🤖

Being a developer is the fire in you. If you have it, you are one.

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Saurabh Sharma

IMO, if you can make a typical website, of yourself then you can surely call yourself a developer.

what I mean by a typical website: Instagram or Pinterest like site.