In the web development industry, the term "Full Stack Developer" has become extremely popular. Everyone wants to be one, and companies are looking ...
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I appreciate your perspective, but I have to disagree. As a full stack developer myself, I've found that it's not necessarily more important to specialize in backend or frontend over being a full stack developer. Both specialized and full stack roles offer valuable opportunities, depending entirely on the product requirements and the development phase.
In the initial development phase, having dedicated backend and frontend specialists can indeed provide a strong foundation and streamline the process. However, when the product enters the maintenance and expansion phase, the versatility of full stack developers becomes significantly more valuable. In that phase, with less stringent time constraints and tighter budgets, full stack developers can efficiently fill both roles, providing flexibility that helps optimize resources.
Looking towards the future, particularly as AI and large language models (LLMs) evolve, full stack developers will have an advantage in utilizing these tools effectively across both backend and frontend domains. Rather than needing to remember all the intricate details of either end, leveraging logical and engineering skills will be more beneficial in navigating the entire stack.
So, I think it's not about promoting one over the other but recognizing that specialization and full stack development have their own value at different stages of product development.
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Full-stack developers aren't experts at everything but can contribute productively at all levels of the stack. Such developers exist and I work with a lot of them. Everyone has strengths, weaknesses, and preferences though, regarding where they contribute. "Full-stack developer" is officially my job title but I'm definitely backend leaning. I do a fair amount of frontend and DevOps stuff too though.
Full-stack developers bring flexibility and a unique perspective compared to more specialized developers, but usually they are jack of all trades and master of either none, or ideally one.
It's hard to architect systems if you can't reason with all parts of them to some level.
I've regularly created entire systems single-handedly, so I find it hard to understand how someone would not want to understand the logic across the entire piece.
Software has always been a freedom for me, the ability to build anything, so I want to be able to construct entire things, not only parts of them. That said, clearly, a lot of your points make sense, which is why I choose to use the same language on the front and back end to reduce the cognitive load these days. That's not always been true, but now, I recognise that as a productivity boost. I also work with people who are experts in things like security and DevOps, yet I still strive to understand them and could make headway in all areas of my product's development.
I would call myself "Product developer" - I can build and reasonably manage all parts needed to deploy working product for users.
Of course it's limited to some kinds of products, not everyone.
Also, big help for me is chosen tools - Ruby in Rails calls itself One Person Framework, and for a reason.
I don't even like to label myself as any particular type of developer. I've never consciously specialised in any particular area, and have always gotten involved in whatever was necessary - be that security, database design, front end development, back end development, desktop/console game UI development, UI/UX design, etc.
I've been in this industry longer than the labels 'full stack', 'back end', and 'front end' have even existed. It used to be VERY normal for everyone to get involved in a bit of everything, and I think it's a sad indicator of how ludicrously complex everything has become that specialisation has become so necessary, and even 'the norm'.
Am I front-end developer? A back-end developer? A game developer? A QA engineer? A UI designer?
I'm all, and none of these things. I'm a developer.
Because way easier to replace fullstack-overflow devs than specialists, companies just want to have standardised cogs in the machine.
"Jack of all trades, master of none".
React.js seems simple, everything seems simple if look how other people work, but to be proficient enough need to spend at least 3 years with complex enough tasks.
Today so many poorly made UIs, tnx to this trend.
I would have to disagree with this as well. I have been in the industry for 15+ years professionally as a "full-stack" developer. My path into tech was from a young age ripping apart old computers to get extra ram sticks to beef up my own cobbled together system. I have a passion for learning anything I can get my hands on, and learning it well enough to build performant production systems with it.
My own experience working with "specialists" is that they have not had a desire to grow and learn. They seem promising initially and do well in the specialist role, but then start to stagnate and eventually get left behind as the business progresses. Specialists may do better in a FANG environment where things are mature and slow to evolve.
The other thing I have noticed is that people with a wide range of experience are more creative and are the ones to present better ideas because they have more to draw from. Innovation occurs at the intersection of fields and requires a person that can think outside the box.
What I think about often is that with truly being full stack, the amount of time needed to both learn and implement everything. I want to do more backend, but my frontend work takes A LOT of my time already.
Interesting, but limiting.
good
For me it is now important to specialize in a sector, the development of a software from 0, is very complex.
At the same time, I believe that knowing in general how each sector works is important.