I'm a Vue JS frontend developer with a passion for learning. Now I'm interested in learning backend to possibly become a full-stack developer, but I've read different suggestions like: "Choose one side and evolve in that way.", "Be pro in one way, there are no pros from both sides." etc... I'm confused and will be grateful for your advice!
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Those suggestions you've read are, frankly, terrible. You should go ahead and learn whatever interests you - don't pigeonhole yourself as a particular kind of developer.
I've been a developer since before web development was really even a big thing, and through my early 'web' career - such designations as "front-end", "backend", "dev-ops" etc. didn't exist... you were just a developer. Everyone did a bit of everything, and I think most of us were better all round developers as a result.
Great advice right here! Every young developer should hear this.
Jon nailed it here. I have had the exact same experience the past 22 years. Almost every bit of success I've had comes from being more of a generalist. I certainly respect the roles of my colleagues (be it front-end, back-end or whatever), but I've never shied away from learning about it and executing on it on my own projects, or certainly at the day job when duty called.
At the end of the day, most of us are paid to solve problems.
#thewolfThank you for your response... it is really helpful.
Your opinion is great, but do you think it would be more effective to focus on one thing as competition in the software market grows?
Surely a wider skill base makes it more likely you'll find a job in a more competitive market?
Also, a more competitive market would suggest that perhaps companies are cutting back on hiring. In such a situation I would be far more inclined to hire an adaptable, skilled all-rounder rather than a narrow specialist, as they could well prove a more valuable addition to the team.
Not to long ago there was no such thing as a 'front-end' developer. We would have called that person a web designer, instead of a web developer. Nowadays with the dominance of SPAs, front end frameworks, javascript frameworks, SCSS, SASS, etc, we have little need for mere designers, giving rise to the term 'front-end developer'. The term 'developer' more adequately describes the complexity of the front-end role.
@jonrandy is right. There is no need to pigeonhole yourself with a specific title. If you want to learn some SQL and database, do that. If you want to pick up a server side language, do that too. A lot of these terms evolved so that companies could head-hunt specialists, mainly to avoid training people. There has been a shift to, "I want people who know Vue and React," instead of, "I want people who know Javascript." The industry is probably worse off as a result.
There's no such thing as "Backend" or "Frontend" developers. There are just developers that get stuck on what they know, and there are developers that can jump to whatever framework or technologies because they understand the concepts, and not the usages.
Spoilers: the first ones will be replaced by AI.
Once you understand the concepts, you'll see that back and front are not that different.
In books related to brain science, there are many contents that prove that being versatile can lead to greater achievements than being an expert in one field.
This is the case with Nobel laureates, for example.
I think that diverse experiences in more fields, not just front-end and back-end, will be more helpful in improving front-end development skills than simply studying front-end only.
I've heard about this from a book called range- why generalists triumph in a specialized world. I think having a base root in one area while also exploring other areas would be helpful. Sort of how Da Vinci was able to do art while also exploring engineering, architecture etc.
Those advises you got are not wrong per se. It's true that specialization allows to learn your topic deeper and grow faster, including salary wise. But it doesn't mean that everyone should choose this path.
If you don't follow your passions you are likely to become miserable and even depressed. Passion in turn on its own can give a huge boost in your learning speed and your growth. Pursuing passion makes people happier and more satisfied.
To wrap up, unless you are a beginner or in need to quickly raise your income, study whatever you are passionate about.
In context to your answer, do you think it is possible to balance out studying what you're passionate about while avoiding the shiny object syndrome where it seems you're chasing any new thing that's out there
Your question reminded me of an old joke: "It's easy to quit smoking - I've done it dozens of times".
It's a slippery slope but one can definitely avoid it if follows few simple rules:
These are simple rules but they might not be easy to follow especially if one is lacking discipline. But following a plan is the way to build discipline.
Frontend developers can benefit significantly from learning backend development. While their primary focus is on creating user interfaces, understanding backend technologies enhances their skill set. It enables them to collaborate more effectively with backend developers, improving overall project coordination. Learning backend languages like Python, Ruby, or Node.js equips frontend developers to build complete web applications independently. This versatility makes them more attractive to potential employers and opens up new career opportunities. Additionally, knowledge of both frontend and backend development fosters a holistic understanding of web development, data mine APK leading to better problem-solving and more robust, efficient web applications. In conclusion, frontend developers should consider learning backend to enhance their skills and career prospects.
To be honest it's not a bad idea to go through the Full Stack route, I myself, I have been doing Full Stack for 3 years now and even though is not an easy journey, I am glad that I am able to work with different technologies, and continuously keep learning, I know in 3 to 4 years I will be thankful of this experience.
I think we need to focus at one stack tech before jump on the others except you want to be content creator, if you already master it "enough" you are should learn other stack either in backend, frontend, devops, ui/ux etc
Totally agreee with you
The new markets love labelling things. Such as commented by some of our peers, not long ago there was no such thing as frontend or backend devs. True that I have been much more involved in the backend part the last few years, but that never stopped me learning other "sides". That pushed me to lead some projects using notably frontend packages, from Tailwind-based designs to some React, Svelte and Stencil components. Choose your own tools and topics and let advisors with their own.
Buy yourself a raspberry pi and have at it.
Be aware that back-end isn't only creating the endpoints and send the data to front-end, you have to design the data base, know more about data types, data structure, operating systems, network layers and file system as components of operating system is very important to master them, after all go pick a language to write the back-end.
On the front side, everything is correct. HTML, CSS and JavaScript are responsive in 99% of cases. That 1% is related to slow execution speed of JavaScript and complex graphics. Of course, with apologies, Vue.js or JQuery cannot fill that 1% gap. If your view is one-dimensional, you may think that using a front-end framework will bring you advantages. If you need to use the front framework in some cases, it is better to apply it to some modules; And avoid involving all project components with front-end frameworks.
One important thing to tell you is that if you reach 100% full skill in the front end and don't know what is going on in the back end, no one will take you seriously.