4 Reasons NOT to become a Full Stack Developer
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Isn't full stack development better than frontend or backend? Nope. Not if you're a beginner trying to learn to code and get your first software developer job. It may seem backwards since many job listings ask for fullstack experience and lots of coding bootcamps teach fullstack courses. But there's a huge downside to this. In fact, trying to learn full stack development could actually hurt your ability to get hired as a new programmer and here's why...
Let’s have a candid chat about becoming a full-stack developer, because it’s something I get asked about all the time, which suggests a lot of folks don’t really know what it means and what’s involved. It doesn’t help that a lot of job openings ask for full stack experience and a lot of coding bootcamps are selling full-stack programs.
Is that what you’re also coming across in software developer job postings?
Let’s start with clearing up the misunderstandings around front-end, back-end and full-stack development and then get into why you shouldn’t try to become a full-stack developer as someone who is trying to get into the industry.
So what exactly is front-end development?
What is back-end development?
Or should you become a full stack developer? Let's chat.
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@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
If I were starting over: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ndKXoMSnsL3LY40.html and some of my recommended resources for learning: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fLl0isuZq761dGw.html
@diedredavis8477 Жыл бұрын
I'm thinking about doing a Full-Stack Web Development with Co-op (it's a 2 year diploma program) . If I were to study this could I just focus on front end web development after?
@jamescross Жыл бұрын
@@diedredavis8477 you can specialize in whatever interests you. lots of opportunities out there.
@willybroseur Жыл бұрын
@@diedredavis8477 tu
@willybroseur Жыл бұрын
@@diedredavis8477 Mlle'
@willybroseur Жыл бұрын
@@diedredavis8477 Mlle'
@ericmyers1306 2 жыл бұрын
Full-stack awareness... yes. Full stack expertise... NO. Don't be a "jack of all trades, master of none." Learn about every tier but specialize in what you enjoy building.
@xluats 2 жыл бұрын
This.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
totally agree.
@alexnope769 2 жыл бұрын
"Jack of all trades, master of none. But better than a master of one".
@micah9421 2 жыл бұрын
@@alexnope769 exactly, full stack web dev is great
@unicodefox 2 жыл бұрын
yeah but what if I enjoy building is different each day like one day I'm building react apps, and the next I'm writing a HTA for ie 6
@JasonLatouche 2 жыл бұрын
I do enjoyed my first full stack position. Yes, the projects wasn't that big, yes I did everything from CSS to databases and server management, and yes I was underpaid based on the amount of responsibility and value I was providing. But it was a great experience and now I have a better understanding in which areas I would like to focus.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
There is a lot of value in having some breadth. What are you focused on now?
@GramKracker88 2 жыл бұрын
Coming from enterprise software engineering - I can tell you even our group, despite “looking for full stack” have a desire for either a strong java(backend) or strong front end candidate at any one point in time. The key is to be able to focus in an area and have the chops to handle other areas like devops, QA etc.. Interesting topic tho, a bit of a clickbait title, but hey got me to click I guess ;) A little trick, advertise yourself as “full stack” even if your mainly focused in one area, you’ll get more interviews and will likely find a good fit for your interests/skill sets eventually - that’s what 90+% of our Indian candidates do…
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
good tip!
@raymakbutwithmoustache6413 10 ай бұрын
Soo. Those Indian candidate just went for their roots again - SCAMMING
@adnanhowlader143 3 ай бұрын
@@raymakbutwithmoustache6413 its their art
@emmaklein1066 2 жыл бұрын
My favorite notion in this whole video (that I hope resonates with all the new devs on here)-- experienced devs learn from years worth of making mistakes and having to fix them. It's so easy to fall into the mental trap of "they're just so much smarter than I am, that's why I'm not able to foresee these crazy architecture problems before it's too late." Great content! Loved the concise explanations of front end, back end, and dev ops. And I love to see someone advocating against going full stack initially.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for the feedback and thoughts!
@heathbruce9928 2 жыл бұрын
While I agree against going full stack initially, when building your own projects, depending on depth, your going to need to know those skills. But it takes time to develop them. No pun intended.
@Tech_Publica 2 жыл бұрын
Some good thoughts here but... I think that the best course of action for an aspiring dev is first get a little bit of full stack practice and experience, just to know how it is, and also to take the "magic" away, because you always have to know what is going on in your application, even if you are not the one directly responsible for it. Then once you have an idea of how the front end and back end work is, you can make a well informed decision about where you prefer to specialise, and once you are really strong in an area then you are in the best position to decide whether you prefer to become a very specialised master or you prefer to work in a larger field.
@ahmedyassin5685 5 ай бұрын
you don't know how you help me, thanks
@johnforde7735 2 жыл бұрын
I totally agree. A company should employ architects to design the architecture and then get specialist teams for front-end web, front-end mobile, data, cloud infrastructure, security, etc. If a company wants a full stack dev, they are probably going cheap and your life will be hell to support this stuff. As you mention, many mistakes could be made that compromise the system and leave it open to hackers.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing your perspective!
@future_teknokrat7585 2 жыл бұрын
This is probably why there's a small faction who tells new and potential devs to just do data analysis to start and then move to development later. The data is what's most important and a company is slow to hire a full fledged developer without experience
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing.
@TheJacklwilliams 2 жыл бұрын
Got my sub. I've been in this business for too many years and the things you see/hear are phenomenal. I'm workin web dev as a focus/tech change and currently on front end, CSS, getting ready to start into javascript. I did some app/web dev back in the late 90's / early 2000's and wow, that was interesting. Anyhow, great presentation. I intend to work through the stack as I progress, for two reasons. The first, figuring out where I intend to land/specialize. Second, ultimately my goal is to run my own gig, choose and build my own stack, and create customer solutions from that stack. However, at the end of the day, I intend to have a team of five people and each will specialize in a piece of that stack and will be relied upon to provide the level of service / knowledge that such a specialist brings to the table. Lastly, my specialization, will be uncovered as I proceed. I'm thoroughly enjoying the front-end and all the amazing tools to create in that space but I also have a small history with the back-end and enjoy that as well so, we'll see. I despise mis-leading material. Learn X in 21 days, blahblahblah. If this field were that simple the pay would be 10 bucks an hour. Not what it is. Job req - Looking for a junior full stack developer. Really? That exists? Isn't that an oxymoron? Great presentation. Thank you.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Sounds like you have a great plan! Yeah it's an industry that has great potential for high salaries, but it takes a lot of work and takes time to get there.
@mjdbaga 2 жыл бұрын
I definitely agree with this. I'm on my 8th year of full stack development and I'm now just shifting to just doing front-end development. I wanna restart my career, sort of. I think what's very important also is the company you work for and what experience you will be gaining from them. My experience is being exhausted all the time and being worked to the bone, but doing almost the same things every project, and always having tight deadlines, and having corporate admin stuff you have to comply with. Now, I'm just playing catch-up with all the front-end technologies that are out there. Ah, if I could just start over...
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing you experience Marvin! Yeah companies do play a big role in a good or bad experience for sure.
@MehediHasan-lu5qt 2 жыл бұрын
What should we learn? As a beginner
@gabeastone8793 2 жыл бұрын
What would you do if you could start over
@thanudamsara8204 10 ай бұрын
What would you do if you could start over?
@CharlieAligaen 2 жыл бұрын
This is one of several videos I've watched so far recommending front-end first before expanding to full-stack. Great advice. Thanks!
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
@VickelLeung 2 жыл бұрын
Totally agree, I remember when I graduated at university. I decided to focus primarily on full stack thinking it will be more valuable and make more money in the long run. Boy was I wrong, I was hired by a small company that wanted me to do everything. While I knew some friends that focused on either front or back end and they made the same or more than my salary. Now I focus primarily on UI/UX and front-end developer instead of being a jack of all trades.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing your experience!
@SueroNetwork 2 жыл бұрын
@Garland Key Reading his paragraph he said he was fresh out of college you can try and make a deal all you want but like the most of us I'm pretty sure getting some experience and a real job was more important, however later on once you know what your capable of then it's good to negotiate for a higher salary if you are already at a company and this happens ask for a raise if not dip outta there find something else.... this coming from a college grad that went through the same thing also this part...👉((It wasn't the position that was the problem,)) dude how would you know that ? he just said he was working at a small company, it's pretty common that they work the hell out of new devs, did you read what he said at all lol((Context clues)) read my friend
@chisangamumba2961 Жыл бұрын
Focus on Fullstack? That's not a focus.
@edgardevelops Жыл бұрын
It is good to excel taijutsu and ninjutsu at the same time.
@SylvanEvergreen 2 жыл бұрын
Great points, and I enjoyed the insight into what backend devs do. Thanks for the excellent and concise content!
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@AIHISTORY-2 2 жыл бұрын
For me I think it's better to learn Front end and the MERN stack But to specialize more on the Front end
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
nice thing about that stack is having a single main programming language across it.
@AIHISTORY-2 2 жыл бұрын
@@jamescross I couldn't agree more
@coreykuehl8519 2 жыл бұрын
I've been a dev for almost 4 years now. I started as a Junior and I'm about to be two levels up from where I started. The biggest thing that slowed me down was trying to learn and use too many different technologies. I would recommend picking an ecosystem and specializing in that instead of just one part of the stack. If you're a Java person, pick up spring boot and maybe hibernate, then add on a front end framework that isn't too dense like a svelte. .NET already has a pretty verbose ecosystem that has a healthy community around it to be jumped into. Whatever field that seems interesting, find a popular ecosystem that the field uses and make projects with it through tutorials. Being comfortable with an ecosystem makes you very marketable and is more valuable. API integration is also a very important thing to learn, so add that into the project through tutorials of that ecosystem, and you'll be making bank in no time 👍
@nicopicchio 2 жыл бұрын
Great video that helps to understand the key differences between front and back without a lot of technical jargon. From an editing point of view I found the type of music to be very distracting.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for the feedback!
@stimepyc3523 2 жыл бұрын
I concur. Having done both front end and backend they really can be different worlds... And often a specialized person is more important then the "I know everything" person. Full stack is fine, and you will probably do it all at some point, but just know it's takes time and effort to understand all the fun "nuances" of each area.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing your thoughts on this
@Ebenenstil 2 жыл бұрын
nice summary. Very helpful. The main reason companies look for FullStack is probably often the desire to save money. Hire one person and thus cover 2-3 jobs. It's everywhere, but in the programming world it has felt extremely increased. In times when data and its security is one of the most important tasks in a company, people save money and prefer to look for a person who is either overwhelmed with the task or who is grossly underpaid because they do everything.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Great point!
@BigPoleTightHole 2 жыл бұрын
When a project is small enough, a full-stack dev might make sense. In my experience, full-stack developers are rarely awesome at the front and back-end.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
true
@boukhadc 2 жыл бұрын
Depends on the experience. It takes time to master one skill, so it’s kinda logic that’s it’s even more difficult to master 2 skills… but clearly not impossible if your memory works well, you just need to learn and practice, make personal projects, use the package manager from the language you are using to easily share it between project. Then once it is part of yourself, and if you get paid, you are all happy to work with it.
@BondJFK 2 жыл бұрын
But small projects means small company and less pay
@BigPoleTightHole 2 жыл бұрын
@@BondJFK - I agree, the pay will sometimes be a bit less with a smaller company. In my experience, it also comes with a little bit more laid back mentality and it's not as demanding.
@mikebreeden6071 2 жыл бұрын
Having started doing development back when we were using TurboAssembly for spiffy front ends, I think you are completely correct, if understating some of the problems. In my last position I was fine with doing very sophisticated windows services as well as AJAX based web applications. They then also wanted us to become experts at cloud development and heavy DevOps. It's just not practical and we got no support from the company. In my opinion, the company is asking too much... I was fine until I got to the advanced YAML. You can't even really test that.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
yikes. it can get out of hand fast when getting sucked into devops.
@danigui8573 2 жыл бұрын
Full stack developer is just a backend developer who knows to use bootstrap to make the frontend.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
that is sometimes the case.
@ArmandoRodriguez-rs5gx 2 жыл бұрын
FullStack means “I know a little bit of everything” and you never really master the stack
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
that's how i felt when i was doing more full stack stuff. Too much to master.
@moltenlava1877 Жыл бұрын
Thank you I was getting overwhelmed by many Techs and langs Wanted to do FStack, But was more comfortable with front end. Ur pathway makes sense
@davidademola3770 Жыл бұрын
I think it's a good idea to learn both front end and back end, but specialise in one.
@SuperCyberStriker 2 жыл бұрын
Great Advice, always watch ur channel, quality stuff, and video editing is top-notch. really gives me the motivation to continue my learning curve to change the profession
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
I appreciate that!
@caiomoura9637 2 жыл бұрын
Man you are really upgrading the video quality with this editing
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks
@adrianderose2727 2 жыл бұрын
Another great video! Been thinking about this before starting my job search
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@sweealamak628 2 жыл бұрын
Full Stack is a myth. No human being can be a master at backend database, security, connectivity, processing, GUI layout and aesthetics all at the same time.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
They are pretty rare
@Selbstzensur 2 жыл бұрын
*I am a fullstack dev* , artist, musician, producer! And i love it! yes, u r never specialized in a field. There are always details that u don't know. So i use learning cards all the time! In the latest project i was not able to design a complex algorithm in linear time. It was slow as hell. A new cto joined the team and solved it. I was like what i am missing? So i get deeper in algo and data and bought a course on udemy from two google enginneers, i am still in and what should i say - i did not know anything about memoization and tableuization. This is what i love most as fullstack dev, there is tones of stuff to learn!
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing your perspective. there is lots to learn which is something i enjoy too.
@mynameisjeff830 Жыл бұрын
I'm currently taking a course for frontend and I was wondering if I should try full stack and now that I've watched this video, I'm just going to stick with front end
@natel6706 2 жыл бұрын
I'm essentially doing full stack work. Not only are you doing front and back end coding, but you're managing the full stack, including Apache configuration... it's doable, but I do feel that your expertise gets stretched. Hard to get great at any single thing when you're doing something different every day.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing your experience!
@JpDubbed 10 ай бұрын
Thank you SO much! It's crazy how many videos out there for "beginners" assume that we already know what the difference is between front end and back end. Like yeah, I can imagine what it is, but technically, I had no clue. I saw another vid saying you were a laborer before software engineering..I've been a laborer my whole life, so your story is really inspiring and I'm gonna have to dig through your videos quite a bit more. Currently enrolled in an MIT intro to CS course..which yes, does offer a cert after completion lol even if it is for vanity metrics :p I'm hoping it looks good on paper.
@jamescross 10 ай бұрын
Best wishes on your programming journey!
@DevlogBill Жыл бұрын
I qm focused on full stack but I am open minded enough to go the front end route. At the moment I think I have the front end covered. Only downside is I don't have enough projects, I only know the useState for React and I need to upgrade my CV. On the up side my JavaScript skills as a beginner are not too bad. Been focusing lots on functions and OPP. Started applying lots for the past 3 weeks now. I don't think I'm ready, I don't have enough projects. But I plan on contuing to learn and grow and apply.
@user-hk6qv9bp5n 10 ай бұрын
I'm currently studying to be a Full Stack Developer, when I apply for jobs it will just be for front-end developer positions. I'm also spending more time learning front vs. back end, but once I'm comfortable, I will do a deeper dive into back in development. I just like learning and want to know how everything works from all perspectives. I also think that even though I will be applying to front-end positions, being able to put Full Stack training/experience, (even if it's entry-level) will look better on my resume. And maybe it would lead to more training with more access to learning with that company.
@Greatscott24 2 жыл бұрын
This video gives me PTSD flashbacks from my attempts at full stack development. I lasted two months and haven’t been in development ever since. There were so many things to know, and not enough problem solving skills to keep up with the team, especially during sprints. While I was trying to learn a new framework, the project stalled and there was no hope. They always say that all developers experience problems and failures, but what they don’t tell you is that those same people are also extremely smart. Average joes fail at a much higher rate than high level problem solvers. I wish I could get back the years I spent trying to get into this field.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing your experience. sorry to hear it didn't work out.
@Greatscott24 2 жыл бұрын
@Andai I'm not currently employed. I've been out of work for about 10 months. My resume has taken a big hit in the past 2 to 3 years while I tried to make it in web development. In short, I never "made it" in any professional sense of the word. I got good at doing side projects, but nothing resulted in an actual job after I failed out on my first two. The $13k spent on the coding bootcamp turned out to be a complete waste, and that's on top of my $80k in student loan debt from my actual bachelor's degree. Fortunately, my wife is the breadwinner, so I've been afforded some level of leniency that many don't have the luxury of having. I have applied to hundreds upon hundreds of jobs without even a callback. Everyone tells you not to give up, but those people have food on their plates when they say that. Sometimes I think you really do need to give up on certain paths to pursue more realistic ones.
@GramKracker88 2 жыл бұрын
I’d be curious to know more - I’ve been in enterprise software engineering for the last 6 years, with 10-12 years of web dev prior to that. Self taught, started in high school etc.. I’ve trained tons of folks fresh out of college - some folks really struggled and eventually left, but to me, it didn’t seem like a lack of IQ, but rather a lack of passion or interest. Early on when you get started I think you need a considerable amount of interest to really get going. Do you think that sounds more accurate for your circumstance than you not being smart enough? I don’t consider myself super smart either, but I myself will spend countless hours of trial and error to figure out cause I don’t like feeling defeated and treat it as a challenge.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
@@GramKracker88 totally agree with this.
@Greatscott24 2 жыл бұрын
@@GramKracker88 The biggest issue is that my first job was realistically more of a mid-level full stack position. Had I jumped in at the bottom, I may have lasted long enough to continue the career path. My biggest issue now is that my resume is a major red flag for anyone looking at hiring me for that role. I'm also far enough removed from my formal training now that I've lost some of the knowledge and skills due to the lack of day-to-day exposure. There are only so many hours in a day, and one to two hours of practice and studying each night isn't enough for me to feel like I'm making enough headway to jump in head first again. Looking back at my failures at the full stack job I had, it felt a lot less about problem solving as it did lack of IQ. They straight up told me that I needed to spend less time trying to figure things out and more time producing results. They lost patience with my noobness because they still had hard deadlines to honor. For the project they had me working on, they could have given me two years rather than two months; the result would have been the same. It was simply way too over my head to even grasp what was going on. It's a shame because I still have a passion for development. I just don't feel like it'll ever be anything more than a hobby to me now. This was just my experience, and I'm sure others may have wildly different stories to tell. I wish I had that story. My family's life would be significantly better than where I'm at now in life.
@XxSgtSkittlesxX 2 жыл бұрын
Just subscribed, I'm looking into a career switch and need all the resources I can get since I'm not sure where to start. Thank you!
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
you're welcome
@pm71241 2 жыл бұрын
I'm a backend guy ... and I agree... I can't really imagine how one should be able to keep up with everything in the _full_ stack. I like poking into HTML/CSS/DOM/Javascript ... but I simply haven't got the time to achieve the same level of expertise as I have with backend stuff.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
I feel that way too, but from the frontend. Though there are days I'm tempted to make the switch to backend.
@pm71241 2 жыл бұрын
@@jamescross well... I'm sorta happy I haven't had to deal with frontend during all the time where you hadn't got grid and flexbox. The few times I've had to try to do layout with float and clear I went positively insane
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
I hear you on floats. to the pain.
@planktonfun1 2 жыл бұрын
The lesson to be learned here is if your efficient at your job you're not going to be rewarded instead your gonna be punished with even more work
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Not really the point of this video. More like being really good at something is valuable. That said, what you say is true for a lot of places. It's important to also be mindful of working overtime and not setting exaggerated expectations of what you can do in a given time.
@user-fi8ju5qk5g 2 жыл бұрын
Haha, that's a fact.
@davidd680 Жыл бұрын
I fully agree. When starting out it is best to focus just on one side. You should not be a full stack developer until you are at least a couple years in. My first job was a full stack and it took me a while to actually be useful because there was so much to learn on everything. It will slow down your potential doing full stack because there is just to much to learn. I am 10 years in now and still doing full stack and I am still learning almost everyday.
@jamescross Жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing your experience!
@EternalDarknessAboveTheBlueSky 2 жыл бұрын
Does a full-stack developer need to be good with Photoshop (or Gimp)? Also, do they need to be good at telling you when chartreuse might be a better color choice than lavender (or vice versa)?
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
those skills can help and there may be some companies where you have to do some of that. But in general at most decent size companies, there will be dedicated designers who will provide the mocks for you and they will be the ones determining colors and user experience.
@teoiancu6269 Жыл бұрын
Thank you for the inspiring videos James! Couldn’t help but notice the Trance music background in your videos, love it 👊🏻
@jamescross Жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoy it!
@vamostimow Жыл бұрын
you are a gem james, which field would you recommend for a newbie going into a tech bootcamp please ? not just coding but everything tech related including cybersecurity etc..thanks
@khumbomunsaka716 2 жыл бұрын
I think I will take your advice. Get good at front end and then start doing backend.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Wishing you the best on your journey!
@asitpurohit_108 2 жыл бұрын
I want to develop my tech company so I learned full stack ...but i love front end .... I follow the pricinple, Something about everything everything about something ....it's better to have full knowledge but expert in one thing ...that better then just expert in one thing ...like MBBS doctor , they know wholesome about our bodily system ...but specialize in one thing like orthopedic or dentist etc....because in emergency we can help the patient .....so learn everything be expert in one thing you love
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
yup. that's what i was getting at about the T shaped developer at the end of the video. It's a great approach.
@SupremeCrusader 2 жыл бұрын
Wow, I really needed to hear this, thank you. I've been trying to land my first role for a while now. I've done mostly front-end projects but recently delved into Node on the back-end. I figured I needed to at least have a working understanding of back-end in order to be even considered for a junior role. But you're saying I should just focus on front-end for now? That's a relief because I've been having a tough time grasping back-end. Would you still say I should learn a little back-end to get my first role or do you think I should just focus all on front-end for now?
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Having some understanding of the backend will be helpful. I would choose to specialize in and area so you can stay focused and develop some solid skills to help with marketability. Eventually you'll want to become a t-shaped developer which means get a good understanding of the full stack, but still be really good in one area or the other. For some people, frontend just wont click and in that case they might consider specializing in the backend. What I shared is guidance, not a hard this is the only way.
@richardumaru1682 2 жыл бұрын
amazing video as always,thanks for the info
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
My pleasure!
@odysseynoone3831 7 ай бұрын
Man! Extremely valuable information, the setup, the video, the commiunication, engrossing. I didn't want to watch this video cause I was committed to the full stack path, but it was worth it.
@jamescross 7 ай бұрын
thanks for the feedback!
@leanmac6613 2 жыл бұрын
I'm not sure if you have addressed this, but I am having a hard time finding a bootcamp that focuses on front end. Most of them seem to try to teach way too many things at once, and they either make you do 90 hours per week, or they barely hold your hand at all. What is the best way, especially if I don't have a ton of self-discipline, to practice MERN to proficiency in a somewhat structured environment? You are confirming everything I have thought about how to enter the industry. I just want to get proficient at the MERN stack essentially, and focus on the front end. I just wish there was a bootcamp that wasn't so damn intense, still held me accountable, and focused on front end, forcing me to do 5 projects with the same tech rather than 1 project per different stack.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
It can be hard. I would look into some online courses focused on frontend. I plan to do a video on resources, but it will probably be a couple of weeks out. When you start, I would look into leveraging existing apis or firebase if you want to customize your data. You can even hard code fake data into your app as json files and them fetch them to get started until you are ready to hook up to something like firebase. I think some bootcamps go really wide to try to justify higher prices rather than focus on skill development.
@truestory818 2 жыл бұрын
Thank you my friend, I like you advise, I'll get real good at front end and get my way up to where I want...
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
best of luck on the journey!
@TheCountryCoder 2 жыл бұрын
Im a full-stack developer and it’s true that it hard to become an expert in one area. Unless you put the time and effort. But even that it’s going to take you longer.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Yup. But what's important is if that's what interests you. I know plenty of people who love to have their hands in everything. They're really happy with their decision to be full-stack.
@TheCountryCoder 2 жыл бұрын
@@jamescross agree, best wishes!
@michaelolz 11 ай бұрын
This has helped me sooooo much. Big time thank you for posting this video!
@BondJFK 2 жыл бұрын
I am a Lead frontend developer , Once company hired a FS (Not really he just said he knew Reactjs in interview) he's expert in backend, Initially company put him in frontend team and he struggled a lot finally ,I called the manager and asked him to remove that guy from frontend and assign him backend tasks only otherwise it will be a waste of time for both parties
@wheytomuchforher 2 жыл бұрын
I've had this thought for a long long time. Also, this kind of attitude exists in larger companies. Currently in this situation. It's just a cost saving measure
@Trust679 9 ай бұрын
I really like your Background and generally the way youake the video enjoyable
@kittipongpiyawanno315 2 жыл бұрын
Totally disagree. It is ok to start with one stack and be good at it. But don't limit yourself to it. One big misconception of your opinion is that at each stack, no skill and knowledge is shared. After you master one stack, you will automatically understand the other stack. By moving to the other stack, you will get a better picture from what you are doing and what you will do. And if you and your team share the whole picture of the project, the problem can be much more efficiently solved for a small as well as large project. Of cause, you can have a better skill on that than those. To understand, what your colleagues are doing, you and your team are in a big advantage. This is why many suggest to learn a new programming language or read books from other field : to expand your horizon.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
This video focuses on those just learning. At the end I mention the value of a T shape developer. Thanks for sharing your perspective!
@Wanderer2035 Жыл бұрын
I agree. It’s just too much information as a Junior Dev before you even start your first job. Or if you do manage to learn it all you may end up spreading your self too thin in these different technologies, and you won’t be as good as you could be in the fundamentals.
@sarthakjoshi9824 2 жыл бұрын
I am working as full stack laravel vue devloper . I have recently started enjoying both . Laravel is easy for me . Vue is challenging and very fascinating how powerful it is!!!.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing
@The_Corner_Of Жыл бұрын
Thanks for pointing that out. I'm just starting to learn. I'm dangerous at this point. 😁
@Rettson 2 жыл бұрын
I thought this was going to be a video saying it's impossible to become a full stack developer which is something I've seen people say before. This was really interesting though, I've been a developer for 6 years now and have only ever worked in small teams so right from the beginning I was forced to be a full stack developer, or at least get to full stack very quickly 😅. Can't complain though as I really enjoy it but I do worry that I'm not very specialised and I sort of know a bit about everything but don't feel like I've mastered anything yet which is something I'm quite self conscious of. Definitely something I need to work on! Great video 😄
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks. Whatever way you go, it's still nice to have some good breadth of experience.
@a6893_ Жыл бұрын
Its like going to school and picking a subject you like. Good understanding for a beginner.
@BG-vg5jd 2 жыл бұрын
On the last 2 companies i've worked for, the user stories are all vertical slices, that means your story have frontend, backend and sometimes database to it.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
same here
@B1Happy 2 жыл бұрын
GOD!!! Thank you so much for the honesty. I’ve been at it 3 years and have always felt exactly like this.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks! appreciate the feedback.
@bhargavkumar 2 жыл бұрын
A video on how you learnt how to code..like which recourses you used and how you got your first job....this kind of things will be hugely appreciated. BTW awesome video 👍🏻
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks. It's on my list to make a video on courses I would recommend in 2022. Courses I used would be outdated now. I do touch on some course recommendations in this video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fLl0isuZq761dGw.html and here is my advice on getting your first dev job kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ebCPjLeHt6eslWQ.html and I talk more in depth on my jobs in this playlist: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hM6oaZp1nbXThKM.html
@marvinasas2060 2 жыл бұрын
So I am a mechanical engineer with some knowledge in python (no flask, no Django or anything else related to web development). And for some reason I got hired as a full stack developer. Honestly it turned out pretty good. I feel like I am learning sooo much at such a fast pase and I am pretty flexible. Got a 10% salary increase after half a year already. Not even a year in the job, but I feel like I could fill full frontend and full backend position at this point. I mean of course not a Senior position. Still not that long on the job. with some advices by a senior backend dev about security, ci/cd I am confident that I could handle a complex app all by myself. At least with the architecture and frameworks that I already know. I was actually thinking about focosung on one stack. But actually, why would I? I love to be flexible and be able to do anything. Just a bit more experience I could potentially quit my job tomorrow and found an own company without hiring dozens of people right away. I like that opportunity. And also it is a lot of fun to jump around and basically work on the entire app.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing your experience. A lot of people enjoy that path. It's awesome you found what you enjoy!
@TheMrVogue 2 жыл бұрын
Specialization often correlates to higher pay. However, I recommend being a Swiss army knife with one particularly nice knife. Be valuable on multiple fronts, but be really high valuable in one or a few domains.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Agree. That's the T-shaped developer I mention later in the video. There are some times where you have to jump into the other side of things. There have also been times where I've worked with more junior backend devs and I have to be more involved in helping mentor them. It's good to have some breadth.
@chisangamumba2961 Жыл бұрын
Why would you leave Mechanical engineering for Web development?
@marvinasas2060 Жыл бұрын
@@chisangamumba2961 why not? I was just tired of engineering. It is interesting, but I really couldn't imagine working as an engineer. Late into my studies I got into coding quite randomly and really enjoyed it. I never planned to become a web developer. I honestly didn't even know what it was about. But I was specifically looking for jobs where I had to program a lot. And in my current position I am developing apps that are used by engineers only to develop cars. So my degree is still at least a little bit useful. And after all, on averaged the salary is more or less the same.
@luiggymacias5735 2 жыл бұрын
I just got my first developer role as a backend developer, I hope i don't mess up the data as you said
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
if you do, it's a learning experience. congrats on the new job! that's awesome!
@luiggymacias5735 2 жыл бұрын
@@jamescross thank you I appreciate it
@alastairbarker1840 2 жыл бұрын
A really thorough and true explanation. Good job.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
@trommelbiel Жыл бұрын
Great insight. I will concentrate on frontend.
@isakawilliam 2 жыл бұрын
just a few months into learning full stack development...i have an interview with 2 companies this week one for rails and another for react, and for sure I can say I wish they were both rails, its hard to do both tbh
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing. best of luck on your interviews!
@munawirulhadi2864 2 жыл бұрын
I love backend, but there's not a lot of work available for backend. Most job portal they are looking for frontend. Even when I joined a startup they gave test to build an api but I ended up working as a frontend.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
It happens.
@jermainemyrn19 2 жыл бұрын
So companies lie?
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
@@jermainemyrn19 Some might lie, but most times it's that the hr team or recruiters who might not be super technical are the ones posting what they think the company wants. They might copy and paste from a previous listing... etc.
@lukeet331 2 жыл бұрын
@@jermainemyrn19 alot of companies don't even know if they need a front-end or backend developer they just know they need something built lol
@theirtheyrethere7946 2 жыл бұрын
@@lukeet331 oh my god i cant even imagine working for a company who doesnt even know what they want.
@yancoder20 Жыл бұрын
I can't deal with the back-end and database. I've been there and this was overwhelming doing full stack BootCamp for beginners
@Deix25 2 жыл бұрын
Dude I love your music in your videos! Do you have a playlist that you can share?
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
I don't. I get my music from artlist.
@lonewolfcoding5208 2 жыл бұрын
pls tell us about efficiency of a webserver when there is multiple concurrent connection in realtime and tell us about load balancers threads mvcs what linux os is linux server enough in hosting?
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
will add it to my video idea list
@TheItchybutthole 2 жыл бұрын
I hate the term full stack with a passion. It's so annoying that the norm has become companies only wanting full stack devs. Tell yourself whatever you want but fuillstack is just more work for less or same pay. I also hear devs talk about how awesome it is to know everything because you can start your own business lol. 99 percent of the people saying that NEVER do that . It's the get rich quick scheme fantasy of SE.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing your thoughts!
@kotk05 2 жыл бұрын
When my last job was interviewing me for frontend, they kept asking if I would be willing to learn backend. I said yes thinking if I said no, they'll go with someone else.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
did then end up actually having you do any backend?
@kotk05 2 жыл бұрын
@@jamescross Yes, but lightly. If anything it was mostly middleware stuff.
@flexclan20 Жыл бұрын
Thank you for creating this very informative video. I'm actually on the hunt to become a full stack developer by registering with my local college. Do you think having a bachelor degree as a full stack developer will help my cause by landing a job? Instead of being self-taught?
@jamescross Жыл бұрын
If I could go back in time, I would get a computer science degree.
@Silver-Clouds Жыл бұрын
You are absolutely right, thanks for this amazing vidio. I was thinking to become a full stack developer. But i felt it is really difficult and was thinking to just focus on front-end. I gonna learn full stack development to have an idea about it. But when I apply for a job I will focus on front-end until I feel confident that I am perfect in it. After that can be switched to backend for an year or more then next step to full stack developer. ❤️❤️❤️
@jamescross Жыл бұрын
All the best
@bharat_thapa_ Жыл бұрын
Specializing in one area is a good thing and can lead to very successful career but the down side is that even companies are emphasizing the full stack developers. So, can't really help but go for fullstack development skills!!! My experience: I am a backend developer and currently I am slowly transitioning to full stack dev (but still my primary skill is backend dev.)
@jamescross Жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing your thoughts
@ahmedmusawir Жыл бұрын
Can I be called a full-stack developer if 1) I use CMS as my backend 2) I use a ready-made API like the KZfaq API or something from the RapidAPI site -- 2 questions that no one could find me the answer to ... so plz ... help me out here
@kwadwoowusu2157 2 жыл бұрын
what editting software do you use man ?
@kintsugittv2537 Жыл бұрын
I mean you can say that, but I promise you most hiring are looking for a fullstack, even if your responsibility isn't a fullstack position.. My friend hires people for his job, coding interviews, etc, and he said the same thing. They look for fullstacks, but yet half the time the person isn't even working fullstack.
@_Code.Pilot_ 2 жыл бұрын
Can someone please tell me what that is @5:40 (on the desk, to the left of the keyboard)?
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
3Dconnexion Space Mouse controller for animation
@_Code.Pilot_ 2 жыл бұрын
@@jamescross Thanks!
@pebbleblue6623 2 жыл бұрын
I want to be a front end web dev but most coding bootcamps teach full-stack. Should I complete a full-stack bootcamp but just go after front-end jobs? Does anyone know any front end only bootcamps?
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
There is still value in being familiar with the whole stack. Eventually it it good to become a t shaped developer. Some breadth across the stack and deep in an area of specialization.
@johndoggett4657 2 жыл бұрын
Good video. My goal is to become a T shaped developer. I might end up focusing on the frontend as a React developer. At my current job I am a full stack developer. So far every project I have had to touch sql, graphql front and back, node, and react. We are a small team of 6 developers which only 3 or 4 of us work on the node backend and react. Cool part about my job is since the team is so young we can pick our long term specialization. I am leaning between dev ops or sticking full stack with specialization on front end.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
It's cool you have that flexibility to choose your path.
@antonvoltchok7794 2 жыл бұрын
I don’t trust anyone who says “full stack” unless they’ve had at least 2 years front end and 3 years backend experience, the boot camp “full stacks” are a freakin joke
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
a lot of truth to that.
@expattrading Жыл бұрын
I'm learning a full stack course just so I understand the bigger picture. will specialize later.
@SumitSingh-xm2sc 9 ай бұрын
Hello I'm from India plz tell me Should i do full stack developer or do one particular language ... Nd which language should i do ...
@bhavyajain638 2 жыл бұрын
I'm learning MERN stack. I did frontend for 6 months and I continue to learn more frontend, but focused on backend for now. Is my approach correct? I am a 1st year college student. I still don't know if I wanna be a web developer, but I enjoy it.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
there are a lot of paths. i share my recommended path in this video, but that doesn't mean you have to follow it. you're in college so you have some time to explore and your experience will be different than self-taught. i would focus on finding your interests while in school. you'll have an easier time getting interviews so long as you keep up your grades in your cs program.
@bhavyajain638 2 жыл бұрын
@@jamescross thankyou for replying. Good advice.
@jarvenpaajani8105 2 жыл бұрын
The higher you go, more stupid these niche developer titles React-developer or back-end developer feels like. For some reason, i am currently systems architect, and my title might as well be programmer. Thing is, when you work long enough in any company, you end up doing all kinds of different things. I seem to be doing everything (Networking, build tools, C-programming, bash and python scripting, docker, frontend, even powershell, git administration, list goes on ..) but not graphics design. It just depends what has to get done. I think this really broad spectrum of experiense is really nice when designing new stuff from scratch. It would be so good if frontend developers could just set their containers and servers, and repos up and just get to work. I want programmers, full stack developers. Most important skill, being able to learn.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing your perspective. on several of my teams, we've also managed our own build and development pipelines. kinda depends on the company. i agree that some titles are out there. call me a data plumber so long as i get paid well.
@Jessyco 2 жыл бұрын
Are you guys looking for a Senior Front-End developer based in Canada? This is great for people trying to learn how IT dev shops work, great work in the production of the video (p.s. noticed the Satisfactory power sound effect, niiice.)
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
There's a site with all the listings. Not sure what's available or where.
@maw_prgrmmng 2 жыл бұрын
I am a first year college and having a hard time which frontend library/ framework should I start with? should I go with react because it's popular? or those framework that is less popular and have low competition?
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Pros and cons to both. I lean more toward what will be competitive going forward. Maybe try out both and see which one you enjoy working with.
@maw_prgrmmng 2 жыл бұрын
@@jamescross thank you for your response! I subbed because I saw you are really into helping us, your viewers , I appreciate you so much for replying to every single comment thank you sir!
@maw_prgrmmng 2 жыл бұрын
And also, I hope you keep reading/replying to every single comment as much as you can even you reach more and more subs!
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
@@maw_prgrmmng I will do my best.
@yshterev 2 жыл бұрын
Damn.. something I have been trying to explain to people for years! Good job!
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@onurvardal3458 Жыл бұрын
Hey man, I just came to ask about the background music lol, where can I find it? :)
@jamescross Жыл бұрын
I get my music from artlist
@Prince_515 2 жыл бұрын
You deserve a lot more recognition
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks! appreciate the feedback!
@haroldpepete 2 жыл бұрын
for example if you have a lot of experience working as freelancer, you're a full stack developer, before enter to work in a company i didn't understand why you have to be good only in the front or back, why you can be good in both environment, you can, your brain is big enough to catch all knowledge you want
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
you can do well as full stack. lots of people have made great careers doing that. some people may be able to be amazing at both, but that is often not the case. A lot of companies want specialists. We each have to pick our journeys.
@haroldpepete 2 жыл бұрын
@@jamescross sometimes it's because of time, two developers working as front end and the another one as back end the whole proccess is faster, full stack developer taking more time
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
yup. and that would be a product of specialization and focus. less context switching between programming languages and frameworks.
@gjermundification 2 жыл бұрын
I believe it's better to be able to recognise the Pareto principle( a k a the 80 / 20 principle ) than to say don't do full stack development. After all Photoshop is still coming out in new iterations. The way front end is done these days - how can you tell it apart from U / X?
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing your thoughts
@dannye7612 2 жыл бұрын
Hmmm. Was thinking this might have been the reason I had so much trouble landing another gig a couple years back. Have been focusing on React and vanilla javascript...hoping its enough to land something decent.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
you got this!
@ralakexd 2 жыл бұрын
Very informative video, cool editing and only 12 thousand subs? very underrated channel :(
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
I appreciate that!
@ralakexd 2 жыл бұрын
Your video so much inspired me to dive into this, thank you)
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
happy to help. if you have any topics you'd like my to answer, be sure to let me know!
@ralakexd 2 жыл бұрын
glad to hear it! As soon as there are questions, I'll definitely let you know!
@davidodaudu5932 2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this video. Much needed
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
@nepalisguzys3390 2 жыл бұрын
Sir can you help to become full stack developer from beginning . I am intrested plz sir help me. I am from nepal
@kyokushinfighter78 2 жыл бұрын
I am a full-stack software engineer turns architect turns CTO turns CEO and have a bit different perspective: YOU HAVE TO START TO BE A FULL STACK DEVELOPER FIRST, THEN SPECIALIST. These are the reasons : 1. Business View: 99% of tech companies out there are not FAANG. They can't afford specialized engineers. My team is middle-senior full-stack engineers that can build a full-fledged AI-powered SaaS serving a million users on several continents. 2. Architectural view: Any kind of task handover (I call this handover point, for example from backend to frontend and vice versa), is potentially slowing down the whole development cycle and increasing potential errors and complexities. This is why I insist on teams with full-stack development capabilities in all phases, from Web Applications to Machine Learning development. 3. Career View: The best career advice for tech is to start as a Full-Stack engineer to understand the high-level picture of software development, then you can be a specialist (FE, BE, ML, DS), then you will need to go back as Full-Stack engineer before transition into engineering leads to an architect to CTO. You need to have a complete understanding of the whole architectural, teaming, and development process. If you are a full-stack engineer, you can also start a startup easily, even without raising funding to validate the market first. These are the career transition that is common from software engineer to CTO. Again I am not talking about FAANG, I am talking about 99% of tech startups out there. Edited: James also discusses T-shape developers here. Basically we are on the same page, just that we have different opinions on the sequence. James suggests specialist first (FE) to a broader (Full-Stack) role. I suggest Full-stack first, then go specialist, then go back o Full-stack if you want to go into a more managerial role. Both are valid paths.
@jamescross 2 жыл бұрын
I talk about the value of a t-shape developer in the video. Maybe you didn't watch the whole thing? Either way, even if we disagree on this, there is a lot of value in different opinions and experiences. Thanks for sharing your perspective. Have a great day!
@kyokushinfighter78 2 жыл бұрын
@@jamescross I admit that I missed the T-Shape part, I edited my comment, we did have differences of opinions on the sequence, but overall I agree with your suggestion. Great tips, thanks for sharing!
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