I’m sharing questions about my own career of Developer Full-Stack, this is applied for my style, but I guess that most of FS will agree with me.
1. What is Developer Full-Stack?
A Developer Full-Stack is a system analyst and/or a programmer that cares and builds everything in the application life cycle since getting data about the project till deploying on production and offer support.
In my case, I do a marketing job too, so seeing the big picture of the product allows me to make changes in it when I detect that marketing needs something else new or to be updated.
2. How much time does it take to be a Developer Full-Stack?
Broadly speaking this is my story:
• I started with Clipper Summer 87 at a programming course with DBASE III as a database and started my first major application with Clipper 5.3 in 1994.
• After that, I started using Visual Basic 5, 6 with the Microsoft Access database.
• Started in Web with Asp classic in 2008 for e-commerce with Microsoft SQL Server 2008.
• In 2011 with C# with Microsoft Access for a while and Microsoft SQL Server 2014 till now.
• Today with c# 8 with .NET Core 3 and Microsoft SQL Server 2017.
An FS feel better knowing a lot about infrastructure, components, technologies, and UX.
So, then I used to take about 3 years to get deeply into new technology (from Clipper => Visual Basic => Internet/C#/SqlServer) but now with Internet support, stackoverflow.com, and many online samples and documentation, today is even shorter, could be less than 6 months.
When you start in a new programming language or technology first you will learn first what you used to do in the previous language.
3. What is the basis for to be a Full-Stack?
It is part of the personality of FS quality to seek knowledge, you need to love to know things and study and read forums, documents, posts, newsletters, books a lot.
You need to care about everything about programming, understand deeply how Operating Systems, Network, Web, Smartphones works.
I recommend spending time reading about neurolinguistic, psychology, neuroscience and behavior to understand how the human brain and human be works and design the best UI, the best UX and make special software of any nature.
I’m from the time with computers with no Internet and to learn something we had to resort to books. So, I started as a programmer and very soon I was taking the position of Developer Full-Stack when I design myself an MRP II (Manufacturing Resource Planning level II) for Olvebra Industrial S/A (www.olvebra.com.br).
So, you need to “read” the needs of the users and design the project in your head for the first time. After the design, the Database, coding and make all works with different people of the project business core.
4. How many programming languages must a FS know?
It’s up to you and your own needs, today I work basically with C#, because I mostly use Microsoft Environment.
I already design software with Clipper 5.3, Visual Basic 6.0 and Visual Basic .NET, without mention scripts languages like VBScript and JavaScript.
I design controls for Web and Windows Forms, with Visual Basic 6.0 I designed about 1.000 ActiveX for Advocati®, every type of field was a UserControl, every screen was a UserControl, every report was an ActiveX DLL.
So, you need to know at least one script language for the web, like JavaScript, and a language to design the back end and the other layers.
With C# you can design a Mobile App, a WinForms App and any kind of web applications.
I’m not a PHP or JAVA guy, but many people use them, but I prefer Microsoft stuff.
5. How many projects a Full-Stack can run at the same time?
It’s up to you but think how much time you will spend to get a good quality to build your reputation.
The MRP II worked one decade after I quit the company.
Advocati.NET already worked for 8 months without support calls in one of our customers with plus than 150 users.
I also developed a medical office system that has been in use for almost a decade without any maintenance.
Developing with quality allows you to have more time for more projects. I work in up to 3 projects together that demand a lot of time,
because between the project phases you have time to other things.
6. Is being Full-Stack profitable?
Yes, it is. But if you are very good you can be an entrepreneur but be aware that you need good marketing and someone to take care of finances.
I hope this information could bring you some light and maybe you become a Developer Full-Stack if you are not yet, why not?
If you enjoy new challenges and enjoy do helping people, this is a never-ending road.
Treat well those that are the not so good end-users, I mean, not so clever, because they teach us a lot. With them, our work becomes excel and we improve ourselves as professionals and human beings.
