Semantics
A new debate is emerging in the web development world and it’s not about which framework is best, or which language is most marketable.
In fact the debate isn’t a matter of code, it’s a matter of words.
It’s Not Just About Experience Level
“Full Stack Developer” is the title developers both new and old often use to describe themselves. According to a Stack Overflow developer survey touted as the “most comprehensive developer survey conducted” the title is among the top five respondents used to describe themselves.
However, not everyone thinks newer developers should adopt the title.
It would be easy to distill the debate to a matter of experience level, veterans earned the “full stack” title, while newer programmers haven’t. However, there’s way more layers to this debate.
What Exactly is Full Stack
First of all, a simple google search reveals several different definitions of “full stack.” There’s general consensus when it comes to the high-level definition. CodeUp sums up this definition, “The term full stack means developers who are comfortable working with both back-end and front-end technologies.”
When it comes down to the nitty-gritty of what exactly falls under back-end and front-end, there’s some disagreement.
Mastery level also matters, but again there’s disagreement over what’s acceptable. In one camp, are the proficiency pushers who require not only a breadth of understanding, but also a depth of understanding in multiple areas.
In this camp, it’s not just good enough to have exposure to SQL, one must have proficiency in SQL.
In the other camp, are the generalist. They also require a breadth of knowledge, but are happy with a basic familiarity of each stack element. When it comes to debating whether newer developers should adopt the full stack title, the lack of clarity on what full stack means in the first place is a major stumbling block.
Why Full Stack?
Besides clarifying the what behind “full stack” some folks are also clarifying the why. According to Indeed’s job trends, the number of postings and searches matching “full stack developer” on average has trended upwards since 2012 . The title’s popularity causes some to believe that new developers are adopting the title as a buzzword with no real care put into understanding what “full stack” means.
Android Programmer Dan Kim from Basecamp warns, “Just don’t fall back to labeling yourself with a bullshit buzzword that everyone else uses.”
For others, adopting the full stack title is a matter of mindset. As Web developer Christian Maioli over at TechBeacon writes: “To me, a full stack developer is someone who has the curiosity and drive to test the limits of a technology and understand how each piece works generally in various scenarios. Having this mindset will give developers more value and more power in dealing with new situations.”
In both cases, understanding why a new developer adopts the full stack title is connected to understanding whether they’re overselling their skills and how valuable their skills are to a potential employer.
Beyond Job Titles
Finally, this debate about whether new developers should use the “full stack” title brings up the need for alternative methods of measuring proficiency. This need isn’t limited to the web development world, as technology innovates job titles become convoluted.
[clickToTweet tweet=”A job title won’t be the most reliable way to communicate what you bring to a job or what you expect.” quote=”A job title won’t be the most reliable way to communicate what you bring to a job or what you expect.”]
Quantifying what you’ve accomplished in the past, along with what tools you used will be critical in a time where job titles aren’t trusted.
This story was first published here on April 7, 2017.
