The major problem is finding the right one, because they are so many. The explosion in the rate of startup formations within the tech sector has led to numerous misconceptions, and hiring the so-called ‘full stack developer’ is among them. Guess what though? They do not exist, at least not in the way you imagine. Full stack is simply a word used in business, and it is never used by web developers themselves when they are talking to each other. The recruiter will not know what it means, either.
Where did the phrase originate from, anyway?
This ‘evolved’ from a certain technical description that means the complete set of basic technologies, which were part of a total technical solution. In layman’s terms, this means the operating system and the database are on the ‘back end’, while the user interface is the ‘front end’. Between the two ends lies the control logic.The engineer who deals with the web developing therefore has the job of connecting these two ends, which is why they were referred to as ‘full stack engineers’. However, this means that the correct term to refer to them is ‘software engineer’, which makes more sense than a ‘full stack developer’. Other technical jobs within the field will have their own names, such as ‘System Administrators’ who deal specifically with the servers in your computer and the OS (operating system), and the ‘Database administrators’ who deal with your databases.
- Why should you not deal with them then?
- It is more of an unclear concept
As explained before, the term ‘full stack developer’ is an ambiguous one, and there are no specific definitions for it. The general school of thought though is that the full stack developer is normally skilled in the back/front ends (the database, operating systems and user interface). While this might seem understandable at first, it cannot tell you the particular skill set the person is really good at.‘full stack’, at least going by the general consensus of what it is, cannot tell you the particular stack or field of knowledge the person is. For instance, what computing language(s) are they proficient in? (these include JavaScript, SQL Server, HTML, CSS, and so on). Do they deal primarily with mobile platforms or desktop? What stacks (databases) do they deal with? The list of questions goes on.
- Your business will require very specific tasks to be done
Let no one lie to you – no two startups are the same, even if they were formed in similar conditions. They will serve unique niches and can often invent new ones. Because of the unique circumstances each of them will face, including constraints in both their business and budget factors, means that they will suffer major losses in the long term if they have the wrong people on their team.If you have a company that frequently deals with tech and updates it often, then an integration engineer is a good choice of employee to have. However, a company that operates globally or a financially based company will not have so many changes on a frequent basis – since they require more stability – so they will need a performance expert.
The most important factor to consider is hiring a team that has the exact skill set your business will require. For instance, if your company is an app based enterprise, then getting a full stack developer who has little knowledge of iOS or Android is not going to help you at all.
When searching for them, it is better to use key terms such as ‘web application developer’, ‘mobile application developer’, and so on – this will draw in the candidates you need.
- The world of technology is not a simple one
If there is any statement that rings true, it is that the world of tech is an already complex one – and the constant evolution it undergoes makes it even more complex. The earliest applications did not need much more than some statements within their coding, so developers did not have a hard time trying to acquire a full stack of knowledge. However, the more specialized developers usually have better chances of working with organizations, because the work they do with specific subsets is extensive.The ideal composition of your IT team should be one person who has general knowledge of the relevant databases you deal with, and a set of specialists for each component. The generalist will therefore act as a link to all the experts, so that the integration levels are thorough.
- You cannot get ‘full stack’ developers that much anyway
This is the major reason why the idea of getting a full stack developer is not really valid – they do not exist, especially when considering how broad the field of technology is. Thanks to the ever-increasing complex nature of the technology of today, it is impossible to be an expert in all the fields available. Developers themselves know this very well, and they usually refer each other to experts in another IT field if they get stuck on a particular problem.The complexities include the increase of mobile apps, intricate data analytics, machine intelligence, and cloud databases, and the list continues.
Final thoughts
Even though you might see it as a trendy aspect, the fact remains that it is difficult to hire a full stack developer. For a startup, you should not think about getting a ‘jack of all trades’, but instead find the people who fit the skills you are searching for.
We give you the best daily information on news, technology, lifestyle, career, health tips, agriculture, business and entertainment. If you can write very well and want to make a living writing online, click HERE!