Full Stack Developer Career - Growth, Salary, and Path Explained
Software development is moving at breakneck speeds today. With worldwide accessibility, opportunities in global markets, and a constant demand for better technologies, developers are in huge demand today - especially full-stack developers who have a wide range of skills.
So what is the salary of a full-stack developer? How much does a full-stack developer earn in India?
Who is a full-stack developer?
Simply put - a full-stack developer is one who can proficiently design the front-end of the application, which users interact with (Client-side), and develop the back-end which contains the business logic of the application. It handles how the users interact with the application (Interactivity), stores relevant data (Database), and ensures that the entire application works flawlessly (Server-side).
A developer who can work on all these aspects of an application is considered a full-stack developer. Companies today prefer to hire developers who have a wide range of skills since it is more feasible in terms of development process.
Full-stack developer skills involve a certain set of tools, or usually called a tech-stack. One of the most popular choices is MERN stack - MongoDB, ExpressJS, ReactJS, and NodeJS. The entire application is built in the JavaScript language ecosystem, which makes it easy for developers to build and deploy apps easily without having to worry about multiple languages.
Full-stack developers need not know everything but they are expected to work across a wide range of technologies and need to know common things like how to design a database, how to do basic CRUD operations in a database, how to work with Git, how to design front-end for an application, etc.
Skills like these and more, make full-stack developers valuable assets to companies. Startups and product-based companies are increasingly prioritising skills over degrees, which is why now is the right time for you to become a full-stack developer.
What is the career path of a full-stack developer?
The myth that only developers with programming or computer science backgrounds can be successful full-stack developers, is slowly breaking away. Anyone with a passion, curiosity, and skills required for being a developer, can shape their career in software development. With the advent of browser-oriented softwares, becoming a software developer is now easier than ever!
Freshers who join as full-stack developers usually work for a year or two, developing applications. Sometimes, they work on the front-end only, which means they would be working as ReactJS developer, or just on the back-end, where they would build middlewares using ExpressJS, write server code using NodeJS, and design databases in MongoDB.
As they learn on the job and get more hands-on experience, they start taking on more managerial roles, working across multiple teams and collaborating with different stakeholders and team members.
After 4-5 years, the role can evolve to becoming a software architect, where as the name suggests, the developer is responsible for making high-level design choices, state technical standards to be followed including coding standards, what tools to be used, and what kinds of platforms the application needs to be optimised for, etc.
With all this experience, the path is now open for all kinds of roles for a full-stack developer. One can choose to go further along the career ladder, and get into managerial positions in large corporations or enterprises, or, one can choose to start their own freelance business with the network they have built. It is entirely up to the developer since the options are plenty.
What is the salary of a full-stack developer?
Salary of a full-stack developer varies according to a few parameters like - previous experience, previous relevant experience (in programming or software development), technical knowledge, location, etc. While the entry barrier is completely absent to enter the field of software development, when it comes to salary and compensation, the above factors are taken into consideration.
The average base salary for a full-stack developer in the US is $98,000 (USD). With experience and skills, and depending on the company, salary increases to anywhere in the range of $1,00,000 (USD) - $1,50,000 (USD).
Full stack web developer salary in India ranges from 5 LPA (INR) - 6 LPA (INR). The salary depends on the types of companies too. Companies like TCS, Wipro, Accenture, and other similar service-based companies in India have a salary range of 3.7 LPA (INR) - 6 LPA (INR).
Startups offer salaries based more on skills than anything else. While the starting package is 6 LPA, if the developer’s skills are very good, and has hands-on experience by building apps and projects, the salary can range from 8 LPA (INR) - 10 LPA (INR). Developers need to be good communicators in order to verbally showcase their talents. This means to overcome common fears like Imposter Syndrome as a developer, and be fluid in their approach and explanations in interviews. This can increase the chances of getting a better job with better pay without prior experience as a developer.
With 4-5 years of experience under the belt, full-stack developers in India can earn close to 15 LPA. This is a general progress-view, but with the right knowledge and talent, students from AltCampus have consistently bagged full stack developer jobs with packages in the range of 9-15 LPA, regardless of previous experience.
The Verdict
It stands to reason that with good skills, salaries are practically a no-brainer. You can earn as much as a senior developer in India and even abroad, if you have the right skills to showcase. Learning to program in a bootcamp where you get access to a well-structured curriculum, personalized mentorship, and innumerable practice exercises along with feedback loops, can kickstart your career as a full-stack developer anywhere in the world.
If you are curious to learn everything you need to know to become a full-stack developer, head over to AltCampus and start learning for free today! 🚀