Here's Everything You Need To Know To Become a Full-Stack Web Developer

Bootcamps are a great way to kickstart your software development career. However, there are a myriad of questions that crop up before this journey begins.

Who is the field of web development for? Do you need a computer science background to make a career in it? What if you cannot learn programming? Or, what if you have never written a line of code before? What if you want to switch your career from say, an accounting field to web application development? What would one need in order to prepare for a future in web development?

These are just a few questions (and doubts) that arise in everyone who first ventures into this field. In this post today, we shall try to debunk a few myths and clear the doubts.

Who is this for?

Everyone. Period. Today, with the advent of internet access and affordable technology, learning is simply a matter of choosing the best from the vast ocean of resources available online. You only need time, effort, and determination to start and complete this journey. A laptop with internet, a code editor like VS Code, and good mentorship is all you need, tp get started.

It does not matter if you are a student, graduate, professional in either IT or another domain, or a drop-out. Today’s industry has shifted focus from demanding degrees and education, and instead requires skilled people who can build and ship things regardless of previous experience or knowledge.

Do you need a CS degree?

Now, this is a topic of rather much debate in online platforms, but we would argue (with much proof) that the necessity of a CS degree is almost moot. If you have one, it is always great. But that does not mean that not having a background in Computer Science is a barrier. Startups today are hiring only based on skills and not based on previous experience or knowledge. In fact, with diverse experience, developers can manage work better and have great insights on building applications. This makes your non-CS background and work experience, actually desirable in many companies.

So, keep hustling!

What if..?

This question begins an endless loop of doubts in the mind. It is natural to have doubts in the beginning. Imposter Syndrome as it is commonly known, is something almost every developer faces, in the beginning stages of learning or career. But prolonged self-doubt can sometimes hinder progress.

The answer is - yes, you can. You can learn programming at any stage. Students from AltCampus have shared their experiences about how they became successful developers whilst facing hardships or having different backgrounds. This article has wonderful stories about people from various backgrounds who studied hard and became full-stack developers at leading startups.

What you need for the journey

• Roadmap:

  • Choosing the proper tech-stack is important. This article lists the MERN stack in the leading tech stacks for the web in 2021 and for the foreseeable future. There are multiple alternatives as well. But the learning curve is different for each one.

  • At AltCampus, we have a comprehensive curriculum that focuses on MERN stack along with exhaustive projects, assignments, and exercises that enable you to build real world applications. Our alumni have found successful careers in leading startups. With MERN, you can just focus on one language - JavaScript - and build the entire stack with it, without having to worry about learning multiple languages. This is the perfect way to go, especially for a beginner so as to not get confused.

• Grit and Effort: Becoming a successful web developer does not have a secret recipe, but like mentioned before, it will require you to put in time, effort, and commit to both the joys and hurdles along the way. Especially in the web development field, JavaScript is a versatile language that speaks differently to different people in the beginning. You will need to give yourself the patience and the grit to master the language in order to start building things.

• Mentorship: This is another crucial element that you need as a learner. At one point or the other, learning tends to plateau, and the road ahead may seem tough. There are quite a few advanced topics as well that most people cannot learn on their own, especially if they do not have a background in the field. This is where having a mentor can substantially lighten your load. Mentorship will course-correct you when you are overwhelmed or lost, and also gives you a feedback loop, which will make you better at every stage.

• Build & Ship: Successful developers become who they are by consistently building websites and apps. At AltCampus, we encourage learners at every stage to build anything (check out their journey here) they can from whatever they have learnt till that point - be it a static website with HTML & CSS or a simple calculator built with JavaScript; this builds confidence and also makes you figure things out on your own when you are stuck. Help is always there on the net.

The road to learning anything in the technology field is rather difficult, given the competition and advancements today. But that makes it all the more encouraging for anyone to delve into the field of web development. Hopefully, your questions on what you need to become a full-stack web developer have been answered. If you are now confident to take the next step, why don’t you head over to our cool website and start your journey to awesomeness? 🙂