Josh Schertz

Full Stack = Expert Generalist

Does your passion align with what the world wants? I believe I am fortunate to have a passion in all things tech, since that knowledge has a premium to it. This was reinforced after reading about the myth of the full stack developer on Medium. I say this because everything I have been doing over the past few months is included in what is expected of a full stack developer, meaning that I am highly valued (I've always told myself that, but now it is for real. Haha!).

So why is are full stack developers so mythical? As Scott Hadfield, the CTO of Hello Pretty, a designer marketplace, described, very few people have the massive area of expertise required (and those that do are happily employed). What are some of these skills that are needed? Take a look at the table below. A true full stack developer would be an expert in at least two of components for each layer (plus other unlisted layers).

Medium Full Stack Developer is a Myth Scott Hadfield

As you can see, a full stack developer has to be an expert generalist. In a sense, they are the glue that is holding the rest of the team and project together. I find it cool that by being a one-man-band right now, I am becoming a full stack developer out of necessity. I will say that being curious has been beneficial once again.