The traditional view of a web developer was one that would specialize in a certain area. The full-stack developer is someone who can do it all. They are also able to pick up any other skill that they don’t have and work on it to the point where they are proficient in it.
Full-stack developers are the Renaissance men and women of the modern era. In the same way that Leonardo da Vinci didn’t specialize himself in any one field – being at once a painter, military engineer, inventor, and more – today’s full-stack developers possess highly varied skills when it comes to programming.
For the budding full-stack developer who has great ambitions, their skillset is their currency. The results they achieve and the opportunities they get will largely be determined by the usefulness and the combination of the competence they can bring to the table in a business setting.
The 5 Top Programming Languages Every Full-stack Developer Needs to Know
There are so many programming languages out there, and sometimes it can be difficult to know which ones you should learn. Here is a list of the top 5 programming languages every full-stack developer should know in order to become true, modern-day Renaissance men and women.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a language that is used to code for the web. It is a full-stack language because it can be used for both front-end (client-side) and back-end (server-side) programming.
Some people think that JavaScript has been overtaken by other languages in terms of features or speed, but it has been recently updated to provide better performance and compatibility with newer libraries.
SQL
SQL is an easy language to learn, and one that can be used by both front-end developers and back-end developers. It is a standard language for querying databases, which means that you will be able to communicate with both the front-end and back-end of your application – which also goes perfectly with your JavaScript knowledge.
Recommended reading – more about SQL here: https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/sql.
HTML/CSS
HTML and CSS are the building blocks of web design. They allow you to create a website’s layout and style, which is important for developers who want to make their own websites. Creating websites that are functional as well as attractive requires knowledge of HTML and CSS as well as other skills such as JavaScript or Python—but these programming languages can be learned later on, depending on the goals that you have and the functions you will fulfill in the company you work for or plan to work for.
C
C is a general-purpose programming language that is a fundamental skill for any developer to have in their repertoire. C is a good language for full-stack developers because it is so versatile, being used in the kernel, operating systems, compilers, and databases.
Python
Python is a versatile and expressive programming language. It can be used to develop interactive games, web applications, and desktop applications. Python’s syntax is clean and simple and it’s easy to learn for beginners. Along with this, Python supports multiple programming paradigms such as object-oriented, imperative, functional, and procedural styles. This makes it easy for developers to switch between styles as needed.
As awesome as any of the possibilities with these programming languages are separately, true magic happens when you combine them to create a greater whole than the sum of the parts. It’s the difference between a football player being able to at once sprint fast, dribble, or cooperate with his team, instead of possessing great skills in any one of these without also being good in the others. For the modern full-stack developer, the above programming languages will form the foundation for your entire career.