I Want Be a Fullstack Developer. What Should I Learn First?

Hey,

So in your question you used the words “programmer” and “developer”. Which are somewhat interchangeable…but not exactly.

However, I am going to assume you want to be a web developer since you used the terms frontend and backend, which pertain to web development.

Now:

If you want to do web development, I always recommend people learn HTML and CSS first.

Why? It’s a good introduction. There’s a reason why so many courses start with those two things—they act as a solid foundation.

As far as what to learn after that…

It depends on whether you want to specialize in frontend or backend.

I suggest not trying to go for fullstack…at least not within your first few years working as a web developer.

Here’s why:

The fullstack dev is (kinda) a myth. It’s not realistic.

There’s simply too much nowadays that makes up the frontend and the backend. As a result, a person is better off specializing in just one.

Below are all the components of the front and backend…

Image source

…yeah, it’s a lot!

Over time and as you progress, you will probably learn about both the front and backend. But there’s no good reason to do it all at once.

So…what should you do? You should experiment with both backend and frontend. See which you take a liking to.

And then focus in on that.

If you choose frontend development → check out this in-depth article I wrote about the skills required to become one.

If you take a liking to the backend → take a look at another article I wrote about the skills required to become a backend developer.

After honing your skills, take on freelance gigs in that area, build side projects, and ultimately build your portfolio and credentials!

Hope this helps!

Laurence