How to Become a Full Stack Developer in New Jersey
Web and app developers are in high demand everywhere, including in New Jersey. As businesses build better websites and applications for customers, they need professionals who can code and build both the front end and the back end.
These versatile professionals are known as full stack developers. They understand design and can work in languages for creating the user interfaces and the back-end mechanics. This is a fairly new career, but employers increasingly want workers who can do everything.
In New Jersey, you can become a full stack developer in weeks or months. You need to learn certain skills, but there is no need to earn a four-year or even two-year degree to get started in this lucrative career.
What Training is Required for Full Stack Developers?
There are currently no set standards or requirements for education or licensing for full stack developers in New Jersey or other states. This gives you a lot of flexibility to create your own training program. Employers simply want to see proof that you have the skills needed to do the job.
You may be able to find a comprehensive degree or certificate program for full stack development. You can also pick and choose courses or complete a fast-paced boot camp to get everything you need for this career.
A good mix of courses should include at least one front-end coding language, one for the back end, and web and app design or user experience design. These skills together will prepare you for most jobs listed for full stack developers in New Jersey.
Does New Jersey Have Any Full Stack Development Programs?
More and more schools are offering full stack development as a program, but degrees are still limited. You still have plenty of good training options in New Jersey:
- Rutgers University. You do not need to be an enrolled student at Rutgers to complete the full stack developer boot camp. Go full-time and finish in 12 weeks or take classes part-time while you work and be ready for a new career in 24 weeks. You’ll learn several different languages, complete real-world projects and take courses in databases, server side development and quality assurance.
- Nucamp. This boot camp for developers has locations around the country, including Newark, New Jersey. You’ll learn online during the week and meet in small groups with instructors on Saturdays. This allows you to work while you train. The few programs offered by Nucamp include one in full stack web and mobile development.
- Brookdale Community College. Brookdale offers students a full stack software developer certificate program with 600 hours of coursework. You’ll learn HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript for front-end design, Python for back-end coding, and database creation among other skills and technologies. The program is self-paced but must be completed within 18 months.
What is the Salary and Growth Like for New Jersey Full Stack Developers?
This is a growing career across the U.S. It is also a new career, so information on outlook and salaries is limited. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not yet report career information for full stack developers.
If you look at BLS information for web development, though, you can see that the industry is growing at 13 percent, much faster than average job growth. Kentucky is also seeing strong growth for systems and applications software developers.
While the BLS is behind on collecting full stack data, career websites already have the information. According to Indeed.com, full stack developers in New Jersey make $107,123 per year on average. With less than one year of experience, expect to earn around $88,000.
Working as a Full Stack Developer in New Jersey
With a growing industry, finding work as a skilled and trained full stack developer will not be difficult. Here are some examples of recent job listings in New Jersey: associate full stack developer for Prudential, Roseland; senior full stack developer for Prudential, Newark; Java full stack developer for Infosys Limited, Weehawken; and full stack application developer for Itlize Global, Piscataway.