Hi everyone,

I’m considering a career in web development and wanted to ask the community here for insights. With AI, low-code platforms, and shifts in the job market, is full-stack/web development still a strong career choice in 2025?

How are things looking in terms of opportunities, pay, and long-term growth? Would you recommend someone starting now to pursue this path, or is it becoming too crowded?

Appreciate your thoughts and experiences!

I see a lot of people being confused and rightly so given tech has accelerated compared to previous generations,And the kinda project they should make to get desirable jobs,

I only have one advice for beginners What "stack" you choose dont matter much,but what kind of "problems" you solve matters more

To be top grade full stack developer

1.Pick one stack and stick with it (React + Node.js, or Next.js + Django, etc.).

Don’t worry about “best stack” yet — pick what has good resources and jobs.

2.Build small apps: Todo, notes app, weather app, etc.

3.Clone existing websites (YouTube tutorials) 4.Build production-like projects

Add real features: authentication, payments, file uploads, search.

Deploy to cloud (AWS/Vercel/Render)

5.Learn System Design Basice How to handle scaling: caching, databases etc

Think about handling 100k users, not 10M yet.

This makes you “job-ready” beyond just building apps

Deep dive into system design

6.Design scalable APIs, understand database sharding, load balancing, CDN usage.

Practice designing systems like Instagram, Uber, or Slack.

At this stage, scaling to millions of users becomes a mental model exercise.

7.Solve unique problems (e.g., real-time sync, event-driven systems).

Extend known architectures for new use cases.

Example: real-time multiplayer framework.

8.Think beyond code: Product + People + Performance

Architect systems, mentor juniors, design infrastructure.

At this point, you’re not just a “full-stack dev” — you’re an engineer/architect.

Today I had my first technical interview after around 3.5 years, and honestly, it hit me harder than I expected.

I’ve been working mainly as a frontend engineer with React and also have experience working across backend/full-stack systems. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been revising React, JavaScript, frontend architecture, Node.js, databases, system design, etc.

I went into the interview feeling pretty confident.

The interview started with:

- What is REST?
- Design an API
- React reconciliation
- JSX
- Infinite scrolling / frontend design

The part that really got me was the React reconciliation question.

The interviewer gave me a Todo-list-like example using index as a key, with items being added at the beginning/end of the list.

I understood that something was wrong with using index as a key, but it took me a while to reason through exactly what React was doing during reconciliation.

He eventually gave me a hint about reconciliation, and then I was able to connect the dots.

Then I got another question:

"Why does JSX require a single parent/root element?"

I could identify the issue in the code, but I couldn't clearly explain why JSX requires a single root.

I also got an infinite-scroll design question, which I was relatively comfortable with.

The weird part is that after the interview, I realized:

I actually knew most of the concepts.

My problem was being able to retrieve and explain the fundamentals clearly under interview pressure.

For example, today I started revisiting basic JavaScript concepts like:

- Scope
- Hoisting
- TDZ
- Execution context
- Scope chain
- Shadowing
- Closures

And I realized I can understand these concepts when I reason through them, but explaining them cleanly in an interview is a completely different skill.

So I'm curious about other experienced engineers:

Have you ever had this experience where you knew the technology fairly well, but an interviewer exposed gaps in your fundamentals or your ability to explain them?

How did you fix it?

Did you:

1. Go back and systematically revise fundamentals?

2. Do mock interviews?

3. Practice explaining concepts out loud?

4. Focus more on problem-solving rather than memorizing interview questions?

I'm especially interested in hearing from 5–10+ YOE engineers who went through something similar.

Today definitely humbled me, but I'm trying to use it as a diagnostic rather than letting one interview define my confidence.

Would love to hear how you guys handled this.

I genuinely think Python is the most undermined programming language out there and it is not really anyone's fault but the perception around it needs to change.

Most people who come from a Java or C++ background look at Python and do not take it seriously. It feels too simple, too readable, almost like it is not a real language. That simplicity gets mistaken for weakness and that is a big mistake.

Python is running some of the most complex systems in the world right now. Machine learning, data pipelines, automation, backend APIs, scientific research, finance systems. The language that people dismiss as a beginner tool is quietly powering some of the most serious work happening in tech today.

The problem is how it gets introduced. Most people first see Python in a beginner tutorial or a simple script and that first impression sticks. They never see what it looks like when someone who really knows it builds something serious with it. So the insult reputation lives on unfairly.

If you have been sleeping on Python because it felt too easy or not serious enough I would genuinely encourage you to go deeper. The ecosystem, the libraries, the community, and the sheer range of things you can build with it is hard to match. Simple on the surface does not mean shallow underneath.

I didn't have any interest in IT when I was younger because I always thought it's a field that's way beyond my capabilities so never really bothered reading programming books.

I'm 35 now and I still think the same except I am very much keen to learn now (currently relearning Javascript via the Odin Project).

When I last visited my parents I was so pleasantly surprised they have these books and felt silly that I never even attempted to give them a read before.

Are these books (Database, JAVA API - - albeit pretty sure autolisp isn't relevant to my chosen path, might look into Lisp though) still relevant and could be helpful to my learning journey as a fullstack dev or for programming in general? The books even have the CDs haha.

Hi, I'm Nathan, and I want to learn full-stack web development, starting with HTML and CSS. Could you recommend a website or a book to help me get started, please?

I mean in India we are seeing thousands of freshers not getting jobs and the same freshers in few months to come come as a fake experienced employee who have inced worked in a company which never existed

Despite knowing the truth why is freshers are not being hired

Why is college not teaching freshers the same thing that coaching institutes are providing

Why is it so fake??!

Hi everyone,

I'm a full-stack developer, however, due to the rise of AI vibe coding, I'm not sure if coding by hand is worth the effort anymore.

I took a few months off after using AI, but I genuinely have a passion for coding. I am aware that AI isn't perfect and still requires human intervention.

My main question is, "Are you still dev'ing like before AI?"

Besides knowing your complete codebase and how your code functions, where do you feel the value lies in still writing code by hand?

Lastly, where do you see the value in continuing to progress and learn in 2026 and beyond?

With AI changing the job market so quickly, I’ve been wondering which career will continue to grow globally through 2035.
Not just survive, but see strong demand and create new opportunities.
If you had to pick ONE job or career path, what would it be and why?
Would love to hear different perspectives from people working in different fields.

I just started learning full-stack development. I already have some experience with C and C++, but I need full-stack skills for a project that will count for a large percentage of my grade in about two years. To prepare, I’m practicing by working on projects. Could anyone recommend some good resources to help me learn?

Once I asked my senior C++ developer with two decades of experience why doesn't he learn anything new, isn't it boring? He said: when you know how to do many things, many people will tell you what to do...

I'm a first year CS student and was thinking to learn web development, but is it even worth it? Anyone can build a website with the help of AI. And if not web development then idk what else to choose. Cybersecurity? Data engineer? DevOps?

With so many people learning the same technologies and building similar projects, I'm curious what actually makes someone stand out.

Personally, I think it's less about the number of technologies you know and more about:

• Building and shipping real projects

• Knowing how to debug and solve problems

• Understanding what you're actually building

• Being able to explain your work clearly

But I'd love to hear from experienced developers and recruiters:

What's ONE thing that makes you think, “I want to interview this person”?

Hi,

This is a website I created for learning fullstack engineering in 2021. It's based completely in my experience and it's up-to-date with the current technologies. Also, It's organized and indexed by paths (topics). I hope you like it. Please share it and upvote the roadmap in ProductHunt 🌈❤🚀

Website

ProductHunt page

Here I would like to share more than 500 remote jobs that I've curated from Hacker News Who is hiring thread. All these are 100% remote jobs not just allowed to work from home during COVID-19. These are 100% remote jobs and will continue to follow that after the covid.

https://remoteleaf.com/whoishiring.

✅ 100% remote full-time jobs.
✅ Each and every job is manually curated and verified. Spent more than 14 hours for this.

I’m currently learning Full Stack Development and I’m wondering how much SQL knowledge is actually required for a developer role.

Do Full Stack Developers need to be comfortable with things like JOINs, subqueries, indexes, database design, and query optimization? Or is basic CRUD knowledge enough for most entry-level jobs?

I am learning full-stack web development. I have already learned HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but I feel like I need to go deeper into JavaScript. My question is: I usually build projects by watching tutorials. For example, I watch a tutorial on a project, then I try to build more similar projects on my own without watching the tutorial. After building 4–5 projects by following tutorials, I try to combine them to create another project completely on my own. Is this a good approach? I sometimes feel insecure, like I’m not learning enough. Will I even be able to crack a job? I plan to start learning React after a few days. Can you give me suggestions on whether my learning process is good or not, and how I should improve myself so that I can actually land a job? I really need one.

Hello! I m currently understanding the basic of software development. The tech stack I have is:

Typescript

(Next.js + React) For Frontend

(Express ) For Backend

(PostrgeSQL+ Prisma) For database

But I never wanted to just able to code , so I thought to get good with DSA, Computer Networks , DBMS, Cloud and SYSTEM Design. And to achieve it I am currently studying some books :

1. Introduction to algorithms (CLSR) for DSA

2. Database System Concepts For DBMS

3. Computer Networking: Top to down approach For CN

I study CLSR 3-4 hours a day and using those concepts in projects , and the remaining books 2 hours a day with again using those concepts in projects . After completing these I would lean cloud computing and then System design from the popular book (Designing Data Intensive Application).

What do you guys think about my roadmap? Any suggestions?

Hello everyone,

I’m from South Asia and I’m currently pretty confused about my career path. I’ll be starting university in 2027, and I’m planning to study computer science.

I’ve always been really interested in full-stack development and software engineering. What attracts me to it is the ability to actually build things from scratch, experiment with ideas, and turn them into working products. I genuinely enjoy that aspect of programming.

My current plan is to eventually do my master’s in the US, mainly because the job market in my country is quite limited. There aren’t many good software engineering opportunities here, and even when jobs are available, the compensation often isn’t particularly good relative to the cost of living and the amount of work involved. So ideally, I want to build strong skills during my bachelor’s, pursue a master’s in the US, and then try to enter the US tech job market.

But with AI advancing so quickly, I’m starting to question whether this is still a sensible career to pursue.

New and more capable AI models seem to be coming out constantly, and I keep hearing predictions that in the future, 10 developers might be able to do the work that currently takes 100. I also see a lot of people saying that software development will become heavily automated, that entry-level jobs will disappear, and that freelancing in particular is becoming extremely difficult.

My original plan was to learn full-stack development, then build a strong foundation in software engineering and system design, while also learning how to integrate AI into applications. Basically, I’d like to become someone who can build complete systems and use AI as part of the development process rather than compete against it.

But I’m struggling with one question:

What if I spend the next 5–7 years becoming really good at all of this, only to find that AI has automated most of the work by then?

I understand that AI will probably change software engineering rather than simply make it disappear, but I honestly don’t know where the line is between a reasonable concern and unnecessarily worrying about the future.

For people who are already working in the industry, how do you see this playing out?

If you were starting university in 2027, especially coming from a country with a relatively weak tech job market, would you still pursue full-stack/software engineering? If so, what would you focus on learning to make yourself valuable in an AI-heavy industry?

I’d especially appreciate perspectives from experienced developers who have actually seen how AI has changed their work over the last few years.

Thank You

(I asked AI to polish my texts as my English is kind of mediocre and don't want you guys to get confused, Thank You for understanding)

Hi all,

I have a computer science background and was initially working in networking/telecom support. Eventually, after 2 years I realized I didn’t belong there, so I quit to pursue my real passion: full-stack development.

It’s been about a year now, and despite learning and practicing full-stack technologies, I haven’t been able to land a role in the domain. I try to show my previous work experience as relevant, but somehow it’s not translating into interviews or offers.

I’m honestly worried about the gap — will this year-long break affect my chances long-term?

I’m looking for advice on:

How to prepare effectively for full-stack interviews

How to convince companies of my full-stack capabilities despite my prior unrelated work

Any strategies to shorten the gap effect and make myself more appealing

Any insights, personal experiences, or guidance would mean a lot.

Thanks in advance!

I’ve built a few CRUD apps and some clones, and they work fine, but they still feel kind of basic. Not sure if that’s enough or if I’m just doing the same type of project over and over.

What kind of projects actually help in getting a full stack job?

I’ve been learning web development and wanted some advice from people already working in the field. Here’s where I’m at:

• Basics of HTML, CSS, JavaScript

• Small projects (calculator, quiz app, CRUD in PHP+MySQL)

• Started React.js, building small components

• Learning a bit of PHP + MySQL for backend (auth systems, CRUD)

• Hosting projects on GitHub and slowly building a portfolio

My goals:

• Build full-stack websites

• Land a remote job or freelance projects

• Stay relevant as AI/tools evolve

Questions:

• Should I keep focusing on React first, or shift to backend (Laravel/Node.js)?

• Which skills/tech are most useful for junior web devs in today’s market?

• Any common mistakes beginners make that I should avoid?

Would appreciate any guidance

Hey everyone, I graduated recently from university and I want to work as a full stack web dev. I got called from companies but I had been eleminated in the interview process. I want to make projects that both taught me the concepts and make me pass the interview, and will look good on my CV. My current tech stack is React JS and Node.js. If you have any suggestions, I'm pleased to hear them, thanks.