Fullstack Developer
A fullstack developer builds both the parts of a software product that users see and click on (the "frontend" — usually a website or web app running in a browser) and the parts behind the scenes that store data, apply business rules and talk to other systems (the "backend"). In practice this means writing and reviewing code, fixing bugs and shipping features as part of a team, for anything from a bank's internal tools to a retailer's checkout to a startup's whole product. Most of the work is done inside an existing codebase built by other people, rather than starting things from scratch.
Approximate graduate salary
Typically around GBP 26,000–40,000 to start, though this varies widely. London and large tech or finance employers sit at the upper end and sometimes above it; smaller companies, agencies and roles outside major cities often start lower. Public-sector graduate developer roles usually pay less at entry but come with defined pay scales and pension arrangements.
What you'd actually do
- Picking up a ticket (a small unit of work described in a tracking tool) and working out what it actually requires — often more time is spent reading existing code and asking questions than writing new code
- Writing code in a branch, then opening a pull request so colleagues can review it; responding to review comments and changing your work before it gets merged
- Reviewing other people's pull requests, which is one of the main ways junior developers learn how the codebase is meant to work
- Writing automated tests, and debugging things that fail in the build pipeline (the automated system that checks and deploys code)
- A short daily stand-up meeting with the team, plus sprint planning, refinement and retrospective sessions if the team works in two-week cycles
- Investigating bugs reported by users or support staff — reproducing the problem, tracing it through the frontend and backend, and deciding whether it's a quick fix or something deeper
- Talking to designers, product people or business stakeholders to pin down what a vague request actually means before building anything
How graduates get in
- Graduate schemes at large employers — banks, insurers, consultancies, retailers, telecoms, government departments and big tech firms. These usually open in the autumn for the following summer, involve online coding tests and often a structured first year with rotations or formal training. Common route, but heavily contested.
- Direct application to a junior or graduate developer vacancy at a smaller company, agency or startup. Very common and often overlooked — these hire when they need someone rather than on an annual cycle, and interviews tend to focus more on a practical exercise and a conversation about your projects.
- Converting from a placement year or summer internship. If you did a sandwich year as part of your degree, returning to the same employer as a graduate is one of the more reliable routes.
- Degree apprenticeships and school-leaver programmes — an alternative to the graduate route rather than a follow-on from it, but worth knowing about if you're still deciding.
- Conversion from a non-computing degree, either through an MSc computer science conversion course or by self-teaching plus a portfolio of projects. This works, but you usually need substantially more demonstrable code to show than a computer science graduate does.
- Coding bootcamps. These exist and some graduates use them, but outcomes vary enormously between providers and they are not a requirement — be sceptical of guarantees.
What employers ask for
- A degree is usual but the subject matters less than you'd think. Computer science, software engineering and related subjects are the default path; maths, physics and engineering graduates are widely hired; humanities graduates do get in, but generally need clear evidence they can code.
- Grades: many large graduate schemes ask for a 2:1, and some still filter on UCAS points or A-level grades. Smaller employers frequently don't care about your classification at all if you can pass the technical exercise. This varies a lot.
- Demonstrable code. Personal projects, university coursework you can talk through, open-source contributions or placement work all count. What matters is that you can explain the decisions you made and what you'd do differently.
- Familiarity with at least one language properly rather than five superficially. Common ones in UK fullstack jobs include JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Java and C#, and you'll usually meet a frontend framework such as React or Angular. Employers generally expect you to learn their stack on the job.
- Basic Git (version control) and an understanding of how code gets from your laptop to a live system. Not always tested explicitly, but assumed from day one.
- Formal professional qualifications are not required to work as a developer. Some employers support cloud certifications or chartered status through a professional body later on, but nothing is a gate on entry.
- Some public-sector, defence and finance roles require security clearance or right-to-work restrictions that limit who can apply — check before investing time in an application.
Skills that matter
Reading unfamiliar code
Most of your first year is spent working out how someone else's system already behaves before you can safely change it.
Debugging methodically
Narrowing a fault down by forming and testing a hypothesis, rather than changing things at random, is the difference between fixing a bug in an hour and losing a day.
Version control and code review etiquette
You work in a shared codebase, so small, clearly-described changes that others can review quickly make you far easier to work with.
Understanding data and how it's stored
Fullstack work constantly involves designing what information gets saved, queried and passed between the frontend and backend, so basic SQL and data modelling come up repeatedly.
Asking precise questions
Requirements arrive vague, and the developers who get things right first time are the ones who clarify edge cases with the product owner or designer before building.
Learning a new tool without hand-holding
Frameworks and libraries change often, and employers hire graduates on the expectation they can pick up an unfamiliar one from documentation.
Where it leads
Graduate/junior developer: you work on well-defined tickets with your code reviewed closely. Typically a year or two, though structured graduate schemes often run to a fixed length before you move onto a permanent team.
Mid-level developer: you own features end to end, take part in technical design discussions, and start reviewing others' work. This is where most people spend a good few years, and the timing varies a lot by employer and how much responsibility you actively take on.
Senior developer: you make architectural decisions, mentor juniors, and are trusted to handle ambiguous or risky work. Timelines here vary widely — some people reach it quickly at small companies with lots of exposure, others take longer in more structured organisations.
The path then usually forks. One branch is technical: lead engineer, principal engineer or architect, staying hands-on with the code and shaping technical direction. The other is managerial: engineering manager or head of engineering, where you spend most of your time on people, hiring and delivery rather than writing code.
Sideways moves are common and not a step down — into DevOps or platform engineering, data engineering, security, product management, or contracting/freelance work. Several years of fullstack experience is also a common launchpad for founding or joining an early-stage startup.
What people get wrong
“Fullstack means you're expected to be equally expert in everything.”
Almost nobody is. In practice most fullstack developers lean one way — stronger on frontend or stronger on backend — and are competent enough to work across the whole thing. Employers generally want someone who can move between layers without getting stuck, not a specialist in all of them.
“The job is mostly typing code alone with headphones on.”
A large share of the week goes on reading code, code review, meetings with product and design people, and explaining technical trade-offs to non-technical colleagues. The developers who progress fastest are usually the ones who communicate clearly, not the ones who type fastest.
“You need a computer science degree.”
It's the most common background and it helps with the theory-heavy interview questions some employers still use, but a substantial number of UK developers come from other degrees, conversion MScs or self-teaching. What consistently matters more is code you can show and discuss.
“You'll be building new products from a blank page.”
Most commercial fullstack work is maintaining and extending systems that already exist, sometimes ones written years ago with constraints you can't change. Comfort with legacy code and incremental improvement is more useful than greenfield ambition.
“Big tech companies are the only jobs worth having.”
The majority of UK developer jobs are at companies whose main business isn't software — retailers, insurers, the NHS, local government, manufacturers, agencies. These are less contested, often give graduates broader responsibility sooner, and are spread far more widely across the UK.
Where this varies
The label "fullstack developer" covers very different jobs. At a small company or startup you may be the only person touching a feature, so you'll also handle deployment, database changes and occasionally talk directly to customers — broad exposure, less structure, less mentoring. At a large bank, insurer or government department there are separate specialist teams, more process, security and compliance requirements, formal code review standards, and a slower release cycle, but far more structured training and support. Consultancies and digital agencies sit in between and move you between client projects and technologies, which builds breadth quickly but can mean less depth in any one system. Technology stacks also vary by sector — .NET/C# and Java are common in established finance and enterprise settings, while JavaScript/TypeScript and Python dominate in startups and newer digital teams. Hiring processes differ too: large employers lean on online coding assessments and structured interviews, while smaller ones are more likely to set a take-home exercise or pair-programming session.
General guidance about the role across the UK market, not about any specific employer. Entry routes and requirements vary — always check the individual job advert.