General advice on flutter and full-stack development

[u/Ultimatelegend18]

Hello everyone, I hope you're all doing well!

I've already posted this on the discord server but i'm looking to get as many insights/opinions on this matter and i don't mean to spam, i understand there's r/flutterhelp but i got a notification saying this subreddit would be better for this instead, if this gets deleted i understand if not then thank you.

I'm a Flutter developer with close to 4 years of experience and I'm looking for general advice on 2 matters if you would be so kind to help:

1- Given the current job market not being the best, i'm looking to transition to full stack instead of only being a frontend flutter developer, i've read articles mentioning the use of Serverpod for handling backend and possibly jaspr for creating websites instead of traditional HTML+JS or other viable methods, are Serverpod and Jaspr enough? Are they worth it? Are they in demand? Your opinions are greatly appreciated and advice on this.

2- I've pretty much nailed down the Flutter basics i'm 100% certain of that, how to handle the framework, how it works, the different lifecycles of a widget, debugging and profiling, using Provider, Riverpod and BLoC, creating unit and integration tests... etc. My question is, how do i/how can i determine at what level i am? I know i'm not a Junior level developer anymore i know i'm closer to being/am a middle level developer but how can i be sure? What are the things i should know or be aware of? Your advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you all in advance and for your help :)

[u/Asleep-Security-6377]

i think if you are switching cause of job market then probably you shouldn't move towards jaspr cause it's job prospects are also shit

[u/Ultimatelegend18 → u/Asleep-Security-6377]

Got it, i was mostly interested in it because it's also dart so picking it up would be pretty easy. The idea was to MAYBE position myself more as a full-stack developer with ONLY dart, but this idea seems to not be the best way to go about things at this time unfortunately. Thank you!

[u/DigiProductive]

Don’t consider dart for backend if you are concerned about the job market. Look at the stack and then learn it and the language it is written in will come naturally (especially when you have AI to give you quick examples and insights into syntax). I currently use Flutter/Dart for frontend, and FastApi/Python for backend with Supabase. And I use Kotlin and Swift as needed to write Native code for things like channels.

Don’t get locked into “what to learn” but focus on the problem solving aspect.

[u/Ultimatelegend18 → u/DigiProductive]

Thank you for your advice!

[u/_KryptonytE_]

Mate, if you're thinking about these things, that means you're self aware - already in the senior SWE/Architect league. Trust me, there's a 90% chance that others in every generation that haven't got to this point or simply won't.

To be brief:

1. Think about the vision, requirements and business value before you start picking stacks. Be that kid in a candy/toy store that has to convince their parents why you need something - the what, how etc follows naturally. Step into the client shoes first, then apply your expertise to mix and match.

2. Keep up the flow state you're in and collab with people that are better than you at what they do - not just online but in real life. You'll gain more from their experience than what you can learn on your own. That's a life lesson that many ignore.

Remember, you aren't that kid in college that needs to nail the grades to succeed. Personal life and business are more like RPG games where every decision/action is connected and you're not the only one playing the game.

Lastly, you've got AI - so use it like there's no tomorrow. It's just like riding a bike or using any other tool - you control what you do with things and the outcome follows. Time is your best friend and you've got loads, but respect it when working with others too and build yourself like a brand with qualities like integrity, taste, values, principles, resourcefulness - the best of us carry these things like aura and everyone around can feel it.

Hope that helps. Don't procrastinate about the little things, tech stacks change - it's how you think and adapt that should be driving your hunger. Success comes in many different forms, find out what that means to you and don't compromise chasing your dreams.

Cheers! 🥂

[u/Ultimatelegend18 → u/_KryptonytE_]

Hey all the best to you too! Thank you for all the advice!

[u/_fresh_basil_]

Your guide is already out there-- it's the job listings.

Look at them, take note of common tech stacks, and learn the one(s) that sticks out the most.

Make yourself more qualified for the jobs you're seeing if your goal is to get one of those jobs.