Houston is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, and it’s the most populated city in Texas. Over two million people live in the city itself, and the area gains over 200 new residents every single day! Houston’s thriving tech industry is a driving factor in its massive population growth, so the city is a fantastic place to be if you work in the industry.
Employers around the city regularly search for people to fill positions, and fullstack developers in the city enjoy excellent job prospects. If you’re a fullstack developer (or want to become one) and live in Houston, you can expect to enjoy a handsome and competitive salary. Although fullstack developers in Houston earn 10% less than the national average, they live in a location with no state income tax. In this article, we’ll cover the average entry-level and senior fullstack developer salaries in the Houston area and explain how you can become one in less than a year.
What Is Fullstack Development?
In web development, a fullstack developer builds and manages all the functions of a website. Fullstack is a hybrid of both front end (client-side) and backend (server-side) development, and the job involves running the whole process from start to finish. These programmers must have extensive knowledge of several coding languages, all of which are common and relatively easy to learn. These languages typically include HTML, JavaScript, and CSS for front end work and PHP, Python, and Ruby for backend development. Most fullstack developers either attend college for computer science or graduate from a coding bootcamp that specializes in web development.
Junior Fullstack Developer Salary
Junior fullstack developers have the skills to do the job, but not enough work experience to call themselves experts. To qualify for a junior position, you typically need a decent portfolio of projects from freelance work or an education program, plus a college degree or coding bootcamp certificate. Most companies also hire entry-level candidates with even less experience, but hiring qualifications vary among employers.
In Houston, junior fullstack developers earn an average starting salary of $78,000 annually, which is impressive for an entry-level position. The top earners in this position make upwards of $97,000, while the bottom 10% earn $55,000. In the tech industry, it’s common for programmers to increase their income exponentially with experience. If you’re not yet impressed, read on to see what senior fullstack developers earn.
Senior Fullstack Developer Salary
Most companies require employees to have at least five years of experience before they can qualify for a senior fullstack developer position. Some candidates get by with just an advanced degree in science, technology, engineering, or math. However, no degree is required for this position. Anybody with experience and an impressive portfolio can earn the title of senior fullstack developer.
In Houston, a senior fullstack developer can expect around $110,000 annually, but salaries vary quite a bit in the region. The top earners in the area take home more than $130,000 per year, with the lowest-paid professionals still earning over $80,000.
How to Become a Fullstack Developer
Until recently, there were only a few ways to train for a fullstack development job. Many people taught themselves using online resources, and others went to college. However, demand for skilled programmers soon outstripped supply, so the tech industry came up with an innovative solution to fill these positions. They created their own kind of technical education programs called coding bootcamps, which equip students with the skills they need to be successful developers.
Coding bootcamp isn’t college. It’s a short and intensive education program that teaches people to code and do the work that the industry needs. These schools last between three and 18 months, and they’re a proven way to land a job in this lucrative industry. If you want to become a fullstack developer but don’t want to attend a four-year university, click the link below to find out more.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
