Full-stack

Hello, dear friends!
I have a question about the word "Full-stack".

According to the dictionaries I take it full-stack means a person who's familiar with all aspects in some field, BUT in Google most examples revolve around computing: "Full-stack software developer or designer".

I wonder if it's possible and natural to use the word in reference to a wider range of professions beyond the IT sphere, like full-stack engineer (on a plant - mechanical or electrical), marketer, tutor or others ?

I've never heard of the word, in any context. It's not in common use, whatever it means.

Dmitry87 said:

According to the dictionaries I take it full-stack means a person who's familiar with all aspects in some field, BUT in Google most examples revolve around computing: "Full-stack software developer or designer".

Wiktionary:
Oxford Dictionary:
Macmillan Dictionary:

I cannot find it in Longman, Collins, Cambridge, or Merriam-Webster dictionaries. Perhaps it is really uncommon.

Dmitry87 said:

I wonder if it's possible and natural to use the word in reference to a wider range of professions beyond the IT sphere, like full-stack engineer (on a plant - mechanical or electrical), marketer, tutor or others ?

I suspect the answer to that is no.

A computer programmer or systems analyst/designer would presumably know what it meant, but it's doubtful whether anyone else would.

DonnyB said:

I suspect the answer to that is no.

A computer programmer or systems analyst/designer would presumably know what it meant, but it's doubtful whether anyone else would.

I agree! That's what I've found about "full-stack":
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https://www.quora.com/What-does-the...he-defining-traits-of-a-full-stack-programmer
What is a stack?
It is a combination of tools such as programming languages, frameworks and so one, that were used while building a mobile or web solution.

The Beginner’s Guide to Full Stack Marketing via @Onboardly
What is a “full stack marketer”?
You’ve likely heard the term “full stack engineer” thrown around. It’s used to describe engineers who can complete a project from start to finish… all by themselves. They have a background in everything, but they’re an expert of nothing. Somewhere along the way, we applied that same concept to marketing and ended up with full stack marketers.
Full stack marketers have a working knowledge of all of the modern marketing tactics, from PPC and email marketing to social media and PR.

"Full stack" for mechanical engineers : engineering
"Full stack" for mechanical engineers.

...I would say I'm full stack in my niche. This is what I am and what I do. Graphic design, Product photography, Customer service, Marketing…

...Full-stack indicates knowledge outside of the primary job role. So if you are a programmer with full stack, you can program with the hardware/limitations in mind to reduce future time/cost to a project...

...IMO, a full stack engineer is someone who can reduce cost/time on a project by planning ahead in the design/execution for other areas...

So... basically a full stack engineer is impossible since you couldn't possibly learn all this in one life time, but you can learn some of it. Also you can pretend you are a full stack engineer and say techno terms to impress your colleagues / future employers.
Beyond engineering related stuff, I think having knowledge in IT, Accounting, Marketing/Sales is good areas to have since the knowledge can be learned easily and online. The other areas typically require hands on experience or specific job roles.
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So, to sum up, the word "full-stack", as I understood, initially relates to IT in terms of combination of software products/tools. But sometimes, though very rare (perhaps in quotes), it is used by analogy with IT-term with reference to the whole tool set need to be mastered to reach the expert level in particular field.

Dmitry87 said:

"Full stack" for mechanical engineers : engineering
"Full stack" for mechanical engineers.

I am a mechanical engineer and have never heard the term, nor have I come across it in any of my interactions with computing professionals.

It appears to be used only in computing, and only for recruitment; it does not seem to exist in job titles, for example. While the term might well be known within the recruitment industry, and recruitment agencies might try to use it in other fields besides computing, I suspect all they are doing is putting off potential applicants by use of such an unfamiliar term and sending others scurrying to dictionaries to find out what it means. A job applicant using this term in a resume or covering letter outside the field of computing would likely get rejected out of hand (unless the term was used in the job advertisement), as recruitment managers don't have time to look things up in dictionaries.

Uncle Jack said:

A job applicant using this term in a resume or covering letter outside the field of computing would likely get rejected out of hand (unless the term was used in the job advertisement), as recruitment managers don't have time to look things up in dictionaries.

Yeah, a "full-stack farmer" or "full-stack hairdresser" are unlikely to work out, I assume ))

Dmitry87 said:

So, to sum up, the word "full-stack", as I understood, initially relates to IT in terms of combination of software products/tools.

In IT, it just means "frontend+backend" in web development.
Those web developers that are able to do both frontend and backend programming are referred to as 'full-stack web developers'.

More about it: Frontend vs Backend Web Development - Hiring | Upwork

In IT, there were defined stacks before there were full-stack developers.
Solution stack - Wikipedia

In computing, a solution stack or software stack is a set of software subsystems or components needed to create a complete platform such that no additional software is needed to support applications.[1] Applications are said to "run on" or "run on top of" the resulting platform.

Outside of IT, stacks are less clear so it's less clear what a full stack person would be.
A knitter works with wool. What's a full stack knitter? Do they raise sheep? Shear sheap? Card wool? Spin yarn? ... Market clothing to stores?
There's more than one IT "stack" (a job might require a full stack LAMP developer) so is there a knitter that works with the cotton stack instead of the wool stack? 👁 Smile :)

Myridon said:

In IT, there were defined stacks before there were full-stack developers.
Solution stack - Wikipedia
Outside of IT, stacks are less clear so it's less clear what a full stack person would be.
A knitter works with wool. What's a full stack knitter? Do they raise sheep? Shear sheap? Card wool? Spin yarn? ... Market clothing to stores?
There's more than one IT "stack" (a job might require a full stack LAMP developer) so is there a knitter that works with the cotton stack instead of the wool stack? 👁 Smile :)

What's wrong with a "full-stack street sweeper"? 👁 Smile :)

Yeah, I think we've already cleared things up, and figured out that it's an IT slang.
But the extracts I wrote above made me puzzled first. They are only drawing analogies to IT term, as I understood

Vovan said:

In IT, it just means "frontend+backend" in web development.

'Frontend' is what end users get from the server (a web page; e.g. text formatting, screen buttons, scripts that work without connecting to the server, etc.), while 'backend' deals with scripts that run exclusively on the server (this part is hidden from end users; e.g. scripts for users to log in/out).​

Those web developers that are able to do both frontend and backend programming are referred to as 'full-stack web developers'.

More about it: Frontend vs Backend Web Development - Hiring | Upwork

Thanks, Vovan!

My experience with full-stack vs "half-stack" (or "short stack") relates entirely with pancakes at the pancake house. At the USA pancake chain, IHOP, a full stack is five pancakes and a short stack is three pancakes.

So a half stack lacks what the full stack has: Completeness.

I suspected that the engineering terms were metaphors for this. (A full stack engineer would have mastered all aspects of computer design).


But since some components in a computer might be "stacked" this "stacked" could easily be from another source.