Essential Skills Required to Become a MEAN Stack Developer

• By Jess Mann
• 19-01-2023
• Mobile App Development

There is a myriad of tech stacks out there in the market and businesses are looking for developers who are not just adept in one tech stack but a range of them.

MEAN stack is one such cluster of technology stacks that modern-day developers are getting their hands on as more and more businesses seek them out.

In this blog, we’ll be diving deeper into the basics of the MEAN stack and understanding what it takes to become a MEAN stack developer.

Let’s dive right into it!

What is a MEAN Stack Developer?

A software engineer with a focus on creating online applications using the so-called MEAN stack, a group of JavaScript-based technologies, is known as a MEAN Stack Developer.

Benefits of a MEAN Stack Developer

Hiring MEAN stack developers has many benefits for businesses. Here are a few:

Flexible and scalable:

Both small and established businesses employ the MEAN stack. Flexibility becomes a crucial quality as a result of the frequently changing and expanding technologies and requirements. This is MEAN stack's area of expertise.

Free of cost:

This stack is open source. This stack's technologies are all open source. This indicates that anyone can use it and that it is freely available. The firms who employ MEAN stack for their web development find it to be cost-effective.

One stack, one language:

One programming language, namely Javascript, is utilised by each framework that makes up the MEAN stack. The majority of the alternative stacks make use of several frameworks, necessitating the developer's knowledge of numerous languages. Just to get started with full-stack web development, you might need to master languages like PHP, Ruby, and Python in addition to others. But all you need to learn for the MEAN stack is Javascript.

User-friendly:

The honour of being the technology that produces the best user-friendly results belongs to the front-end Angular framework. With dynamic and interactive functions, this architecture has fundamentally altered the user experience and thus gives MEAN stack an upper hand in software development.

Technical Skills Required to Become a MEAN Stack Developer

There are numerous technical skills specific to a MEAN Stack developer. But the ones that give it its unique name are the following:

M - MongoDB:

Because it is a document-oriented database that functions as a NoSQL database and saves records, MongoDB is a crucial part of the MEAN stack. It is open-source software that facilitates a developer's use of massive, dispersed datasets.

E - Express.js:

Express.js is a Node.js application framework that is available for free and is open source. Express.js is frequently used by developers to create online apps and application interface programmes (APIs).

A - Angular.js:

The structural framework Angular.js is used to build dynamic web applications. It is a reliable JavaScript framework that may be used in SPA projects.

N - Node.js:

Node.js, an open-source and cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment, is one of the key backend framework elements of a MEAN stack. It is frequently used to create a network and server-side applications and is crucial for creating real-time applications.

Apart from knowing these four technologies, other technical skills can leverage the standing of a proficient MEAN stack developer. Here are a few:

JavaScript:

Fluency in JavaScript is one of the obvious yet essential fundamental talents for MEAN stack developers. It is a web-based scripting language that can modify and update both HTML and CSS. It can inspect, manipulate, and validate data with effectiveness and efficiency because it is the more intelligent programming language. It is the best tool available for giving a website a dynamic feel. JavaScript is most frequently used to dynamically modify HTML and CSS to update content, build interactive maps, menus, and video players, and animate images, illustrations, or other graphics. A MEAN Stack developer should ideally have a solid understanding of how to build functions, work with the DOM, and create objects without the use of outside programmes.

HTML & CSS:

The structure of a web page is determined by HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language). The creation of web apps uses this markup language. A language called CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) can aid in improving the presentation of online pages. Make sure you are proficient in these two languages and are familiar with the fundamental HTML tags and CSS codes before attempting to tackle React. A functional website may be made with HTML and CSS alone, but JavaScript is what makes a website stand out. A web page can actively look more attractive and interesting by adding a few small Java programmes here and there.

Research Skills:

Research is essential for developing creative solutions that result in high-quality outcomes. You must learn to build a roadmap that is error-free by conducting a thorough study. You are expected to conduct in-depth technical research on your end as a MEAN stack developer before beginning any executions. Why is research so important to the whole procedure? It aids programmers in being ready for any unforeseen bugs that may arise while the programme is being developed. If developers have the answers available, it will be much easier to identify, analyse, and resolve these issues. After identifying a specific issue, users can use Google or Stack Overflow to see how others have resolved similar issues in the past.

Git:

Git is open-source software that helps both small and large projects grow and operate more efficiently. It enables developers to save changes to a project rapidly and roll back to earlier versions when a flaw is found. It can be challenging to master Git, but if they are proficient, developers can commit, push, and pull changes in the development environment, saving time and effort in the process. MEAN stack developers need to track and monitor changes made to project files as soon as they occur, including apps, scripts, websites, documents, etc. Additionally, in order to take advantage of the numerous opportunities in terms of productivity, administration, efficiency, and security, they must be conversant with all of the fundamental Git commands.

NPM:

NPM, or Node Project Manager, is crucial to understanding how to create Javascript apps. It is by far the most widely used package repository for Javascript developers, and MEAN full-stack engineers will almost probably have to deal with package distribution while working on projects.

UNIX Command Line:

One of the cheapest and most effective skills a MEAN stack developer can learn is how to use the command line, including how to navigate file paths, create and delete files, etc.

With the know-how of these technical skills, a developer is sure to excel once they start working professionally as a MEAN stack developer.

Non-technical Skills Required to Become a MEAN Stack Developer

Apart from the above crucial technical skills, there are certain non-technical or soft skills that a MEAN stack developer or any developer for that matter must know to excel in their career.

Let’s zoom in on a few:

Communication:

In software development, several teams collaborate to talk, plan, and create a product. This suggests that numerous meetings will be needed to create, improve, and work on a product. Every hiring manager will view a candidate's capacity for clear and fluent communication as their most important quality. Throughout those meetings, a MEAN stack developer must pay close attention to what the other members are saying and communicate clearly with them. Making simple comments and responding promptly are necessary to establish a solid reputation among the members. Additionally, you might need to speak with clients now and then to get their comments and allay any worries they might have about a product.

Time Management:

One of the most difficult components of creating software is managing one's time as a developer. A MEAN stack developer can be assigned to multiple projects at once. You can be writing new code when you suddenly find yourself expected to improvise on something that has already been done. Or sometimes, you must attend to a client. The solution is to develop your time management skills. Even though it does sound difficult, skilled programmers ought to be able to tackle it one at a time. In the chaotic realm of programming, nothing can be predicted as to what will occur or not. Because of this, it's crucial to ensure productivity by prioritising your tasks and making sure you complete them on time. Although time management can be difficult initially, maintaining a consistent routine will enhance your productivity at work and offer you a sense of fulfilment.

Teamwork Skills:

Software development is a team effort. Several teams work together to create a product. Each team consists of several individuals who should work closely to build a standout solution in the event of any faults, closely monitor the errors, and effectively collaborate to address them. An excellent developer should acquire efficient teamwork and communication techniques when working with a team of project managers, sales managers, developers, or designers. You can speak openly with your team members, address any issues or concerns, and effectively resolve them if you have strong teamwork abilities. If you are good at communicating, developing charismatic teamwork abilities will come naturally.

Leadership Skills:

One benefit of working as a MEAN stack software developer is that you can rapidly and easily advance to the position of a senior developer if you have the necessary abilities, charm, and track record of accomplishment. This means that to get ready for such a big responsibility, you will need to exercise your leadership abilities. Effective team leadership necessitates solid communication abilities as well as the capacity to evaluate each team member's performance and assign work appropriately, as we've covered several times in this piece.

Empathy:

Innovating software and establishing yourself as a reputable software developer both require empathy. Consider yourself as the end consumer before developing a novel product. Is the application safe to use and available worldwide? Is the software's user interface intuitive? Consider as many different scenarios from your client's perspective as you can, and be sure to provide a valuable product by solving the main issues that consumers encounter. When creating an application, employ analytics, surveys, and user feedback. In the long run, the software that is created with the comfort of the user in mind will be successful and attract attention.

Problem-Solving Skills:

Last but not least, being extremely curious and having the ability to solve problems are prerequisites for being a software engineer. To solve a problem, software development is carried out. For instance, meal delivery services were developed to make it easier for customers to order food online or over the phone. Finding and fixing frequent difficulties that end users encounter is crucial when creating software, as is making sure the programme is error-free. Though it might seem simple, solving problems is rather difficult. A programmer needs to understand both fundamental and sophisticated problem-solving techniques because many developers interpret problems incorrectly and cause additional problems in the programmes.

Agile Development:

Understanding how to work under agile development methodologies will ensure that a MEAN stack developer is prepared to contribute to the team from day one. It is another "soft skill" that can be just as vital as a specific piece of technical expertise.

Be it a MEAN stack developer or MERN stack developer, these soft skills must be a developer’s guiding light in building a fruitful career for themselves.

Conclusion

As we saw throughout the length and breadth of the article, the MEAN stack can make a huge difference for not only businesses but also software developers who pursue it as a career option. By simply mastering some of the above-mentioned skill sets needed to become a MEAN stack developer, programmers can ace the game and be one of the leading software developers in the market.