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by ardit33 4823 days ago
Yes and no.

For 5 years of experience that seems like in the low end, but if you have only front end skills, then jobs available to you will always be lower paid than somebody that has full-stack/back-end skills. Being good in the back-end means that you have to brush your Computer Science skills. Nobody wants to trust their back-end to people that don't have their CS down, and they are willing to pay more for the people that do, Front end is seen a less mission-critical area for most tech companies. Also the entry bar is lower, which increases competition (lots of new grads, or people that don't have CS skills can apply to those jobs), which decreases salaries. That's how it works.

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Start developing your back-end skills. Python, Ruby, Java, whatever suits you. Also makes sure your Computer Science knowlede is up-to date. Buy Skieana's Algorithms book (it is a great read), and internalize the most common algos. (Not memorize, but internalize). Being full stack will dramatically increase your job opportunities and income over time.

Also, it makes you much more prepared/ready to get a startup/product going, end to end.

1 comments

Good advice. I was actually a back-end engg for the first few years of my career. I ended up transitioning into front-end because I really enjoyed it, though I kind of miss helping out in all aspects of the stack.
I don't think being purely front-end means that you will get a lower salary, because I've seen front-end and UX people get paid equal salaries. Some of the ninja UX guys get paid really well.

If you are purposely staying in this place because "the work is good", then make sure that the $10k-20k less that you're making is worth the extra goodness, whatever it is. It's always a tradeoff. Also, no harm negotiating a raise.

In the end, you are selling your services, so don't get jipped. The very fact that you are here is a strong indication that might be.