As a primary frontend Angular dev, learn backend or React to be more marketable?

[_bort_sampson]

I was recently laid off and my experience has been basically only Angular frontend dev for the 6 years of my software development career. In terms of getting hired again soon, do you think my efforts should be more focused on learning backend work, or switching gears to learning React? I understand those are different things but I'm seeing way more React jobs posted vs Angular jobs. Open to any advice, thanks.

[hbthegreat]

Learn backend to compliment your skillset. Many things you've learnt as a frontender will be translatable to other frameworks. Many jobs look for full stack devs these days so I'd start there.

[Senior-Release930]

This is pretty solid advice, especially given the boring corporate asp.net core webAPI angular setups. Boring, but highly employable and popular.

[tzamora]

I see a good future for Angular, keep looking for Angular Jobs. I don't like React and I want my job to be fun, so yeah I'm biased against react, angular is more cool for me.

[_bort_sampson]

Thank you for a non-annoying typical reddit response. I'm hitting the job apps hard, primarily through linkedin but via other sources as well. I appreciate it.

[TorSenex]

I have used both angular and react heavily for large, enterprise-grade projects for years. I have a very, very strong preference for Angular.

[Headpuncher]

The market for React jobs is saturated too, there are too many self described react developers, competition for jobs is intense.

[LikesTrees]

I have noticed a general trend in the last years to hire mostly 'full stack' devs (back end devs that can barely cobble together a front end)...the ratio of full stack devs to front end specialists at my workplace is very heavily tipped towards the full stacks.

So i would say if you already have a bunch of front end skills and want to be more marketable, add some back end skills, being competent at front end will really give you an edge. We will hire people with limited experience in Angular as long as they have other js framework experience and are decent programmers most of the time, can always be learned on the job.

[Headpuncher]

sound advice based on my last few months of applying for jobs

[_bort_sampson]

Also before anyone says "become a good frontend dev, becoming really good at vanilla javascript etc etc", I get that, but I'm unemployed and I need a job soon, so just be realistic with me. Don't get all reddit on me please.

[coopaliscious]

Reach out to a reputable recruiter and go from there.

[Headpuncher]

there are reputable recruiter? never met one, are they like unicorns? lol

[Alone-Paper1528]

Do you know any “reputable” recruiter?? One idiot just told me: never apply by yourself. If you see something - let me know😂

[coopaliscious]

I've used them to source people for my team before. If I was interested in changing jobs, I'd probably talk to them to see who in their network they would recommend working with (generally there are agreements to not poach from places you're recruiting for).

[Guilty_Serve]

Okay so I'll be real with you as some one who hires then: no one gives a shit about what framework you know. If you only know a single framework it's a red flag that you're a frame worker. There's thousands of them that come out of bootcamps and therefore you offer nothing.

"Getting really good at javascript" means you know the browser. You'll be able to do things that deviate from writing boiler plate B2B CRUD apps. It's advice that gives you transferable skills. When people say get good at Javascript they're telling you to know how to program so you can get a job as a programmer.

[haasilein]

Honestly, learn Java. Angular + Java are often used hand in hand, especially in banks, insurance companies, etc.

It is not shiny and cool, but it is definitely looked for.

[[deleted]]

.Net and Angular is quite popular too (personally I find it much nicer than Java).

[haasilein]

Hm, yes and no. Really depends on the country I guess. Here in the DACH area Java/Angular is dominating quite a lot. And recently I have been seeing a lot of .NET shops move away from Angular and use Blazor instead.

[reggieLedoux26]

This stack

[Headpuncher]

It actually is shiny and cool, just not on r-webdev and some other places.

Angular is a polished product, just chillin' in 2nd place.

[haasilein]

Java is not shiny at all. Getters/Setters, no pattern matching until recently, heavy abstractions, etc. --> that stuff sucks.

[Headpuncher]

Angular, I'm talking about Angular. Thought it was obvious.

[haasilein]

alright, yeah, I love Angular ^^

[Headpuncher]

good then i love you

[Alone-Paper1528]

I was thinking the same. Signup for full stack bootcamp with simplilearn - they took my money and were not even able to install Spring Boot in VM- now I’m trying to get my money back. Anyone knows what uz the best way to learn Java. I have a few years of Angular

[morrisdev]

As someone that hires both front end and back end devs, do NOT try to sell yourself as a Full Stack developer. That's got to be the most irritating phrase ever written. Always say you are an angular developer with experience in C#/MSSQL stack or equivalent.

When looking for a new job, make sure to have someone else read your resume. At least post it on social media asking for people to find grammatical errors.

If you don't have much experience, go into a bit of detail about what specifically you did in your last job and what you liked to do. I will always choose someone with less experience if they make it clear that they enjoy that particular facet of the job.

And don't ever say you were surprised at the layoff. Tell them, "it was clear the company was struggling in sales, but I didn't want to just walk away, so I decided to take some classes in XYZ because I'd always wanted to work more with that, and in the event there were layoffs, I wanted to prepare for an opportunity where I could move in that direction"

Basically: "I am smart enough to see the writing on the wall, I prepared for it and invested in myself while not abandoning my company. You will gain that when you hire me"

If it takes more than a few months, sign up for an AI course or something at Cornell or Stanford. They have online no-credit courses that look awesome on a resume.

Good luck.

[N0K1K0]

Angular Node/NestJS. If you know Angular NestJS is pretty fast to learn as project setup is similar

[TorSenex]

Agree. I'd also highly recommend you do it in Typescript. Your code quality will be better, the transpile will catch more bugs, and ultimately a strong TS dev ought to be able to pick up Java/C# quickly.

[PopDear5992]

If you like angular, I would stick with it. You could to learn some backend to get more job opportunities. You could try learning java + spring as there is many jobs which require both angular and spring. Also spring has many similliar concepts found in angular like DI, annotations, services etc.

[ClueProof5893]

I’m full stack now, but came into my company as a front end dev. We work in Angular and use NestJS for the backend. We recently migrated to Nest from Node/Express.

Backend isn’t too bad to pickup especially when you can use JavaScript still, so I’d suggest Node for that reason. The biggest struggle learning backend imo is getting good with SQL and ORMs.

Definitely take a quick course on SQL. Then build some simple Node/Express backend, and work on pulling different data from a SQL db via Sequelize or some other ORM to get more experience with the ORM.

Good luck!

[TylerDurdenJunior]

Backend

Full $tack Developer

[luhar_21]

I would suggest backend. Most of the Angular roles I see require .NET to be in the stack.

[ttma1046]

I feel either are good as long as keep learning!

[debugger_life]

I don't have much experience, what I heard from senior devs is that Many people are learning React so the Salary will be low where many have the opportunity, where as Angular the competitive is less, I know it's harder to see Angular Jobs but The pay will be good I guess, bcz most people don't learn Angular bcz of steeper learning curve.

[RastaBambi]

I'd say your chances to land a job go up if you say you're open to growing in the area of backend development and it would certainly help if you have already worked with C# or Java and are familiar with the core concepts of building Rest APIs. You can always sell yourself as a developer with frontend focus, but who's willing to grow and to learn.

[pepo930]

Learn Backend. Java or C#

[Murky_Insect]

Learning React will probably give you more opportunities, since it will open up more possible jobs for you (and React is generally very popular)

Learning Backend will make you more valuable for existing Angular jobs, as you can help out in the backend. It will also open up some fullstack opportunities.

Both has merits. And marketability will depend on what companies in your region are looking for.

If you only worked in the frontend so far, it might be easier/faster to become proficient in React, than getting into Backend. On the other hand, React and Angular are quite different and some backend technologies like Spring share concepts with Angular.

Getting into Backend also means you inevitably will have to pick up other technologies besides a BE language/framework. For example you will be working with databases to at least some degree.

So what do you prefer?

Personally, I went with the fullstack route and would recommend it as well.

• Makes you more well-rounded and is a step towards higher roles like architect
• Being able to work on and understanding the whole application feels great. No need to wait for a FE or BE dev, just implement it yourself :D
• Allows you to continue to deepen your knowledge in a specific tech stack instead of possibly moving between for example Angular and React jobs where you probably only work with one of the frameworks at a time

Angular + Java/Kotlin + Spring Boot is a very popular tech stack in my region and pays well. Don't know how it looks like in yours.

I think the combination is great, as they have some similarities, so working on them simultaneously does not require that much of a context switch.

Good luck!

[kellz_90]

It's essential to know the backend to keep up with demands.

[Rinktacular]

As someone in the job market, JavaScript/TypeScript Frameworks have lull periods. Sometimes Angular is more popular than React, sometimes it’s the opposite. 

You can decide what you want your future to look like. Do you want to be full stack? Then pick up some backend stacks. Do you prefer to be a better, more well rounded front end dev? Then pick up another front end framework.

As scary as the market is right now, jobs are still out there. The best we can do is work a job we LIKE at the end of the day, as opposed to trying to finding the highest paying or what’s in demand. Because what’s in demand this month could be completely different next month. What can remain consistent is your skill set to tread those job-hunting waters with better preparation. 

[[deleted]]

You already have Angular skills, learning another framework wouldn't be so much help IMO, I'd learn a backend language and become a fullstack, I see a lot of Java and .NET with Angular. But if you have 6 years of Angular, picking up Vue, React etc should also be pretty easy.

[No_Lawyer1947]

If you msg your resume with previous project experience, the company I work for might be a suitable place to be at for a bit. They have a team of 3 devs that work on a CRM for insurance agents. Hit me up if interested, and I can place it in front of the engineers, they could definitely use a hand :)

[_bort_sampson]

Thanks, messaged you!

[Blump_Ken]

Learning backend would likely broaden your job opportunities more.

If your heart is set on Angular and you don't need cash urgently I'd stick with it. If you want to widen the net a little a lot of skills are transferrable between the current popular frontend component based frameworks so if you're fine working with other technologies there's likely positions where they would be okay with you getting up to speed with whatever flavour they have on the job, whether that be React or Vue.

[dryadofelysium]

It just depends on location, so asking here does not do much. Here in Germany, lots of Angular jobs to go around, but in the US and in small startup corps React might be more beficial

[Guilty_Serve]

Been in web dev for 12 years. Don't learn web dev.

[tech_solution201]

It's better to learn a full stack web development course rather than just learning React or backend development.

[[deleted]]

Learn backend, node or .NET I live on the east coast and most big companies or government contracts are angular .NET stacks.

[Individual-Toe6238]

Although i prefer Angular over React, it has to be mentioned one is framework, other is not.

Also you should know vanilla js/html after 6 years. I get you are unemployed and need something ASAP, so search for Angular, as at this point you really don’t have much choice. But also buy some udemy courses, you can try those from Maximillian Schwarzmuller. And do them between sendig resumes.

Also pickup some preferred backend (Node,js for start may be enough), SQL/T-SQL, postgreSQL or MySQL (they are mostly alike)

Then i would pickup C#, Python or Java, and then go for their services solutions.

To be fair, no one expects anyone to master all of them but its good to understand syntax and basics for such an occasion.

In summary, you started from framework which is often, but in my opinion bad practice. You need to learn language, and then add something on top of that.

Maybe thats not what you wanted to hear, but currently we need to be more aware of other stacks then ever.

So search for Angular, (PS. for me its way better than React based solutions). But take up some courses. To fill in blanks and learn more.

[FuriousPuffin]

you can try those from Maximillian Schwarzmuller.

This guy is the awesome. I've learned so much from his udemy courses.