Interested in a career as a developer or software engineer and unsure which path is right for you? The rapid growth of the tech industry has given rise to an abundance of job titles and roles that seemingly overlap in education and skill sets. Among them, “full-stack developer” and “software engineer” are two titles that often lead to confusion. 

Both roles revolve around software development. You can think of full-stack developers as a subset of software engineers — they have a more focused skillset. They may also vary slightly in responsibilities, skills required, education, and salary prospects. In this post, we’ll provide a comprehensive comparison between a full-stack developer and a software engineer to help you understand which career path aligns best with your professional goals.

Full-Stack Developer vs. Software Engineer: A Brief Overview

Let’s start with a brief overview of some of the key differences between a full-stack developer and a software engineer. Understanding these differences will be important in helping you make decisions for your education and career path.

A software engineer applies the principles of engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate software systems. These systems are then used to make computers, programs, and more. They create products (such as apps, network servers, and games) for operating systems, networks, and hardware. They also create new software features to respond to industry and client changes. Software engineers typically specialize in a single aspect of software development, such as AI/machine learning or database management.

A full-stack developer uses many of they same principles, but they’re working on particular stacks