Hi guys, I am starting a 1-year online course in backend web development next week at Noroff. Previously, I studied business data science for two years, but it focused too much on business rather than programming. I did gain solid skills in Python and MySQL.
I love programming and want to learn more, but I’m not exactly sure what backend developers do daily. Can someone explain their typical tasks? Also, will my education be enough to land a job as a software engineer and backend developer? Thanks!
I’ve been a backend developer for about 2 years, and the work can vary depending on the language and company. Each place has different tasks for backend devs.
I worked on a big website using Symfony, mainly implementing new features, refactoring code, and maintaining the website infrastructure. At the start of the week, stakeholders voted on features they wanted, like a permission system or a voucher system. These tasks were put into tickets on a Kanban board and assigned to developers for the weekly sprint. I also did code reviews to ensure consistent coding styles and principles (we used PSR-4, OOP, and SOLID).
Is your education enough? You can even get a job without formal education if you’re skilled. As long as you’re comfortable with Python and MySQL, it really depends on the interviewer.
As a backend developer, your daily tasks typically involve designing and implementing server-side logic, managing databases, and integrating APIs to connect front-end and back-end systems. You’ll write code in languages like Python, handle data storage and retrieval with databases such as MySQL, and ensure the application’s performance, security, and scalability. Your existing skills in Python and MySQL provide a strong foundation, and your upcoming course at Noroff will further enhance your backend development knowledge. With practical experience from your course, you should be well-prepared to pursue a career as a software engineer or backend developer, leveraging both your programming skills and the analytical abilities gained from your business data science studies.
I’ve been a backend developer for about 2 years, and the work can vary depending on the language and company. Each place has different tasks for backend devs.
I worked on a big website using Symfony, mainly implementing new features, refactoring code, and maintaining the website infrastructure. At the start of the week, stakeholders voted on features they wanted, like a permission system or a voucher system. These tasks were put into tickets on a Kanban board and assigned to developers for the weekly sprint. I also did code reviews to ensure consistent coding styles and principles (we used PSR-4, OOP, and SOLID).
Is your education enough? You can even get a job without formal education if you’re skilled. As long as you’re comfortable with Python and MySQL, it really depends on the interviewer.
Some of the terminology are based on my experience from watching numerous YouTube videos, while others are from work, which my coworkers were gracious enough to clarify. Before applying for jobs, it is a good idea to understand basic industry jargon. If the interviewer uses a lot of jargon, at least you do not have to ask them what they mean all the time. After all, understanding jargon is a minor detail that only needs to be taught once, so I doubt they would mind. However, knowing a little jargon looks nice on you.