1.5 YOE Full Stack Dev confused between staying vs switching to Data Science – need honest advice

Posted by Mayur_9-9@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 12 comments

Hey everyone,

I’m a Full Stack Developer at TCS iON with \~1.5 YOE (mostly Angular, limited backend experience).

I’m confused about my next move. My goal is to switch to a higher-paying role soon, but I’m unsure which path makes the most sense:

- Go deeper into Full Stack (backend + DSA)

- Switch to Data Science (currently learning Python/ML basics)

- Explore hybrid roles

Constraints:

- Not highly confident in any one area yet

What would you do in my position if the goal is a better-paying job in the next few months?

Looking for honest, practical advice.

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papayon10@reddit

Why not do Data Engineering? Best of both worlds

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BizAlly@reddit

If your goal is a higher salary in the next few months, I’d stick with full stack and go deeper. You already have experience there, so ROI is faster.

Data Science isn’t a quick switch it needs strong stats, projects, and time. Right now, doubling down on backend + DSA and targeting product companies will likely get you better results sooner.

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Outrageous_Duck3227@reddit

with only 1.5 years in, jumping to data science will probably just reset you to "fresher" pool, and that pay wont be great either. i’d double down on full stack, proper backend, system design, then maybe ml later. either way finding anything right now is a pain

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TodayEasy949@reddit

Is the suggestion same for 3yr of experience?

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Mayur_9-9@reddit (OP)

Yeahh I get it Thanks Do you have any resources or roadmap that I can follow? I'm pretty confused

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Ethancole_dev@reddit

Honest take from someone who went full-stack Python/FastAPI route instead of DS: the grass isn't always greener.

Data Science sounds more prestigious and pays well, but the day-to-day is a lot of data cleaning, stakeholder meetings about dashboards, and fighting with Jupyter notebooks. Full-stack, especially with Python on the backend, gives you way more agency to actually build things.

If your goal is higher pay, I'd double down on the backend side first — Python + FastAPI/Django, some cloud basics, and system design. That combo gets you into senior/mid roles that pay just as well as entry DS positions without spending 2 years learning stats.

DS also has a much higher barrier to entry now that everyone pivoted to "ML engineer." Unless you're genuinely excited about the math side, it's a tough road for the salary bump alone.

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fulfillthevision@reddit

Could you explain a little more about "cloud basics", like what particularly?

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unhealthy_carcass@reddit

backend development is really solid choice here - much faster to get good paying job than switching completely to data science which takes long time to master

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Mayur_9-9@reddit (OP)

Thank you guys Do you guys have any resources that I can use or a roadmap that I can follow? It'll be a great help