I've run into back-end developers completely helpless when asked to do anything front-end - and even those mingling with it usually do not know the struggles of

I've run into back-end developers completely helpless when asked to do anything front-end - and even those mingling with it usually do not know the struggles of cross-browser compatibility and accessibility. So no, being fullstack (that is being mediocre on many things, and excellent in none), I do not consider front-end to be less serious. I think that opinion takes roots in the apparent simplicity of good ol' HTML vs the requirements of a complex algorithm riddled back-end. Especially with the rise of complex front-end frameworks, that difference in 'seriousness' tends to fade away in my opinion. And for the sake of the argument, there's a deeper complexity to satisfying users and clients with front-end (and the fact that everyone's a critic) that back-end folks do not encounter.