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Much of this comment section reeks of developers begging for scraps under the table. When did we get to this state? Scared of our employers, scared of losing our jobs, scared of having opinions. Do you what you have to do now, of course, but think bigger and better of yourselves long term.
As a job hunter, recently, I have been thinking about what is my value, does it have to be reflected in my job, if my value is there, is in myself, why do I spend several hours applying for jobs every day? My time is filled with my value. I am confused now.
IDK what that even means basically if you are not highly favored by recruiters or have a large network of the "right" friends, it doesn't even matter what you know. You're screwed either way. Unless you're like the Woz of this generation. They are giving all the jobs to H1B immigrants or outsourcing their tech to india bangladesh or china
Around 2022 when they laid off in the millions. When you exhaust everything you're qualified for, what you gonna do? Your advice makes sense 5 years ago, but it's just a circus right now. I can't even get temp work at Walmart. Let alone a proper software job. Just gigs.
I agree in principle, but most job ads these days are a laundry list of different things. You can’t be just a developer now you also have to be familiar with devops and infra. I think companies are in such a cost saving mode that they want people who can do it all. Why pay for two specialists when you can find a unicorn that can do both? I think that’s what’s also driving the grueling interview process - they’re hoping to find unicorns.
yeh exctly, while i do prefer the specialist route but unicorns have some crazy advantage in this era as i've seen these unicorn rookie out there on twitter putting some wired projects (mostly AI related ) and the sales they make put them on par with specialist atleast in terms of $$$
i was recently laid off from my development job. it made me consider leaving coding all together for the way i was treated on the way out. Im trying to find that spark in programming again but it might be gone. Cyber Security has been a big interest of mine, i might jump over in that direction
I’m in a bootcamp, and worried this will inevitably happen to me, my enthusiasm is already shaky. Are there any non-engineer tech roles you could switch into?
I would say don't let the layoff get to you, similar situation here but I think we should learn for ourselves, never for a company, I know the game and they can get rid of us with the snap of a finger but that's ok because we are of great value now more than ever with the AI revolution, never let them take that away from us. I know there are MANY opportunities out there looking for people like us and it is only a matter of time till we find that next position, now more than ever. It is impossible to not want developers now. You will definetely see that new position very soon!
No metter what you do, bosses could treat you as shit, so just keep going with new bad experience, with less expectations that you will be treated better❤ and when you are a beginner, just try to remember how was that, do you really wanna start something new and be treated like that again? And someday maybe you could start your bossiness or u will find a good job, in dev there are usually plenty good jobs, it’s just now everyone became so toxic. Try to understand them also, maybe bosses are going through hard times or are about to loose businesses. Usually when they loose business is like a death to them or even worse, they are becoming drug addicted and jobless after loosing. So this is why they are making hard designs now and care less about how they lay off people, or talk and becoming more demanding. Most of us (or all of us) would act the same way in such situations
Before anyone takes this advice, have a think don’t just take this. Like with software development it depends on where you are, what do you enjoy, etc. If I took this route I would probably eventually hate by job doing it over and over again. Even when you take mastery into account, this is not for everyone to specialize. Yes I have contemplated with it, even now why I am not sticking to 1 tech stack, industry, etc. I also find this same thing with hobbies, I enjoy a few of them and not just one. One of the best things about software development is the ability to change, grow, combine old learning with new discoveries. There are other videos and articles out there that gives the opposite advice, seek those and think about which one fits you better. It can also change over time which path you take at time in your life.
Great insight. A little pushback from my experience is that I am "jack of all trades, master of none," I should at least have tried to be master of one.
I agree with this - I'm a director of a small company and we took on 2 new developers a while back, and although I and they have all worked full-stack, we've pretty much arbitrarily decided that I'll do back-end and they'll do front-end, just because it made things easier knowing who was responsible for what, and even just prosaic things like non-tech colleagues, being able to say to them "if it's about the database talk to me, if it's about the interface talk to him". This has always been true in tech I think, I can remember back nearly 10 years ago somebody I know was trying to put together a website for a health-based something in wordpress, and he was looking on upwork and said, "Who am I gonna hire, the person who says that they can figure out anything, or the person who says they specialise in wordpress websites in the health industry?". You're always gonna go with the latter.
Hard to be a specialist when companies lay off every few years. You can only self study to a certain level unless you are trying to build your own business.
thanks for putting this video together. Right now I find myself in that blurry area where I'm expected to do so many things that are not code related. I've been working as developer for 15 years and I can tell you, it has never been a time more confusing than this. These massive layoff are making job positions more unclear and the market is oversaturated with professional seeking for an opportunity. I was considering changes path. Technology is amazing but it's not what it was used to be. I really hope things get better for everyone. I love your content. Looking forward for the next one!
my problem is I don't know yet what I like... I am a fullstack and can see my weaknesses as a programmer, but don't really have time or motivation to understand them fully. I only know enough to keep my job and do my tasks, but nothing really spikes my need to obsess over it. Kind of a difficult spot to be at the moment
I totally disagree with that. DO have kids. It will force you to get your act together, take your eyes off yourself all the time, and make your life much more abundant overall. James, I'm happy for you and your perspective/drive.
I get your point but I don't think this will work in real life especially for junior positions. For instance I did step 1 years ago and it turns out I enjoy Svelte and DESPISE React JS, here's the kicker...nobody wants a Svelte developer and everybody asks for React! My point is in some professions like web development, it's hard to stand out so jobseekers tend to add irrelevant skills to their resumes to have an edge, needless to say everybody thinks the same so Job announcements starts inflating requirements. That's how an entry level job requires years of experience is normalized nowadays. The hiring process is broken, not just in tech...EVERYWHERE!
Literally the only things anyone asks on interviews these days is puzzles and solution design, but mostly puzzles. Those days when actual experience matters is long gone. So suck it up everyone and do leetcode every single day..
Good call! One challenge with this approach is being pushed/required by an employer to work *outside* of your area of expertise. When looking for work it can be tempting to take any job, even those outside of your specialty, or it can be tempting to take a role outside of your specialty because, if you don't, you will get fired.
Thank you for this video. I especially like the tip on “taking the time to think”. I do this on a regular basis at a time and in a place the makes thought most conducive. After 25 years of tech, my notebook and pen are among my most effective tools.
thanks but your video doesn't align with the actual job market, they expect you to know front and back with at least tow tech stack, devOps, design, and you need to be a farmer to get the job.
@@YasinPatwari-kj6od how many content creators around coding you are able to avoid nowadays despite of knowing that one click is going to lead to only waste of time?!!
If you’re freelance or somebody, that’s not in the job market yet, this is great! I actually had this thought this morning before I saw your video. As a self taught front-end developer who still has a non-tech day job and in my 40s, I would like to become really good at CSS and js animation. To not just scratch the surface of CSS, but to be excellent in CSS and js animation.
Thanks for the video Travis, I’ve been somewhat of a generalist my entire career and your points about forward thinking, evaluating what you want to be vs. where you currently are, and how to get there are inspiring. The market may not align at the moment with this video, but I agree it will over time.
One point that Travis mentioned resonates well with me - 'Have strong opinion(s)' or rather the question 'Why don't I have strong opinion'. It is pretty valid, after spending the time into Industry, it will expect you to know your 'stuff' which not necessarily mean you being 'specialist' but at least you are not an obvious generalist and it takes someone to get you started. What I understood and also the thing that I have been thinking for a while now that if you are a software developer THEN you REALLY are a software developer who knows his area PROFOUNDLY. It takes a lot but no other way! Build breadth in areas you like (Passion) but depth in selected few. Thanks, Travis!
Well it's simple for me. I am pretty much exhausting every c++ job app I can find, through LinkedIn, multiple other job boards, and small discord groups. No one's biting, 8 YOE. I'd love to do more self projects but then you get a call and it's all Leetcode BS that I know I'll never use directly on the job (or you know, I have Google and can refresh myself if I suddenly need to do a LC hard in an hour). So I gotta study that. Oh but this job wanted c++ trivia. Gotta study that. But this job wants to ask architecture. I'm spread out because interviewers can't make up their mind on what's important. And act like I need to be an expert in the least organic code setting instead of, you know, letting me read docs and verify behavior like a real job.
I am an mssql specialist with 20+ YoE. My dba job is taken by cloud, my dev job is taken by not placing the business logic in stored procedures... Today there is high interest rate, AI, being junior in a new field requires many years of work experience (not petprojects) and we live n a high cost country as a foreigner, beeing a single breadwinner (small children and housewife). How can I improve my professional situation in the shortest time?
You make a good point about being a specialist in your own field instead of trying to learn everything. BUT, one have to plan this carefully and choose something that is successful in the long run, otherwise, they might run into the risk of working on a technology that might become obsolete in few years...
Good luck with such approach - all in bet to be XYZ Technology expert just to realize 5 years later XYZ is no longer in demand and your expertize is now useless.
Exactly, imagine becoming a Ruby on rails dev now, knowing ONLY Ruby on rails. Sure, you’ll be an expert, hireable by a total of 5 companies overall 😂 and then what? You’ll inevitably have to learn another stack or switch within your field. It’s much better if you are a generalist but with deep understanding of the fundamentals.
I'm confused.... for web developers isn't this basically saying 'don't be a web developer, instead build local programs'? Or just pick frontend with 1 small stack, Or backend, then stick to 1 of these and don't do NextJS... but I feel like with frontend you eventually have to spread yourself thin no matter what you do
I have to be honest dude. I appreciate you because like me you're an older dude who got into Tech. The biggest difference is I started as a freelance web developer when I was 14, did that until I was 28, and I'm coming back to it via a boot camp. And I got to be honest with you, specialization is the death of the interesting to me. And it always has been. So this video is definitely one that I probably should not have watched. I still really enjoy and appreciate your content though
This is a really great video. Because I think people are getting a bit "Lost in the Sauce" when it comes to which tech stack you should know. I'm definitely guilty of being all over the place. This video gave me a lot to think about.
The reality is that many tech shops slashed their workforce and simply plan to squeeze more out of their already burnt out employees. This would't work so well if people had other options but with the cost of living they know it's never been harder to walk away. My advice is to get on a product team because at least there it's boom and bust. When you're a back ens guy it's always bust because your CFO sees you as a cost center.
from what i've seen in the past year in the job market while actively searching senior dev roles, there are much more jobs that require fullstack type of skills compared to specialized ones. And I think THIS will continue as a trend and not the version you are talking about (specialist/expert in field), because for one previous roles if they were already fullstack they won't search for 2-3 people to do the same job, and secondly the AI hype makes managers think that they need and will need in the near future people with general knowledge of everything (eg fullstack and beyond), people which will also be able to use AI for each domain that their fullstack covers and be much more productive will less cost
Thank you for the video. I've been searching for the best title to make me stand out, and it's clear now that my extensive 10-year experience with React and frontend development should be highlighted. While I do have significant backend experience, emphasizing my frontend expertise is key now thanks to this video but I also think that now with AI making development a bit easier, we have to expand and actually I think companies will expect us to know more so I think we gotta yes show our expertise like you mentioned, but companies know now that with AI, we can learn faster thus they will push us to do more otherwise bye bye and even with that, we can get laid off because they may want to reduce so that may be what's going on now. However at the same time, I do believe there are numerous opportunities for developers who can integrate AI into systems because we are now in the AI revolution, whether on the frontend, backend, DevOps, or other areas, companies want to get up to date otherwise they get left behind with the competition integrating AI first. Who do you think they will hire to do this, the non expert engineer who can prompt engineer or the software engineer who can prompt engineer. That's my take.
And terrible advice too btw. Because true experts have a lot of experience in other technologies which cause them to expand their perspective and be better at the specific technology they work the most with, realising its strengths snd weaknesses.
His premise that most hiring managers want employees who can think for themselves and bring well-formed opinions about technical subjects instead of saying yes to whatever the boss proposes is straight up incorrect, I will add.
It's very simple. If a job posting is for .NET developer, don't you think that should be a primary focus of yours before applying? Many of us have NO experience at all with it but still send our resume anyway and thus there ends up being 2000 applicants. See the problem we've created? No one is denying that that the other technologies in the post need to be known as well, but when we don't have experience at all in the primary ask....
@@TravisMedia On a junior level when you're desperate for any job, you might as well invest time to learn the basics of several stacks. And then pull allnighters before the interviews to grind interview specific questions. It's a system that's meant to be gamed, it's not about being the best, it's about playing the game. If it helps, imagine it's the same as dating on Tinder. If you're only swiping on few women, you're lowering your chances of a match. Have to swipe on everyone, because your competitors are doing that too
how will a beginner be a specialist if nowadays companies require you to know both? companies are asking even junior devs to know kubernets, docker, aws and more. that's a lot.
A couple of reflections on this video. Firstly, I agree with it in general principles. I work in tech but not strictly software development. My last job was very generalist, and gave me numerous opportunities to dabble in different technologies but when I came to trying to find a new job, well, actually it became very hard to do so because I wasn’t proficient enough in anything in a deep sense. So I do think it worthwhile in becoming an expert at something. Secondly - how do really predict what the market will want in 10 years? How do you invest all your limited free time learning enough specialization technology and not run the risk of being depreciated in 10 years because that technology has moved on? The tech industry is so fickle! Let’s say I invest time in learning kubernetes administration. In 10 years it might be it’s mostly automated through AI. What then? Thirdly: what if my interests change? Am I then confined to my “specialization” that I chose 5 or 10 years ago? This is a real thing! It’s happened to me. More than once. These second and third points seem to me to be worth considering as offsets to the first. I don’t know how to resolve the contradictions they raise and offer…
I dunno. This seems like a moot point. I was happy being a specialist at certain points, but those jobs went away and the technologies too, and then I couldn't find other work doing them, so whatever. I actually think being a generalist is more important anyway. I respect people with great hands on skills, but the ones who make the bigger difference are the generalists with long experience.
I hit reset by changing my grad program from data science to an MBA with an analytics focus. Data and coding are dead, and pipe dreams of A.I. replacing humans killed them.
Hard disagree on replacing us. Hey, at least there will be much less competition when tech booms again. The idea that it will take our jobs is not new, and actually irrelevant to those who are actually good at this job. Remember the guy from Google who had lots of work experience and credibility saying that "AI is sentient!" or something to that effect. Where is he at now?! I refuse to succumb to fear and infact I encourage them to try, because I could use it at my own company that I'm building as well.
Wow. Totally disagree. The problem I see is that modern developers do not understand the full stack down to copper. Specialization = obsolete in 5 - 10 years.
Bro, you might not have a wife and kids. But beggers can’t be choosers. Right now you are lucky to have ANY type of tech job. Long term?!?!? Kids need school supplies! Got to pay the mortgage
Bro, I learned to code 9 years ago while married with 3 kids and one on the way. I never advocated ever for you to make stupid decisions but just to think long term about how to get out of the desperate situation you’ve described of yourself.
Its comments like these that make me feel truly hopeless for this generation. Anyone with common sense can get this gist of what I’m saying. This is not it.
Wow, that is a great video! Thank you! We just talked about 13 things you MUST know about RUST on our channel. Might be useful if someone is preparing for reset
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Much of this comment section reeks of developers begging for scraps under the table. When did we get to this state? Scared of our employers, scared of losing our jobs, scared of having opinions. Do you what you have to do now, of course, but think bigger and better of yourselves long term.
As a job hunter, recently, I have been thinking about what is my value, does it have to be reflected in my job, if my value is there, is in myself, why do I spend several hours applying for jobs every day? My time is filled with my value. I am confused now.
IDK what that even means basically if you are not highly favored by recruiters or have a large network of the "right" friends, it doesn't even matter what you know. You're screwed either way. Unless you're like the Woz of this generation. They are giving all the jobs to H1B immigrants or outsourcing their tech to india bangladesh or china
It's offshoring. This is putting huge pressure on all tech workers in the West.
Around 2022 when they laid off in the millions. When you exhaust everything you're qualified for, what you gonna do?
Your advice makes sense 5 years ago, but it's just a circus right now. I can't even get temp work at Walmart. Let alone a proper software job. Just gigs.
I agree in principle, but most job ads these days are a laundry list of different things. You can’t be just a developer now you also have to be familiar with devops and infra. I think companies are in such a cost saving mode that they want people who can do it all. Why pay for two specialists when you can find a unicorn that can do both? I think that’s what’s also driving the grueling interview process - they’re hoping to find unicorns.
yeh exctly, while i do prefer the specialist route but unicorns have some crazy advantage in this era as i've seen these unicorn rookie out there on twitter putting some wired projects (mostly AI related ) and the sales they make put them on par with specialist atleast in terms of $$$
This is a problem that WE have created...
@@TravisMedia Change is inevitable, it all comes down to adaptability
This is in every industry. Employers expect to find the perfect candidate with experience, skills in 10 different areas, but who also accepts low pay
@@overtremendouslyblahoverpopulation is the reason why they can ask for this
i was recently laid off from my development job. it made me consider leaving coding all together for the way i was treated on the way out. Im trying to find that spark in programming again but it might be gone. Cyber Security has been a big interest of mine, i might jump over in that direction
I’m in a bootcamp, and worried this will inevitably happen to me, my enthusiasm is already shaky. Are there any non-engineer tech roles you could switch into?
I would say don't let the layoff get to you, similar situation here but I think we should learn for ourselves, never for a company, I know the game and they can get rid of us with the snap of a finger but that's ok because we are of great value now more than ever with the AI revolution, never let them take that away from us.
I know there are MANY opportunities out there looking for people like us and it is only a matter of time till we find that next position, now more than ever. It is impossible to not want developers now. You will definetely see that new position very soon!
@@CascadiaNow69 If you want ti work for someone else then yes you might end frustrated like many of us or you could creat your own business.
No metter what you do, bosses could treat you as shit, so just keep going with new bad experience, with less expectations that you will be treated better❤ and when you are a beginner, just try to remember how was that, do you really wanna start something new and be treated like that again? And someday maybe you could start your bossiness or u will find a good job, in dev there are usually plenty good jobs, it’s just now everyone became so toxic. Try to understand them also, maybe bosses are going through hard times or are about to loose businesses. Usually when they loose business is like a death to them or even worse, they are becoming drug addicted and jobless after loosing. So this is why they are making hard designs now and care less about how they lay off people, or talk and becoming more demanding. Most of us (or all of us) would act the same way in such situations
Before anyone takes this advice, have a think don’t just take this. Like with software development it depends on where you are, what do you enjoy, etc. If I took this route I would probably eventually hate by job doing it over and over again. Even when you take mastery into account, this is not for everyone to specialize. Yes I have contemplated with it, even now why I am not sticking to 1 tech stack, industry, etc. I also find this same thing with hobbies, I enjoy a few of them and not just one. One of the best things about software development is the ability to change, grow, combine old learning with new discoveries. There are other videos and articles out there that gives the opposite advice, seek those and think about which one fits you better. It can also change over time which path you take at time in your life.
Great insight. A little pushback from my experience is that I am "jack of all trades, master of none," I should at least have tried to be master of one.
I agree with this - I'm a director of a small company and we took on 2 new developers a while back, and although I and they have all worked full-stack, we've pretty much arbitrarily decided that I'll do back-end and they'll do front-end, just because it made things easier knowing who was responsible for what, and even just prosaic things like non-tech colleagues, being able to say to them "if it's about the database talk to me, if it's about the interface talk to him".
This has always been true in tech I think, I can remember back nearly 10 years ago somebody I know was trying to put together a website for a health-based something in wordpress, and he was looking on upwork and said, "Who am I gonna hire, the person who says that they can figure out anything, or the person who says they specialise in wordpress websites in the health industry?". You're always gonna go with the latter.
It's easier said than done, everyone would like to be a specialist, but few ever become one.
Set aside ~1.5hr a day to study, keep to that schedule, and around a year later, you will notice that everyone else is behind you.
@@queenstownswords been doing that for 4 years now and I'm still not good enough. I think it's time to quit as I'm burned out.
@@boratsagdiyev522 Understood and a very real risk. Take care.
Hard to be a specialist when companies lay off every few years. You can only self study to a certain level unless you are trying to build your own business.
thanks for putting this video together. Right now I find myself in that blurry area where I'm expected to do so many things that are not code related. I've been working as developer for 15 years and I can tell you, it has never been a time more confusing than this. These massive layoff are making job positions more unclear and the market is oversaturated with professional seeking for an opportunity. I was considering changes path. Technology is amazing but it's not what it was used to be. I really hope things get better for everyone. I love your content. Looking forward for the next one!
my problem is I don't know yet what I like... I am a fullstack and can see my weaknesses as a programmer, but don't really have time or motivation to understand them fully. I only know enough to keep my job and do my tasks, but nothing really spikes my need to obsess over it. Kind of a difficult spot to be at the moment
My kids eating are more important than my career preferences. It’s not about what I like, it’s about what keeps them alive
I can’t argue with that
That's why most of us don't want to have kids, I'm sorry for you
I totally disagree with that. DO have kids. It will force you to get your act together, take your eyes off yourself all the time, and make your life much more abundant overall. James, I'm happy for you and your perspective/drive.
@@diasutsman feel sorry for me for what? My children are the most important thing in my life. A job is just that, a job.
@@diasutsmanPeople who actively don’t want to have kids are absolutely pathetic.
I get your point but I don't think this will work in real life especially for junior positions. For instance I did step 1 years ago and it turns out I enjoy Svelte and DESPISE React JS, here's the kicker...nobody wants a Svelte developer and everybody asks for React!
My point is in some professions like web development, it's hard to stand out so jobseekers tend to add irrelevant skills to their resumes to have an edge, needless to say everybody thinks the same so Job announcements starts inflating requirements. That's how an entry level job requires years of experience is normalized nowadays.
The hiring process is broken, not just in tech...EVERYWHERE!
Literally the only things anyone asks on interviews these days is puzzles and solution design, but mostly puzzles. Those days when actual experience matters is long gone. So suck it up everyone and do leetcode every single day..
Good call! One challenge with this approach is being pushed/required by an employer to work *outside* of your area of expertise. When looking for work it can be tempting to take any job, even those outside of your specialty, or it can be tempting to take a role outside of your specialty because, if you don't, you will get fired.
Again, the market the decides. If you are no1 in "X Stack", but the market share of X is small, the pay range is small, you are not paid well.
Thank you for this video. I especially like the tip on “taking the time to think”. I do this on a regular basis at a time and in a place the makes thought most conducive. After 25 years of tech, my notebook and pen are among my most effective tools.
thanks but your video doesn't align with the actual job market, they expect you to know front and back with at least tow tech stack, devOps, design, and you need to be a farmer to get the job.
And we keep playing the game
@@TravisMedia you can afford not to play a game but not us
@@TerryQuiet You're talking to this guy like he's setting the labor market for the world. Chill TF out.
True... Stop listening to pseudo experts giving opinions...
@@YasinPatwari-kj6od how many content creators around coding you are able to avoid nowadays despite of knowing that one click is going to lead to only waste of time?!!
If you’re freelance or somebody, that’s not in the job market yet, this is great! I actually had this thought this morning before I saw your video. As a self taught front-end developer who still has a non-tech day job and in my 40s, I would like to become really good at CSS and js animation. To not just scratch the surface of CSS, but to be excellent in CSS and js animation.
Thanks for the video Travis, I’ve been somewhat of a generalist my entire career and your points about forward thinking, evaluating what you want to be vs. where you currently are, and how to get there are inspiring. The market may not align at the moment with this video, but I agree it will over time.
One point that Travis mentioned resonates well with me - 'Have strong opinion(s)' or rather the question 'Why don't I have strong opinion'. It is pretty valid, after spending the time into Industry, it will expect you to know your 'stuff' which not necessarily mean you being 'specialist' but at least you are not an obvious generalist and it takes someone to get you started. What I understood and also the thing that I have been thinking for a while now that if you are a software developer THEN you REALLY are a software developer who knows his area PROFOUNDLY. It takes a lot but no other way! Build breadth in areas you like (Passion) but depth in selected few.
Thanks, Travis!
Well it's simple for me. I am pretty much exhausting every c++ job app I can find, through LinkedIn, multiple other job boards, and small discord groups. No one's biting, 8 YOE.
I'd love to do more self projects but then you get a call and it's all Leetcode BS that I know I'll never use directly on the job (or you know, I have Google and can refresh myself if I suddenly need to do a LC hard in an hour). So I gotta study that. Oh but this job wanted c++ trivia. Gotta study that. But this job wants to ask architecture.
I'm spread out because interviewers can't make up their mind on what's important. And act like I need to be an expert in the least organic code setting instead of, you know, letting me read docs and verify behavior like a real job.
Corps don't give a sh_t about experience. They assume everyone is lying (since most are). Its all code puzzles these days. That's it.
I am an mssql specialist with 20+ YoE. My dba job is taken by cloud, my dev job is taken by not placing the business logic in stored procedures...
Today there is high interest rate, AI, being junior in a new field requires many years of work experience (not petprojects) and we live n a high cost country as a foreigner, beeing a single breadwinner (small children and housewife).
How can I improve my professional situation in the shortest time?
You make a good point about being a specialist in your own field instead of trying to learn everything. BUT, one have to plan this carefully and choose something that is successful in the long run, otherwise, they might run into the risk of working on a technology that might become obsolete in few years...
Totally agree with you. The job market has changed significantly. However, I believe this shift is crucial for industry maturity.
how can you say than X is better than Y if you're not good enough in both...
Hi Travis.
I really appreciate your content. Your channel is truly one of the best out there, and I believe it's underrated!
👍
I was laid off in March which prompted me to take a Data Analytics and ML bootcamp. Hopefully this helps me break into a new career.
Good luck with such approach - all in bet to be XYZ Technology expert just to realize 5 years later XYZ is no longer in demand and your expertize is now useless.
Exactly, imagine becoming a Ruby on rails dev now, knowing ONLY Ruby on rails. Sure, you’ll be an expert, hireable by a total of 5 companies overall 😂 and then what? You’ll inevitably have to learn another stack or switch within your field. It’s much better if you are a generalist but with deep understanding of the fundamentals.
I know RoR freelancers making multiple 6-figures a year. They aren’t begging for LinkedIn replies or worried currently about the “new trend.”
@@TravisMedia Perhaps it's more a networking situation.
@@murtadha96 I have a 6 figure RoR job right now.
I'm confused.... for web developers isn't this basically saying 'don't be a web developer, instead build local programs'?
Or just pick frontend with 1 small stack, Or backend, then stick to 1 of these and don't do NextJS...
but I feel like with frontend you eventually have to spread yourself thin no matter what you do
You can be spread thin in frontend AND simultaneously a react expert
I needed to hear this. Gonna focus on backend and stuff dealing with databases only for now.
I have to be honest dude. I appreciate you because like me you're an older dude who got into Tech. The biggest difference is I started as a freelance web developer when I was 14, did that until I was 28, and I'm coming back to it via a boot camp. And I got to be honest with you, specialization is the death of the interesting to me. And it always has been. So this video is definitely one that I probably should not have watched. I still really enjoy and appreciate your content though
Take a look at some job posts. They want full-stack devs who can deliver end to end a product. Cheap, good and fast.
This is a problem
this is something i looked for! Really we need refine our decision on career path
You nailed this one bro. kudos
The companies expect you to know it all though and be functional within your first sprint.
This is a really great video. Because I think people are getting a bit "Lost in the Sauce" when it comes to which tech stack you should know. I'm definitely guilty of being all over the place. This video gave me a lot to think about.
The reality is that many tech shops slashed their workforce and simply plan to squeeze more out of their already burnt out employees.
This would't work so well if people had other options but with the cost of living they know it's never been harder to walk away.
My advice is to get on a product team because at least there it's boom and bust. When you're a back ens guy it's always bust because your CFO sees you as a cost center.
from what i've seen in the past year in the job market while actively searching senior dev roles, there are much more jobs that require fullstack type of skills compared to specialized ones. And I think THIS will continue as a trend and not the version you are talking about (specialist/expert in field), because for one previous roles if they were already fullstack they won't search for 2-3 people to do the same job, and secondly the AI hype makes managers think that they need and will need in the near future people with general knowledge of everything (eg fullstack and beyond), people which will also be able to use AI for each domain that their fullstack covers and be much more productive will less cost
Thank you for the video. I've been searching for the best title to make me stand out, and it's clear now that my extensive 10-year experience with React and frontend development should be highlighted. While I do have significant backend experience, emphasizing my frontend expertise is key now thanks to this video but I also think that now with AI making development a bit easier, we have to expand and actually I think companies will expect us to know more so I think we gotta yes show our expertise like you mentioned, but companies know now that with AI, we can learn faster thus they will push us to do more otherwise bye bye and even with that, we can get laid off because they may want to reduce so that may be what's going on now. However at the same time, I do believe there are numerous opportunities for developers who can integrate AI into systems because we are now in the AI revolution, whether on the frontend, backend, DevOps, or other areas, companies want to get up to date otherwise they get left behind with the competition integrating AI first. Who do you think they will hire to do this, the non expert engineer who can prompt engineer or the software engineer who can prompt engineer. That's my take.
Out of touch. Anyone following this would never land a job. The rich teaching the poor how to live
And terrible advice too btw. Because true experts have a lot of experience in other technologies which cause them to expand their perspective and be better at the specific technology they work the most with, realising its strengths snd weaknesses.
Yep, I think its time to let software engineering die and we need to start looking elsewhere. Time to go back to college or trade school.
His premise that most hiring managers want employees who can think for themselves and bring well-formed opinions about technical subjects instead of saying yes to whatever the boss proposes is straight up incorrect, I will add.
It's very simple. If a job posting is for .NET developer, don't you think that should be a primary focus of yours before applying? Many of us have NO experience at all with it but still send our resume anyway and thus there ends up being 2000 applicants. See the problem we've created? No one is denying that that the other technologies in the post need to be known as well, but when we don't have experience at all in the primary ask....
@@TravisMedia On a junior level when you're desperate for any job, you might as well invest time to learn the basics of several stacks. And then pull allnighters before the interviews to grind interview specific questions. It's a system that's meant to be gamed, it's not about being the best, it's about playing the game.
If it helps, imagine it's the same as dating on Tinder. If you're only swiping on few women, you're lowering your chances of a match. Have to swipe on everyone, because your competitors are doing that too
Hi Travis, Great video. Enjoyed the content. Keep it up.
how will a beginner be a specialist if nowadays companies require you to know both? companies are asking even junior devs to know kubernets, docker, aws and more. that's a lot.
Then its the companies fault for doing this.
I think its best to let programming die and focus on other job markets.
Thank you for this video, it has really things in my life into focus now i know what to do.
A couple of reflections on this video.
Firstly, I agree with it in general principles. I work in tech but not strictly software development. My last job was very generalist, and gave me numerous opportunities to dabble in different technologies but when I came to trying to find a new job, well, actually it became very hard to do so because I wasn’t proficient enough in anything in a deep sense. So I do think it worthwhile in becoming an expert at something.
Secondly - how do really predict what the market will want in 10 years? How do you invest all your limited free time learning enough specialization technology and not run the risk of being depreciated in 10 years because that technology has moved on? The tech industry is so fickle! Let’s say I invest time in learning kubernetes administration. In 10 years it might be it’s mostly automated through AI. What then?
Thirdly: what if my interests change? Am I then confined to my “specialization” that I chose 5 or 10 years ago? This is a real thing! It’s happened to me. More than once.
These second and third points seem to me to be worth considering as offsets to the first. I don’t know how to resolve the contradictions they raise and offer…
This swings all the time. Pick the wrong specialisation, and you're cooked
I dunno. This seems like a moot point. I was happy being a specialist at certain points, but those jobs went away and the technologies too, and then I couldn't find other work doing them, so whatever. I actually think being a generalist is more important anyway. I respect people with great hands on skills, but the ones who make the bigger difference are the generalists with long experience.
I hit reset by changing my grad program from data science to an MBA with an analytics focus. Data and coding are dead, and pipe dreams of A.I. replacing humans killed them.
Hard disagree on replacing us. Hey, at least there will be much less competition when tech booms again. The idea that it will take our jobs is not new, and actually irrelevant to those who are actually good at this job. Remember the guy from Google who had lots of work experience and credibility saying that "AI is sentient!" or something to that effect. Where is he at now?! I refuse to succumb to fear and infact I encourage them to try, because I could use it at my own company that I'm building as well.
Wow. Totally disagree. The problem I see is that modern developers do not understand the full stack down to copper. Specialization = obsolete in 5 - 10 years.
Web developement made me dumber day by day, The moment I realized I changed career
I fear it’s too late for me to specialise in a couple of areas.
make updated video on must have udemy courses
Screw tech im out. I dont want this to be my life.
I SHOULDVE JUST BEEN A DRUG DEALER SMFH
Can't wait for ai to replace all programmers
Widely spread **laughs in Peter Griffien**
Companies don't need your knowledge as it's obsolete thr moment you are hired. They need your time!
Well that’s new
Here is a better idea learn the fundamentals and the rest is the same
Maybe but the fundamentals are abstracted so much that they are useless.
Bro, you might not have a wife and kids. But beggers can’t be choosers. Right now you are lucky to have ANY type of tech job. Long term?!?!? Kids need school supplies! Got to pay the mortgage
Bro, I learned to code 9 years ago while married with 3 kids and one on the way. I never advocated ever for you to make stupid decisions but just to think long term about how to get out of the desperate situation you’ve described of yourself.
Don’t be a PE teacher you have to learn too many sports just play in the NBA that’s your calling.
AI Programmer Job Role and AI Contribution: ruclips.net/video/kAG8krr8tao/видео.htmlsi=9-GhldWMp45KaKZ2
*shrug*
Yeah just specialize in HTML. Be a world-class expert in that 😂
With every video your 'advice' keeps getting more and more ridiculous
Its comments like these that make me feel truly hopeless for this generation. Anyone with common sense can get this gist of what I’m saying. This is not it.
@@TravisMedia The way you immediately denounced 'this generation' 🙄
I'd say 'ok boomer' but I'm probably older than you
❤
Did you read my mind or this is happening to too many people out there?
Wow, that is a great video! Thank you! We just talked about 13 things you MUST know about RUST on our channel. Might be useful if someone is preparing for reset