SamWool
Posted on
"How does a developer stay relevant in the industry? There are so many tech out there and it’s overwhelming."
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Top comments (3)
First of all: Don't panic.
Second: If you see something new and shiny and it seems to get traction: Know which problem it solves and why it was developed in the first place. Now you can study and use it when you need it.
Third: When you're not sure where to "upskill", go for fundamentals. The more low-level, the less likely to get obsolete.
Learn just enough of whatever language/framework is thrust upon you but really focus on the fundamentals of how to write good software. Once you've got that moving from language to language as time goes by becomes a lot less painful. Source: my life.
My response to this question asked by a Junior Developer is detailed below, but it would be great to get some broader thoughts on the subject of how to achieve this sustainable relevancy if in fact it really matters at all?
Response:
1) Make sure you're in a job that not only uses the modern techs now, but their roadmap/culture is to embrace useful other new techs that come onto the market so you can make sure all of your time is spent working with relevant techs.
2) Things like the StackOverflow annual survey give a real good indication of what languages/frameworks are both in vogue right now but also what are in demand / coming over the horizon so things like that help you plan personally which direction to take if you want to stay relevant.
3) Either that or pick some core techs and stay with them / ride the wave until they become obsolete, but I wouldn't say that's great advice generally.
4) Likewise other Techs have longevity like JavaScript seems it's growing not shrinking, others like C# / Java are historically strong but perhaps more established firms persevere with them and not as many startups / new companies use them.
5) If you like programming/web dev and Data move in the Python direction as it is used for all
6) Dedicate more than just your 9-5 to the profession so meetups, reading, studying, projects outside core hours
7) So in essence decide on what type of person you are / like, how much study you want to do, just how relevant do you want to be versus working with techs you actually ENJOY the most versus what is commercially viable in the market and make some decisions based on that, then start targeting jobs, Groups and study courses that you think will help you head in that direction - simple! haha :-)
Sam.