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by s3nnyy 2249 days ago
I think being good with a proprietary technology like Qlik isn't so bad. That is a rare skill and there are jobs.

The question is what you want in life and your job. You are saying you have the feeling you should have learned more but why is that? Do you want more money, fame or freedom?
1 comments
sibila 2249 days ago
I guess I want to feel I know a variety of things (I was going to write 'shirt', lol) that makes me a good developer (heck, I don't even consider myself a developer - what IS a developer, anyway?!). Right now I don't think I'm good at my job. I don't think I'm leveraging technology. Every profile I look into linkedin that is into this industry (information visualization) is so skillfull in a variety of technologies and topics, and I only have "Qlik Sense" to show, you know. No favorite frameworks (because I don't apply one), no github profile to show, no parallel projects,... I think I wouldn't stand a chance competing against all this people in the market if I were to change jobs.

I have a stable job, with demand for it - projects are coming, there is work to do and value to add, but I don't think I'm developing as I should.

In the end, yes, I want more money and more freedom to do whatever I please at my own pace. I have enrolled in a Data Analyst with Python course (in dataquest) that will put me through a variety of technologies and challenges, and I'm hoping I will reach some clarity on the path I'm following on my current job. Don't know if this makes sense.

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s3nnyy 2249 days ago
Most developers also just know certain stacks in-depth (e.g., Python + Django / Angular + Javascript). Yes, these technologies enable someone to solve a bigger variety of problems, but it doesn't mean they are then more worth to the market than you. It always depends on what the market wants.

Github profiles matter less than you think because it is hard to tell what the person did themselves and what is a fork. Recruiters and hiring managers I work with look at an online profile for roughly 10 seconds to see if you use certain technologies, that is it. I elaborate on this at length in "Coderfit: All you need to know for your programming career" https://gumroad.com/l/cdrft/

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sibila 2248 days ago
But isn't the market demanding? At least if I want to have a nice job, with a nice pay... I feel I must raise the ceiling today if I don't want to be in a dead end by the time I reach the 30s (which is just in 2 years).

Thanks for your perspective, sk3nnyy. That newsletter of yours (coderfit) really is some public service. I will definitely be seeing into the ebook.

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