Be experts in your field, not chasing popular trends
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In recent years I notice a certain decline in the “prestige” of the developer profession. Now it is kind of fashionable to be a Data Scientist, develop artificial intelligence, etc. Over the past year I’ve probably 30 times already answered the question how to move from developer to Data Science/Data Engineering/whatever else has the word Data in it. And the answer is always the same - start by answering the question why?
To start with, any specialization in IT has a completely different set of technologies used and the required skills for a specialist. If you’re already working as a developer/tester/evops/ITD, then it means you’ve learned and mastered these skills for some purpose. And if you’ve spent the most time on skills relevant to your specialty, is that likely what you’re interested in?
If the answer to the question is yes, then you are already in your field, and instead of trying to get into an unfamiliar field just because it’s trendy, spend your time usefully exploring yours in depth. You don’t have to become someone who knows a little bit of everything and a little bit of nothing.
The second argument for not chasing fashion is the competition for the job. Today it is much higher for Data Scientists than for developers. The flip side of the hype is that the high demand for the specialty generates a lot of online courses that manipulate this same demand, creating an army of candidates, which can outweigh any demand.
Do what you like - it’s so trite and hackneyed advice that it seems to apply more to the VC quote than to real life, but that’s exactly how it works. When a person is interested in what they do, they get much less tired, are willing to spend more time learning, and approach their work with much more enthusiasm.
Good engineers always have been and always will be in demand. As someone who has been in the hiring business for many years, I submit that any market in any specialty is overflowing with profanities, and it’s a real challenge to find a true professional.
Don’t chase popular trends, become experts in your field. A person who is in the top 10% of their specialty will always earn much more and live a more interesting life than a person who is in the top 70% of something hype.