I really wanna hear more from people like you about how to survive and thrive for so long in tech.
What kind of work do you do?
What are your tips for a good and long tech career?
I mostly write applications for large enterprises and SMBs. Stuff most people think is boring but is really cool and runs the world: order processing, supply chain, operations, ecommerce, etc. I try to stick to relatively simple and effective technologies, but that's becoming harder and increasingly complex.
What had worked best for me (in descending importance):
1. LOVE building. If you're not getting satisfaction at work, build something for yourself at night. It's my rush.
2. Become excellent at what you do. Think Steve Martin, "Be so good they can't ignore you."
3. Volume. Build. Build. Build. I still think this is the best way to learn and get good.
4. Keep learning. The best way: building something, then learning what you need to build it, not the other way around (class, book -> then build).
5. Understand the people side and the tech side are very different. Embrace both, but differently.
6. Build something that builds something. The nested learning is magnitudes more effective.
7. At some point do a startup. Even if it fails, you will be much better.
8. If it stops being fun, do something else. (I've always stayed a programmer, but if I couldn't keep it fun, I would have become a bartender, or a writer, or something).
[5] is super key. That's what gets you to Staff+ and what gets you paid a lot of money (in real dollars, and especially in equity).
[7] assists you in getting to [5], but if you want something quicker, try consulting or pre-sales. You'll definitely need to build, but 60-80% of the work is driving people that you don't manage towards an outcome or selling people on an outcome (that, ideally, your stuff helps them achieve).
