Ask Slashdot: What Should I Study?

A fellow Slashdot reader is seeking advice on a new field of study: After many years at the same company, I'm now thinking of a change. At my current place of work, I have worked on many different projects, from server side development, to UI development, and most recently, a lot of data science work. If I were to rate myself, I consider myself to be a good developer, thorough, conscientious and always willing to learn new things. Even my recent foray into data science (though not entirely new, since my graduate studies specialized in machine learning) has had reasonable success, and ideally, I'd really like to continue working in this space.

But, I'm starting to feel in a rut and I'm looking for a change. And looking outside my company, I'm not sure how to begin. Should I hit the books again? Should I focus on any specific technologies? I haven't particularly kept up with new technology -- after working for so long, I tend to think of that as something I can learn, when I need to. Any advice on how I should go about preparing for interviews? I'm quite willing to put in a few months of work into prep, so all suggestions are welcome!

Comments

Become a Renaissance Person

[al0ha]

Look at the opportunity out there and become skilled at something completely different. There's a crapload to be made in many skilled trades now that Baby Boomers are retiring out. Some trades like plumbing and electrician can't find enough people, and the opportunity to become very successful is wide open. Be a long time before robots take the job of a plummer, electrician and other skilled laborer.

This is what I'd do if I were in my 30s even.

Re:Become a Renaissance Person

[geoskd]

Look at the opportunity out there and become skilled at something completely different. There's a crapload to be made in many skilled trades now that Baby Boomers are retiring out. Some trades like plumbing and electrician can't find enough people, and the opportunity to become very successful is wide open. Be a long time before robots take the job of a plumber, electrician and other skilled laborer.

It is also painfully difficult to break into either of those trades from the outside. Most places require you to be licensed to practice, and even if they don't, no insurance will touch you if you don't have the requisite certifications and/or licenses.

If that doesn't sound too bad, look at what is required to get those credentials. Almost all accreditation programs and licensing rules require you to have at least a year or two as an apprentice under a master. The problem with that, is that there is absolutely no reason in the world that any master is going to want to take on a random apprentice. For the first two years of apprenticeships, on average the apprentice has negative value to the master (They cost more time and effort to look after than they produce in useful output). That is why the few that do offer apprenticeships, do so at minimum wage for two years. Most of the rest, even if it were of net value to the master to take on an apprentice, they would still be wary because every new apprentice that you support now will be a competitor in 5 years, and in any given middle size city (50,000 - 100,0000 metro area population), can have as few as a few dozen actual plumbers or electricians. For each new master that gets added, every single existing master will take an approximately 3% paycut; why would they willingly do that to themselves?

Most times when you see an apprenticeship, it is a son or daughter following in the family trade, and the only reason that elder master takes on the apprentice is because they are kin.

Re:Become a Renaissance Person

[geoskd]

10 years ago, I asked at the local IBEW about it. I already have a degree that would allow me to skip half of the requisite experience to get my license, and I know what I am doing thanks to a family history (Grandfather was a lineman for a utility in California before he retired). Because I would be coming in at low seniority, I could expect two years of hit and miss work (maybe one week a month of paid work, and when they call I must show up or get dropped). After that, they said once I got a permanent position somewhere, I could begin my actual apprenticeship and could expect 2 more years of full time employment at $15 per hour before I could test for my license. Once I got the license I would have more options, but until then I was effectively a slave.

Even at that time, I was making $25 as a line supervisor. Granted it was a dead end job at what can only be described as the shittiest company I have ever heard of, but to get that license I would have to basically go back to living in my mothers basement for 5 years, and wait with my fingers crossed that I got lucky and got the shorter end of the waiting period. Even then, I could expect a cap of around $80k per year unless I was willing to put in 80 hour weeks for years to start my own company and handle all of the business side of that deal.

I elected to go a third route. I fought tooth and nail to get back into my principle field of study and now I make that same 80k, working 40 hour weeks, and can expect to go management sometime within the next few years to get into 6 figures.

Going into the trades only makes sense when you still have the option of living at home to cover the rough years, and even then it only makes sense if you don't have the means to get that higher education and the degree that goes with it.

AI/Networking/Security/Law

[sdinfoserv]

I'm in Seattle area... People with Cisco CNE's, Security CISSP's are constantly getting poached. Good security people bring $200k-$1M salaries out here. Network engineers make in the $100K range (as do programmers out here).
AI is really growing an high paid, but you need a Phd to grab a top salary in AI. If you have that, you can start at the same wages (or more) of a neurosurgeon.
If I were 21 today and starting over... seriously.. I would spend 4 years in the military. Get out and get a job as a fire fighter. They start out here at $80K. Some work 10 days on, 20 days off..(those 10 days you live in the house). Retire at 53 or 54 with a full pension and health care and spend the next 30-40 years fishing, hunting, playing with grand kids, traveling... what ever.

Re:AI/Networking/Security/Law

[jon3k]

Came here to post this. Security, security, security. It is an absolute gold rush right now and the problem is getting worse not better. I don't know how many people outside of the Bay Area or NYC are making $200k-$1M in security, but $100-$200k with only a couple years experience and a CISSP can probably get you 100-200k in pretty much any tier 1 or tier 2 city. Alternatively you can get into government contract work, get a TS(/SCI) and bounce around contractors with insanely good insurance and pretty much guaranteed work.

Clarification from the original poster

[Anonymous Coward]

Original AC here. I should clarify - I don't want to entirely change my field of work. I still want to stay in programming, and possibly data science. I'm just really nervous about interviewing after a *very* long time, and I'm wondering how to go about it. I also have a very varied set of experiences, not specializing in any one thing - just really a matter of doing what was needed, when it was needed. I'm not sure how this will go down in interviews, and how to best portray it.

Re:Clarification from the original poster

[LostMyBeaver]

You're making the mistake of thinking that a person in your age group should interview. I'll imagine that you're at least 35+ possibly even as high as 50. We don't interview at that age anymore. We figure out what we want to do, then we think about who we'd like to work for. Then we make the friends through social networking that would present us with the opportunity to meet the right people to get us on payroll.

I don't even hire people I have to interview. I sometimes have lunch with someone that's recommended to me. But to be fair... as soon as I see a resume and I hear job interview, that's over with. I sure as hell don't want to hire anyone who is over 30 who is going to send me resumes.

I have often talked with people who I find on Github and Gitter. If I like their code and they play well with others and display a good work ethic and they make the comment they're looking for a job or make hints they're interested in moving, that's a great way to meet people. Meetups are more for desperate people. It's like speed dating for people who were splashed with acid.

If you're interested in something, invest the time in making sure people know you're a smart guy and willing to move. This way you draw jobs to you not the other way around.

Interviewing is something you do as a college grad trying to get that first job. Or it could be something you do if you're trying to pimp yourself off to Microsoft, Amazon or Google for example. But even with those companies, I'd just make friends with senior level developers and mention that I think it would be interesting to work for a behemoth from the inside for once... but I wouldn't want to be just another badge number. I would recommend in that case that you don't express interest in their vest and rest plans.

Innovation

[JaredOfEuropa]

I have worked on many different projects [...] I tend to think of that as something I can learn, when I need to.

Sounds like you're a bit of a generalist with the will and ability to dive into a specialism when needed. If you really feel you need to "pick a side" and specialize, then all advice I can offer is: find something you love doing and specialize in that. But if you enjoy the learning process itself, the experimenting and ground-breaking work with new tech, then maybe you can find a job working in an innovation team.

Innovation is a bit of a buzzword, but there is plenty of legit innovation work out there. Innovation teams often offer a chance to learn new tech or new ways of doing things, and require a lot of flexibility from their team members. Perhaps that will suit you... I've been involved in innovation for 20 years or so, and I not only enjoy the great variety of technologies I have to deal with, but also the fact that I often get to wear many different hats: from project manager, team lead, architect, to coder and business analyst. Sometimes you'll be a one man team, sometimes the team will need someone to write a couple of tests for tomorrow's experiment or prepare a short presentation for a visiting VC, and yes I am sticking up my hand to volunteer. If you think that doing something yourself is often faster than getting others to do it for you, and if you can actually deliver results that way, then innovation might be something for you.

Positions in innovative work are few and far between and are often sought after, so you need to position yourself well for that when preparing your CV. Your background in data science and your machine learning study will help, since those fields are currently firmly hanging ten at the top of the hype cycle. But also emphasize your versatility as it's a key quality in such roles: show that you have experience in adapting to circumstances, and in diving in when the project calls for it.

Art. (No joke)

[Qbertino]

Study art. Better yet: *Train* for an art.

Seriously. Is there an art (performing art in particular) where you say "OMG that is so awesome, I wish I could do that."? Study/train that. Obviously there are limits. If you're in a wheelchair doing ballet won't work. But perhaps music, singing, acting is something that would be an interesting challenge. I have a diploma in performing arts and even though I've never done anything remotely like that in the last 2 decades (except being quite good at social dancing (Argentine Tango)), the experience was like nothing else. It does help me do presentations, that's obvious, but I've also learned about styles and aesthetics, art history and how to move gracefully. It helps me with GUI design and understanding emotional aspects of the user experience.

Imagine getting a Chello and learning that. Your horizon will expand into a universe you couldn't dream of knowing doing IT/Software every day for the rest of your life. You probably have IT pretty much down and getting into some newfangled technology or PL is a walk in the park once you've got a broader perspective on life in general.

Art most likely won't earn you big bucks but from what I get that's not what you need right now anyway. Note that fine art is closer to programming as an art than performing arts, so I strongly suggest performing arts, but perhaps you do want to get into drawing or painting or illustraiont or - an intersection with IT - 3D/VR and stuff - then fine art might be a neat alternative.

But generally rest asured, if you move away from IT and into an art, your life in general will improve for the better. Especially with your life right now having you struggling for sense and meaning. If only art becomes an enriching addition to your life as an IT expert right now, that will spill over into your IT career and have measurable positive effects. Promise.

My 2 cents.

Re:How old are you?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why does it matter?

Stop being an ageist prick.

There are only 2 real answers:

[UnknownSoldier]

* Do what interests you, and/or
* Do what pays.

Next question.

Re:Those who can't do...

[b0s0z0ku]

Nothing wrong with teaching, often more enjoyable than doing, when the people who hire you to "do" typically treat you like disposable trash. OTOH, teachers in blue states and at university level are actually valued.

Re:Derp

[UnknownSoldier]

That's partially crap advice by Mike Rowe.

The secret to happiness is to remove false expectations

Yes, some people absolutely SUCK at what they love. The deluded ones are the ones who definitely SHOULD follow Mike's advice. They suck and always will, and no amount of talent will save them.

The problem Mike is painting everyone with the same brush. That does NOT imply that they will NEVER get better.

When I first started programming I sucked -- like every other fucking newbie -- because that's what a beginner is. Someone who DOESN'T have the knowledge and skills. I kept at it because I _loved_ it. I invested the years to becoming great. Today it pays the bills and I have a job that doesn't suck.

One of the secrets to life is to find what you love, and what your talents are.

Chances are, that if you invest in yourself, you can find a way for it to make you money.

There is no guarantees in Life. That's what makes it frustrating. Life isn't a simple checkbox-follow-these-instructions-and-success-is-guaranteed. Life is what you make it. Sometimes you need to _try_ things in order to know what _not_ to like.

Invest in yourself -- because chances are, no one else will.

Biotechnology

[coastwalker]

Bioscience. We had digital technology in the 20th Century and we will have Biotechnology in the 21st. You can thank me later.

Re: How old are you?

[b0s0z0ku]

Funny, I know quite a few 35-40 year old men just starting med school. I know some 45 year old new Ph D.'s as well. Problem is that American white men are their own worst enemy -- they're expected to follow a career for life by society, like some 1950s nightmare. Society doesn't jugge a 40 year old woman going back to school OTOH.

Re:How old are you?

[mnemotronic]

Does age matter? Let's say you're Baby-boomer age, say 55, and do some math ....

What's that you say?

... so all suggestions are welcome!

Well OK then. Let's really try thinking outside-the-box. Start studying medicine with a long-term plan on getting a job in Pediatric ICU or Pediatric cardiac OR.

• 4 years undergrad (unless you've already done it)
• 4 years Medical school
• 3 years Pediatric Residency
• 3 years Anesthesiology Residency
• 3 years Pediatric ICU Fellowship
• 1 year Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship
• 1 year Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship

Roughly 19 years schooling, residency and fellowship.

That means you'll be about 75 by the time you're ready to start work. You might have racked up some enormous education bills to pay off. Just guessing that'll take 10 years to pay off. Then you can start saving for retirement. Another 30 years ought to do the trick. Assuming that Parkinson's or Alzheimer's hasn't set in by then, you can probably look forward to settling into a nice relaxing retirement at 105. Tee time's 5am. Be there!

Did I go for a worst-case scenario? Obviously. Just to make a point age can be a relevant factor.

Re:FP

[Hognoxious]

That's a totally unfair comparison.

A major in Art History could land you a job as a museum guide.