HN Explorer

How can software engineers grow during a tech downturn?

8 points by dmane11 ↗ HN
Seems like tech industry is going through a downturn(transformation?). In every down turn, there are people who continue to progress/grow in their careers. If you’re one of these people, what are some tips, which have helped you, that you can share with fellow software engineers.

5 comments

[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 25.3 ms ] thread
yuppie_scum
Work doesn’t stop during a downturn, things still need to get done. Just keep doing your job, getting that 10,000 hours. If your job isn’t enough to satisfy your curiosities, look to contribute to FOSS.
lamroger
> If your job isn’t enough to satisfy your curiosities, look to contribute to FOSS.

Find ways to challenge yourself that also compounds.

orangesite
I feel like the only time I get to grow is during a downturn. Everyone stops focusing on fundamentals when the cash is flowing and just want to ship whatever gets them to the next round.
lulznews
Downturn has no effect on growth only on income.
austin-cheney
Writing original software. You need to learn to write documentation, gain users, respond to feature requests, build organizational skills.

When I say original software I mean solving for a real problem people have with real code written by you, not some boilerplate framework nonsense.