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Ask HN: With such fast changes in technology, how do you update your skillset?

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Re: Ask HN: With such fast changes in technology, how do you update your skillset?

#2
I learn new skills at the job, but at the same time I find that it's not enough. What works best for me to really get into new areas and update my skill set is to regularly take MOOCs and then try to find ways to use the new skills at my job.

At the moment I'm taking this course in Deep Learning

https://www.kadenze.com/courses/creative-applications-of-dee...

Re: Ask HN: With such fast changes in technology, how do you update your skillset?

#5
It may not be in the spirit of HN, but deliberately being 3 years behind on the latest technologies is a really good way to stay employable without driving yourself mad keeping up with the latest and greatest. After 3 years, the flash-in-the-pans and the duds have been winnowed out and you can just concentrate on the stuff which will earn you paying gigs.

Re: Ask HN: With such fast changes in technology, how do you update your skillset?

#6
If you have the possibility then try joining larger and younger teams at work. Also: be constantly aware of the current state of technology. You can't have a deep knowledge of everything but at least knowing which problems a new technology solves helps a lot.

Re: Ask HN: With such fast changes in technology, how do you update your skillset?

#9
For me, the answer is side projects. I keep playing with new ideas, and use new techs by the way.

It not only allows me to discover the tech, it's also especially important because I refuse to make first contact with a tech by implementing it directly in a production project meant to stay around for years. The most projects I've used a new tech in before introducing it in my main project, the more comfortable I am that I did not do gross mistakes.

For me, it's not the amount of time using a new tech that matters, it's the amount of projects I used it in (because each time, I can try a different architecture).

Re: Ask HN: With such fast changes in technology, how do you update your skillset?

#10
Focus on the fundamentals. How do you find the write tools and libraries? How do you translate requirements into projects? How can you communicate with other people effectively? How can you learn what you need to know when you need to know it? How do you recognize sunk costs? What makes good code good code, regardless of language? What compromises should you make, and when? How do you ask the right questions?
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