I'm an older C# and wordpress dev looking for work. It seems interviewers want me to know my stuff backwards and forwards now. I'm fine with that, but I don't know what to aim for. I've always just built stuff; never saw a need to memorize C# in its entirety or study big O notation to CSS better. Has the nature of the actual work changed drastically or is this merely a matter of interviews evolving to a crazy competitive level? For context it's been seven years since I've gone through this process.
Ask HN: Are my web dev skills still relevant?
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Re: Ask HN: Are my web dev skills still relevant?
#2I can't speak from the point of view, directly, as a current web dev, but I'm 100% confident that the landscape has completely changed -- from the point of view of someone who looks at, evaluates, prototypes in new stacks all the time, and product/project-managed modern web stacks.
I complain here and everywhere about the insane complexity in modern-day web app dev.
The truth is that, after you learn the 20 new tools/technologies you'll need to become semi-competent in only one stack, it won't seem like such a massive shift anymore.
I think competition is not that fierce -- honestly speaking as I can -- but that's for corporate jobs, etc.
And you _have_ to be competent or good or really good if you're older.
Else, you're just going to sound...like you sound -- old and washed up.
Not saying you are, or I am, but once you're 25+, if you bring the 'Get off my lawn' vibe, your 27-yo manager-to-be is gonna smell it a mile away, and he's gonna be feeling awkward enough already.
So I think you can be fine, but you gotta actually know what you're doing, and you have to get/be modern.
Re: Ask HN: Are my web dev skills still relevant?
#3It is a mix of all of it. It has changed a bit since there are more of a talent pool than ever before. Also, positions that used to have multiple engineers are now replaced by one, both my tech improvements and "budgeting". With that change you are required to know more than ever before, and a way they weed you out is having insanely hard interviews that a lot of times don't reflect the work you do(that is changing a bit as some companies are doing project based interviews). I recommend looking at "Cracking the coding interview"/leet code to help you pass those interviews.
This is reflective of where you are applying to, some smaller places as much emphasis, but it all depends on who your interviewer and how they choose to weed out employees.
Re: Ask HN: Are my web dev skills still relevant?
#4The landscape has shifted a little, but you can still find plenty of C# and WordPress openings. In my opinion, the biggest difference is the expectation to have experience in React, Angular, or Vue. Frontend complexity has grown a lot in the past seven years.
Re: Ask HN: Are my web dev skills still relevant?
#5"WordPress dev"
Your skills are very relevant at least with WP. Are you not looking for WP jobs ?
Re: Ask HN: Are my web dev skills still relevant?
#6this meme[1] translates perfectly the current state of tech interviews
[1]https://starecat.com/the-technical-interview-vs-the-actual-j...
Re: Ask HN: Are my web dev skills still relevant?
#7Tech interviews have been horribly broken for at least a decade now. They've been mostly broken for a couple decades. Fortunately I haven't had to talk to a recruiter for a job since 1998 and hopefully I never will again. Maybe call up some people you worked with before and see if their company is hiring. They most likely are.
Anyway, C# is still very relevant, but it depends on location. In my city, it's huge, in others, not so much. I tend to stick to back end work rather than front end work. Front end's flavor of the day changes way too often, and I find it to be tedious work. Back end is much less reliant on external libraries and therefore doesn't change as rapidly, and to me is much closer to actual programming.
So in summary, talk to your prior colleagues, stick to back end work (if that's your bag). Keep on truckin'
Re: Ask HN: Are my web dev skills still relevant?
#8"WordPress dev" Your skills are very relevant at least with WP. Are you not looking for WP jobs ?
This. I can’t understate that, despite its reputation and general mockery from HN commenters, good WordPress dev skills beyond theming (and even theming in some cases) are deeply valuable in the job market if you’re looking in the right places. There is also a lot of variety, from agency work to companies who specialize in specific WordPress plugins.
Re: Ask HN: Are my web dev skills still relevant?
#9One of my gripes with web development is that it looks like its primary driven by fads.
A LOT of companies change the whole stack just to copy the latest gimmick they’ve seen somewhere else.
Devs need to be constantly relearning how to do basic things, so you either chose some tech and hope it gets popular, or you get to know a lot of frameworks only superficially, which leaves a lot of the internet broken.
Re: Ask HN: Are my web dev skills still relevant?
#10Good wordpress developers are in great demand. If you find the right clients, you can earn above average the market standards.
About your skills, There are many new trends in tech in last decade. Since you have worked withe web, I will suggest you to start with HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript's new features which you may already be knowing.
Start learning server side js. Node.js is bit confusing if you are old folks but see some tutorials and follow them, start with light framework like Express and make small app. The benefit of node.js is you can share many modules at both server and client sides if needed[though beware of it].
Alternatively if you want to stick to PHP, the easiest will be to start with codeigniter and when you feel likes getting grip move to Laravel. Laravel is in great demand. Learn to use it with docker.