
Ask HN: What career path is better. Bleeding edge or niche? - minionslave
I want to become an expert at a specific technology but I&#x27;m wondering what&#x27;s better...<p>Working on greenfield projects withe the latest tech or maintaining legacy products<p>For example should I learn and master ASP.net completely and find jobs there or should I learn the latest javascript framework and find jobs there.<p>Which path would give more satisfaction and job security and money?
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mswen
In your example I believe that complete mastery of ASP.net and strong
competency in the adjacent pieces of the MS stack would probably generate the
best job security. This stack is used in many medium size businesses all
throughout the US, including many with cheaper cost of living than the Bay
area. However, you need to be comfortable knowing that you will work mostly on
CRUD type applications that power so many business processes.

The bleeding edge is much more interesting but also carries much higher risk
and potential reward. You may find yourself expert in something that was
technically very interesting but the timing is wrong or the specific tech
fades quickly. So failure mode has you learning and relearning the latest
frameworks trying to stay hip and potentially changing jobs frequently. On the
other hand, success out on the bleeding edge might but you in an equity
position in a start-up that turns into a unicorn.

I gravitated more toward the fringe and have built some cool tech but the
start-ups and projects never reached market success and so I often reflect
that had I picked more standard problems and tech and become expert in those I
would have very high consulting rates today and plenty of work. As it is I
have moderately high rates but I don't quite fit into people's mold and it is
somewhat harder to stay busy with billable hours.

In the end you also have to live with yourself intellectually and emotionally.
So although my more fringe focus hasn't yielded the best economic ROI - I have
mostly enjoyed the choices and outcomes for my own life.

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muzuq
If you ever want to truly be held as an expert, you should be doing what you
_enjoy_ most. Not for money, not for job security. Purely enjoyment.

The rest will follow.

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UK-AL
This is terrible advice in the general. I've known lots of people following
this advice, to peruse a career in a field that doesn't really pay much. Ended
up struggling and stressed.

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muzuq
I feel really sorry for you and your friends who spend your lives doing what
you don't enjoy for the sake of some 0's on your bank account. Also, I'm not
saying go pick flowers for a living. But you should at least enjoy what you
do, which fosters continual growth (to become an expert, you must grow).

~~~
UK-AL
Most people don't enjoy struggling and the stress of not being pay the bills.

Trust me, that's more stressful than a job fairly your fairy 'meh' about. It's
much more likely to burn you out.

Most passions, when you turn it into job, just ruins the passion(Having done
this myself). You go from something that's creative into something where cost,
and timelines matter and you have very little personal input.

~~~
muzuq
I understand where your coming from and I'm sure theres a happy medium. Doing
just money or just enjoyment wont work as well as a proper balance.

But, to play devils advocate... Having worked in a high paying, crap job and
moving into a job with lower pay but much more aligned with my passion I am
MUCH happier

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seanwilson
What kind of job are you looking for? It depends what you want to do. If
you're applying for existing companies seeking certain skills that's one
thing, but if you're contracting for non-technical clients they don't care
what technology you use as long as you deliver a solution on time and do it
well.

Personally, I think once you have enough experience you should be able to
easily pick up new frameworks. I don't understand developers who try to define
themselves by a single language or a single framework. You should be trying to
pick the best tools available and learn as you go when required. You might be
safe for a couple of years sticking to one thing but the industry is
constantly changing so you should have a diverse skillset and always be
learning.

