
Ask HN: What domain knowledge should I learn? - olalonde
I've read numerous times that software engineers who possess domain knowledge usually get much better jobs / hourly rates.<p>I'm entrepreneur minded and don't care much about better salaries or jobs. However, the corollary is that to do a better startup, one has to possess domain knowledge.<p>One way to go about building a startup is to identify an opportunity first and then learn the necessary domain knowledge (just in time).<p>One other way to go about it is to first learn a domain knowledge (just in case) which should then help you identify opportunities that you wouldn't have thought of otherwise. This is the path I'm looking forward to take.<p>So, what domain knowledge should I learn? What expertise is in demand right now? Which will be in the future? What would you do if you weren't doing what you are right now?<p>PS: Please, no cliche like "learn whatever you are passionate about" - I've heard it all before. What I'm looking for right now is to step out of my comfort zone (SE).
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michael_dorfman
_PS: Please, no cliche like "learn whatever you are passionate about" - I've
heard it all before. What I'm looking for right now is to step out of my
comfort zone (SE)._

Sorry, but that's about the only responsible answer to a question this broad.
It's a bit like asking "What book should I read?"

If you can narrow the question down a bit, you'll get a much more appropriate
answer.

Gaining "domain knowledge" is key. However, the range of possible domains is
next to infinite.

Your success is not going to be dependent upon the quality of the domain, but
on the quality of your ability to learn the domain.

So, pick a subject that you are able to learn. Is there some domain where you
have a natural advantage of some kind?

~~~
olalonde
I'm mostly interested in engineering/science. That's pretty much as narrow as
I can get. The point of asking a broad question was to get answers I wouldn't
spontaneously come up with. I'm looking for diversity and originality.

~~~
michael_dorfman
In that case, explore those realms, and see what opportunities arise.

My career has been successful largely because of my domain knowledge, in a few
different domains-- but it's all come about accidentally. I've just kept my
eyes open, tried to soak up the things that interest me, and (most
importantly), tried to see how I could apply the knowledge in new ways.

Put another way: don't wait for some guy to come up to you at a party and say
"Plastics."

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Mc_Big_G
If I were starting over right now, I would definitely get in on the
bioengineering/genetics stuff. The barriers to entry are now very low compared
to the last 20 years and they keep getting lower every day.

Imagine if you could hack a new cure or bacteria that changes the world. This
field will make the information revolution look like a little girl's tea
party.

~~~
olalonde
This field looks indeed fascinating. That being said, I wonder how I could go
about learning bioengineering by myself. Perhaps I should find an online
community and ask them where I should get started.

~~~
Mc_Big_G
I would start by finding the best online communities of DIYers and read
everything you can. If you're near a big city, you can probably find IRL
groups to check out. You can do anything alone, but you can accelerate the
learning process by collaborating or, better yet, finding a mentor.

You didn't mention your present circumstances, but a good university will help
immensely with this type of field. You can also make a lot of contacts if you
go to the right school.

With all of that said, I'm not sure how far you can go if you aren't truly
interested in it. Just keep trying different things, giving each a respectable
amount of effort, and eventually something will strike a chord with you and
you'll know what you want to do.

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mahmud
Expertise that's in demand now wont necessarily be as hot by the time your
learn their ins and outs.

Just a hunch: enterprise software design. Someone has got to navigate all
those XML specs.

Also, it's always a good idea to learn whatever programmers hate.

~~~
olalonde
That's precisely why I'm looking to learn something not related to software
development.

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imp
Baby boomers are starting to retire. That's a large demographic that isn't
good with computers. Maybe find an industry that caters to them where
technology can help. It doesn't sound like fun to me, but where there's muck
there's brass.

Also, you may not have to be "passionate" about the domain, but you've got to
at least tolerate it since you'll need to spend a lot of time doing it.

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lsc
Look around for mentors. If you can get a good mentor, you will be
significantly better than you would be otherwise. It's impossible to say what
will be 'hot' five years from now, so you might as well go for what you can
become good at.

(I'm assuming you are talking about deep knowledge that takes a while to
obtain... if you mean a month or two of studying, ignore me.)

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pclark
product marketing!

