Technology Ruts

DatabaseHead

I was curious how to you keep yourself from falling in technology ruts?  Is it certifications, projects, natural drive?  Just curious, I am in my mid 40's and just feel like I am leaving a lot out on the table.  Never really got on the networking or administration side of things.  Always been on the developement, analysis, side of things.  Sadly the development side of things has been backend development generally.  

How do you get out of these ruts?  Do you just power through cert and learn and then apply for positions outside of scope?  What strategy do you inpart to bridge the proverbial gap? 

JDMurray

With me it starts with an interest in something that I don't do at work (e.g., digital forensics) or will soon become very important at work (e.g., anything "Cloud") that I want to get a head start on learning. There is also the occasional thing that just grabs my obsession (e.g., Sanskrit written language) and I find myself stealing time from other projects to learn it. However, most of the things I go about learning do not result in a degree, certification, or a worthwhile mention on my resume/CV. They just keep my brain active and moving forward. I never consider such spontaneous learning a waste of time because I may not understand now how it will fit into my future.

DatabaseHead

JDMurray said:

With me it starts with an interest in something that I don't do at work (e.g., digital forensics) or will soon become very important at work (e.g., anything "Cloud") that I want to get a head start on learning. There is also the occasional thing that just grabs my obsession (e.g., Sanskrit written language) and I find myself stealing time from other projects to learn it. However, most of the things I go about learning do not result in a degree, certification, or a worthwhile mention on my resume/CV. They just keep my brain active and moving forward. I never consider such spontaneous learning a waste of time because I may not understand now how it will fit into my future.

That's pretty reassuring to hear.  I do the same thing a lot but never really aligns with my current trajectory (sometimes it does)   For instance I've been reading an Economics book, more of a primer but 200 pages of great info.  Applied math for database devs and most importantly I love block chain technologies and consistently read, read and read.  Not only on the trading side (investing) but just how it will impact our future.  

Thanks for your time.  

thomas_

A desire to not be suddenly unemployed without relevant skills to quickly find a new job.

For the most part I look at what I think will help me most in my current position or may help me get a promotion.  

I do like to pay attention to what the job postings are asking for, but can’t say I’ve prioritized the stuff in the job postings over things I needed for current positions and internal promotions/job changes.