In today’s newsletter I explain to a software developer that their career is not dictated solely by the tech stack.
As a software developer currently working with a low-code stack, I’m wondering if focusing on low-code tools could limit my career options in the long run. Will this specialization pigeonhole me into specific roles, or will I still have the opportunity to transition into more traditional, hands-on software development in the future? Thanks, John.
Many developers fear that low-code will pigeonhole them, in other words, that they will be stuck using a particular tool for their entire career. I wholeheartedly disagree with this idea, and so should you! First of all, software development is about solving problems. If you are developing software in Appian, Salesforce, Pega, or whatever, you are solving problems for a client. Secondly, your career is not about using a tool, it’s about solving business challenges. Could you imagine a carpenter only being able to use a saw and a hammer? You should never think ‘I am a Salesforce developer’, instead you should think ‘I am a software developer, and I confidently choose the right tool for the job’.
You may be thinking – ‘Yes, that is easy to say… but what about software interviews? The recruiter wants to know how much experience I have in this technology’.
This is true, recruiters do want candidates to have experience in a particular technology but the discerning recruiter will favor a history that demonstrates valuable business outcomes and a willingness to dive deep to solve problems. You can demonstrate this over the phone and in interviews by using the star method.
- Situation: Describe the context of the situation.
- Task: Describe the task you were given to do or the goal you were working toward.
- Action: Describe the actions you took to complete the task or reach the goal.
- Result: Describe the positive outcome of your actions or what you learned from the experience.
DISCLAIMER: It is true that some companies will exclusively favor a particular technology. For example, if they are hiring for a ‘Java Developer’ they may only look for someone with 5 years of java experience. So you may get turned down with your 5 years of Appian experience. However, many big tech companies, large financial organizations, startups (like Workulus 😉 … ), will let you code in any language during the interview. In those instances, it is up to you to come prepared to code in a non low-code technology. Come prepared to solve algorithmic challenges in a traditional language (python, java, c++, etc).
Put yourself in the hiring managers shoes. Who would you pick for a job? A developer that only feels confident in one particular niche or a developer that can easily learn new technologies and be plugged into any project. At Workulus, we pick the right tool for the job and never shy away from a development challenge. You should do the same.
When you are solving a problem during a technical interview you should ask clarifying questions. Never assume you know everything, always ask and clarify. Think about edge cases and null values. Think about the time and space complexity. Is there a more efficient solution? If you get stuck, write the brute force solution first. Explain your thoughts as you write and never assume the interviewer is following your logic, explain everything in plain english. Finally, go through the code before running it and explain each line while going through various test scenarios you have written down. This signals numerous good qualities to the interviewer. Finally, explain ways to optimize the solution.
Using the above methodology, I have been able to work on large scale projects that used technologies such as Splunk, Databricks, AWS, and more.
At the end of the day, you are never stuck in a particular tech stack unless you stop learning and growing.
Keep learning, and have a fantastic day.