When asked about future plans for programmers during interviews, they all tend to say that they want to improve their technical skills, and few people think about delving into a specific field to become an expert in it.
We programmers tend to fall into a misunderstanding that technology is everything. As long as the technology is good enough, we can be as stable as Mount Tai in the workplace.
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But is reality really like this? For us older programmers, the situation may be even more severe.
As we grow older, we spend a lot of time and energy on technical research, write code more and more fluently, and can overcome various technical difficulties.
But at the same time, we may overlook other equally important, or even more critical, skills development.
In the business world, making money is not just about technology.
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No matter how skilled you are, if you lack business and monetization abilities, you can only hold a relatively fixed salary and work on assigned projects, making it difficult to achieve a significant increase in income.
And once faced with a layoff crisis, it will appear particularly hopeless and helpless.
For example, do you know how to choose a potential project track?
Do you know how to market and promote your products so that they can truly generate economic benefits?
Do you have the ability to effectively communicate with customers and partners and secure orders?
Many older programmers may not be proficient in these business skills.
Look at those successful entrepreneurs or business managers, they may not necessarily have a technical background.
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But they know how to grasp market demand, how to integrate resources, and make projects profitable through various business operations.
And we keep spinning around in the small circle of technology, only to realize on the day of being laid off that we seem to know nothing but coding, which is so heartbreaking.
So, older programmers should no longer just focus on technology, but start paying attention to the improvement of business and monetization capabilities.
You can use your spare time to learn some knowledge about marketing, project management, business communication, etc., to broaden your horizons and skill tree.
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When facing changes in the workplace, we not only do not feel hopeless and helpless, but we can also use these newly developed abilities to find better development opportunities and start a new chapter in our lives.
So where is the future for programmers after the age of 30?
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I think the best way is to embrace business.
Strive to deeply cultivate a niche field, such as logistics, e-commerce, finance, etc.
While working in this field, strive to consider what the real pain points of customers in this field are, and what kind of technology can bring them efficiency or income improvement.
How to use technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency, make your company stand out in the competition among peers, and make the company more competitive, thereby driving the growth of the company's business and revenue.
The current situation of domestic companies is that 90% of them are purely engaged in business, and there are still some companies with advanced technology.
So if you are obsessed with technology, go for the 10%. The key is that many companies do not have too many barriers to business, mainly relying on sales.
If you have any other opinions, please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section for discussion.