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To specialize or not to specialize, that is the question.

dougw

Electronics and software are gigantic fields that are expanding at an exponential rate with far more new information every day than it is possible to assimilate. How do you deal with it? How should you deal with it? You want to stay relevant and contribute without becoming obsolete. Managing your time in such an environment is crucial to being able to remain an effective contributor. Especially if you want a "balanced" life that includes both technical and non-technical endeavors.

  1. Do you decide to focus on a niche where you can hope to stay informed of the latest developments?
  2. Do you try to track the major new developments at a high level and just dive in a bit when something catches your interest?
  3. Do you do a deep dive learning sprint whenever a new project demands it?
  4. Do you only perk up and put it in gear when something really interesting crosses your radar?
  5. Do you just rely on Google when you perceive a need for information?
  6. Do you give up and go into management?
  7. Do you just coast along doing interesting things that are in your comfort zone?
  8. Do you hang out on element14 as a compromise between information overload and enjoying the ride?
Parents
  • dougw said:
    How do you deal with it? How should you deal with it?

    This is a very good question.

    My daughter used to love watching Peppa Pig and there was one episode, which made me laugh. The episode was about the classroom teacher asking the kids what they want to do when they grow up, and they all replied that they wanted to do different jobs where they "could tell people what to do". How true for those young ambitious types.

    Anyway, I believe there are some other other options to consider, which are probably more relevant to younger folk:

    9. "Do you seek out a mentor and/or seek to learn from those who have more experience".

    10. "Do you seek out a working environment that suits your personality and learning approach. You may well do the same job but some will thrive in a more chaotic workplace while others will thrive with more regimented rules".

    I remember in one my earliest jobs, I worked as a reliability engineer on a light rail network. There was one chap who was in his early sixties working with me, who had been told to take it easy by his doctor after many years working in project leadership in the oil and gas industry. He was the one who taught me much about work life balance and about different working cultures. It was a pity that there were not more of these people around to "take you under the wing" as he retired after a year. It's because all too often we try and sprint ahead (and get into management) without realising that work is an ultra marathon. Certainly, it was in these earlier years as an engineer that I came across others who were of a similar age who were "earmarked for management" and were all doing project management work without much technical knowledge, other than a 1st class university pass. Needless to say that not many of these projects were completed on time and on budget.

    Then with complex assignments, I have found that I prefer more freedom to explore numerous options before closing in on a preference and then even revisiting a few as I gain more knowledge. This is not for everyone and certainly not all managers like this approach. So, not all environments suit all personalities.

    Then there may well be another option, which I am applying right now with my "experimenting with gesture sensors" challenge. And that is, exploring new avenues that were never identified before you started a project.

    For example, MaximIntegrated have provided a Windows only interface software, but they have also provided the source code in C#. I had never looked at C# before as never seen it relevant. But in this case, instead of just borrowing my son's Windows computer, I wondered whether I could use that source code in another way in LinuxOS.

    Well, after a little online searching (using your point 5 - Googling), I discovered:

    https://www.mono-project.com

    I've done some of the basics and wow it's brilliant. So, who knew, I would be learning something new today.

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  • dougw said:
    How do you deal with it? How should you deal with it?

    This is a very good question.

    My daughter used to love watching Peppa Pig and there was one episode, which made me laugh. The episode was about the classroom teacher asking the kids what they want to do when they grow up, and they all replied that they wanted to do different jobs where they "could tell people what to do". How true for those young ambitious types.

    Anyway, I believe there are some other other options to consider, which are probably more relevant to younger folk:

    9. "Do you seek out a mentor and/or seek to learn from those who have more experience".

    10. "Do you seek out a working environment that suits your personality and learning approach. You may well do the same job but some will thrive in a more chaotic workplace while others will thrive with more regimented rules".

    I remember in one my earliest jobs, I worked as a reliability engineer on a light rail network. There was one chap who was in his early sixties working with me, who had been told to take it easy by his doctor after many years working in project leadership in the oil and gas industry. He was the one who taught me much about work life balance and about different working cultures. It was a pity that there were not more of these people around to "take you under the wing" as he retired after a year. It's because all too often we try and sprint ahead (and get into management) without realising that work is an ultra marathon. Certainly, it was in these earlier years as an engineer that I came across others who were of a similar age who were "earmarked for management" and were all doing project management work without much technical knowledge, other than a 1st class university pass. Needless to say that not many of these projects were completed on time and on budget.

    Then with complex assignments, I have found that I prefer more freedom to explore numerous options before closing in on a preference and then even revisiting a few as I gain more knowledge. This is not for everyone and certainly not all managers like this approach. So, not all environments suit all personalities.

    Then there may well be another option, which I am applying right now with my "experimenting with gesture sensors" challenge. And that is, exploring new avenues that were never identified before you started a project.

    For example, MaximIntegrated have provided a Windows only interface software, but they have also provided the source code in C#. I had never looked at C# before as never seen it relevant. But in this case, instead of just borrowing my son's Windows computer, I wondered whether I could use that source code in another way in LinuxOS.

    Well, after a little online searching (using your point 5 - Googling), I discovered:

    https://www.mono-project.com

    I've done some of the basics and wow it's brilliant. So, who knew, I would be learning something new today.

Children