As a software engineer, I sometimes find myself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of knowledge out there. It's easy to feel confused about where to draw the line between not knowing what to do and being genuinely challenged by a problem that exceeds my current skill set. I'm proud of the progress I've made over the past four to five years, but I want to keep improving in a healthy way. I'm looking for advice on how much knowledge is necessary to advance my career and how to manage the discouragement that comes from feeling like I'm constantly messing up.
2 Answers
It's a classic saying, but it's really about knowing how to find solutions rather than knowing everything. There’s so much info out there, and you can never keep all of it in your head. What you need changes across jobs and projects. When you hit a snag, focus on figuring out where you went wrong and learn from those mistakes. Every error is a step toward expertise!
What you need really depends on your career goals. Specializing can be really beneficial. I merged my background in automation with data science to tackle real-world problems at work. Each project can teach you a lot while keeping you engaged. You might find that focusing on specific areas improves both your skills and job satisfaction.
That's pretty helpful. Thanks!
Absolutely loved this. I took your words to heart 🙂