Ask HN: I am not able to find a job. Should I switch stacks?
10 pointsby need_a_work237 hours ago7 comments
  • gk17 hours ago
    I highly recommend you read this classic post from Patrick McKenzie: https://www.kalzumeus.com/2011/10/28/dont-call-yourself-a-pr...

    > You are not defined by your chosen software stack: I recently asked via Twitter what young engineers wanted to know about careers. Many asked how to know what programming language or stack to study. It doesn’t matter. There you go.

    This is especially true now, since coding agents make it possible to work with any stack.

    • ericmcer4 hours ago
      I dunno I find it almost more important than ever to have deep domain experience. You need to be able to scan output and spot any problems/improvements instantly. If I am just auditing AI output around an area I don’t have mastery of I am basically useless.
      • patwork3 hours ago
        A stack is still not a domain. You could have domain expertise in building highly scaled distributed systems and still not call yourself a ____ programmer. The point is that your value lies more in knowing how to build for performance, consistency, reliability at scale and not in knowing where the semicolon goes.
  • catzapdan hour ago
    Rather than switch stacks, better way to phrase it is that one should try to increase breadth and depth of knowledge.

    By breadth I mean learning other programming language, frameworks, system design etc.

    By depth I mean that - if you claim to know React - then get to know the deep detail of React, TS and the related ecosystem.

    You can showcase the expertize by writing code, demoing it or sharing on github. Writing about it is another way

  • rozenmd6 hours ago
    The job has never been about "writing code". You're there to solve problems for the business.

    I'd reach out to people you've worked with before and ask if they need help.

    • Froedlich2 hours ago
      Managers might want solutions, but to get to them you have to go through HR, which wants checkboxes ticked.

      That's two entirely different screening processes.

  • mixmastamyk4 hours ago
    Don’t believe anyone is hiring “switchers” or people looking to learn new things these days. I only get interviews for things that done the last ten years.

    Folks saying it doesn’t matter are correct in times of scarcity, but was always a hard sell to employers. Currently impossible without personal connections.

  • sdevonoes5 hours ago
    I started with js and php. Moved to Java. Then node. Then php again. Then Go. Then Kotlin. Then TS. Then Python. Then Go again. In between a bunch of sql, html, css, and many different tools, libraries and frameworks. The most important things Ive learned are around architecture/databases/distributed-systems, tho.

    I don’t think i could have survived in this industry if I knew only 1 or 2 “stacks”.

  • aristofun5 hours ago
    Serious employers don’t care what tools you used, they care what heights did you reach (what kind of projects did you deliver).
  • nitotm6 hours ago
    I'm on a similar situation. When you say "switch stacks" what do you have in mind? It seems your experience is pretty demanded already. Do you have a strong Github profile?