Every developer needs a niche

April 04, 2024

It's great to have a broad set of programming skills that are applicable across industries. But at some point, you'll improve your career by specializing & choosing a niche.

When you pick a niche, you develop expertise. Your niche might be technical - like embedded systems development in C, or Android apps in Kotlin. Or, it might be industry-specific, like healthcare, finance, or ecommerce.

Paradoxically, when you narrow your focus you generate more opportunities for people who want to hire you. Since you grew your expertise in a specific area, you're a more compelling candidate for roles that match that expertise.

For example, I'm a backend engineer working in Python with a focus on climate tech. My experience at startups, understanding about emissions/rebates/measured savings, and technical expertise in Django/Flask/FastAPI helped me quickly triage roles that were a good fit for my skills. When I spoke with companies that seemed like a good fit, I was a strong candidate because I've specialized.

The takeaway is instead of saying "I'll work for anyone, anywhere, coding anything" try thinking about your unique combination of skills & experience. How can you turn those into a niche that sets you apart & gives an unfair advantage?


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