HACKER Q&A
📣 sucks2suck

How do you switch to a different domain with an established career?


I’m not talking about something lie going from going from writing web applications to writing mobile applications or doing something with extremely high demand and visibility.

So given (not saying these are truths, just that they’re expressed commonly or I observe)

- No one cares about your projects/GitHub/blog/whatever after your first job

- Majority of jobs are not entry level, particularly in the area you’re interested in and your prior experience isn’t exactly a match.

How do can a make a lateral, or even slightly downwards transition into a different domain/niche very different from where I find myself now?

I hear about people talk about how there are all sorts of opportunities and areas in software development, but when I look at people working on various thing, I can’t help but get the feeling they go where they are by being at the right place at the right time, somewhere I’ve almost never find myself. I can teach myself the technical skills, but how do I express my ability to to do them in a job. I can’t necessarily teach myself the business domain, which is a whole different issue as well.

The funny thing is, this is the exact same issue I, and I assume many others had entering the field. The old: I need experience to get a job, but need a job to get experience. The difference being that I’m not an entry level candidate anymore, so a lot of the tactics don’t seem applicable, and I’m not gunning for “just anything” anymore.

  👤 legerdemain Accepted Answer ✓
I have a PhD in computational physics. Although I didn't go into a career in physics, my degree was pretty instrumental in getting me a job in software engineering on a cutting-edge team. I think it would also be pretty simple for me to move into ML and deep learning. There are a few short programs like Galvanize that introduce the basics of data science, but they're just a veneer of "respectability." The doctorate is the real thing that opens doors.

I'm not saying it's worth your while to get a PhD. It isn't. Don't bother with a PhD. A PhD is basically never worth the investment, the time, and the loss of career development and earning opportunity.

That said, a PhD in almost any scientific discipline opens the door into a ton of computing careers, basically no questions asked. Engineers love to complain how PhD candidates can't solve problems or code their way out of a paper bag, but their companies still can't stop snatching PhD grads fast enough and offering them very competitive salaries. No one cares what exactly your PhD is in. The degree is basically used as proof that you're smart and you can stick to a challenging project that lasts several years.

Take it with a grain of salt.