Due to the pandemic and an influx of stress recently, I went into self contemplation and tried to find what I don't like about my life. One of the things that stood out was that, regarding my career and my love for computing, my knowledge feels wide but shallow. I feel that this is limiting my creative capacity and my ability to create fun and interesting things. As an example, I see articles here about reasonably complex subjects and am mostly capable of following them, but lack the inspiration to create something of my own that would not be a copy or close derivative of the articles I read.
In contrast, I see that some people find their niche, be it creating a site with auto-generated fractal art or their own text editor or even entire operating systems. I admire them but at the same time, I struggle to understand how they get their motivation.
If I spend a sizeable amount of energy exploring a niche subject and I end up not finding it satisfying, the energy feels wasted as the knowledge does not always transfer to the rest of my activities. At the same time, since I cannot relate my current activities to something I'm not familiar with, it's hard to judge before hand.
I've tried the approach of trying out everything I find interesting, but combined with full-time work and the amount of information online, most attempts have remained very shallow with little to show for it.
For people who feel that they have found their niche(s), what was your path towards them and how do you know if a project will be something worth pursuing for your personal enjoyment?
Full time work is exhausting and leaves little energy for energyintensive work that requires a lot of concentration.
I'd say that my situation is similar. I am interested in sooo many things and the resulting knowledge is wide, who cares if it is shallow, do we have to judge everything?
What is broad knowledge useful for? I am preparing to found a startup with a guy i know from school. My broad knowledge helps here immensly, i know what to do and i will learn the specifics when it is time to.
We often hear the phrase "Follow your passion". Passion is like a flame. If you want to find your niche, i think the question "What problems do i want to solve which i am willing to work for?" (pretty sure i encountered it on HN) might yield more long-term satisfying answers. Just ask yourself the question and let it open. Stop yourself from trying to find an answer with your (active thinking) mind, let your subconcious work. Maybe make a reminder or post-it or whatever works for you to ask it regularly. Just ask and wait.
Good luck.