How to avoid career stagnation in my 20s?

Question

I'm currently approaching year 2 of my current job and have been in the industry for about 5 years since I graduated with my masters in comp sci.A couple years ago, I did the leetcode thing to get cushy pay and worked really hard for the first year and a half. I'm now extremely bored and realizing all I'm doing is pushing Kafka messages and writing Java micro-services, leaving me with this daily existential dread of not advancing my career or knowledge.Despite spending a lot of my time reading, learning and admiring tech, I'm sitting in my office wanting bigger and better opportunities so I can grow into a solid engineer. I've never had a mentor and despite seeking out mentors, I'm not sure how to really go about finding one that can provide guidance like this. I want to have opportunities to dive deep and become smarter, but realizing I don't really know how to best go about this.Money isn't everything, however, I do still need a job to keep me afloat as my partner and I live in a high cost of living area (for her job).

MaknMoreGtnLess · Accepted Answer

> I want to have opportunities to dive deep and become smarter, but realizing I don't really know how to best go about this.
Do you want to become a SME with deep expertise in a certain vertical of software or do you really want something vastly different?
For example, I realized I wanted independence and ability to make decisions and learn the direct impact of those decisions. So working for small businesses and larger, who were hiring me as software arch. and lead, was out of the question and doing pre-rev startups as a (co)founder, was the only way out.

po_ta_toes · Answer

So you've had two jobs each for a decent stint. That's a good start getting experiences at multiple workplaces. But it sounds like you know its time to move again, but make this move with purpose and think about which area you would like to specialise in, something that really excites you. I'm sure with all the reading you've done you have a good general idea.
As with mentors at least in my experience they find you. Maybe your mentor will be in your next job!
Dont worry, I think you're doing well :)

awildfivreld · Answer

One option I plan for when hitting where you are now is to transition horizontally within the department/company. Our total tech stack is extremely broad, so there is lots of room to try new things. Perhaps this could be an option for you, if you want to stay within your current company.

whateveracct · Answer

2 years into your current job? I'd look for a new one. Extra money + new experience.Long-term, think about what you want out of life & your career. And career doesn't necessarily mean pushing code at some company. You can do a lot with computer skills, after all! And you can do a lot more once you don't need to follow the cash. I'm still following the cash for a bit tho..but I'm working towards more fun stuff that is owned by me.

shoo · Answer

switching job to a new team with different tech and different business/domain context every couple of years can be a way to keep things fresh. you probably get the biggest impulse of variety by switching employer or clients. you can also get a smaller impulse of variety in a larger org if you transfer internally to some other team. another option is transitioning into a new role where you'd need to learn and apply some entirely new skills (product, management, sales, ...).another idea could be to try a few non-tech hobbies and if you find one you like, start putting more energy into that outside of the day job.

exolymph · Answer

Go work for a startup that will give you more responsibility than a BigCo would, great way to accelerate career growth :)