the job market is not great, so what

Okay, here is the state of affairs.

Some developers think the market is getting better. Others think it is getting worse.

Some developers think AI is killing developer jobs.

Others think AI is creating them.

What do I think?

As a coach, mentor, and developer who has been around for the last 10+ years, I think you must be very careful with what you believe.

And here comes the first lesson in this email:

Your beliefs guide your actions, and your actions dictate the results you will get. You will achieve what you believe.

Guess what? If you think things are that bad, you won’t even try!

Sure, the job market is not looking great.

However, it was much worse during the Dot-com bubble in the 2000s. Thousands of programmers had to pack and move from Silicon Valley. Most switched careers completely.

It was much worse during the Great Depression when people couldn’t feed their children.

And it was much worse in 2008 during the Great Financial Crisis when unemployment hit double digits for months.

We don’t have it that bad.

Here comes the second lesson of this email: happiness is about perspective. If you feel unhappy, change your perspective.

I like to believe that the world is getting better every day.

Is it just that happiness doesn’t make for clickbaity headlines.

War, crisis, famine, and murders sell more newspapers. Good people doing good things don't trigger anybody. So they go unseen.

Now, back to our beloved software development.

The only difference I see is that being a developer has become more demanding.

Blame it on technology advancement, AI, layoffs, or whatever.

The point is you need to get more done. You need more technical depth in your specialization. And you need more breath across the full stack.

But Dragos, that's a lot of stuff to learn.

Yes, it is. But look around you. Ask any doctor, lawyer, or tax accountant how much time they spend learning new things.

Here I go again. Life is about perspective.

Let’s use this opportunity to push ourselves and see how much we can go. Let this fire cast our iron to steel!

Without a dragon to slay, there would be no knight in shining armor.

Now, just like any hero in the great stories of the past, from Frodo to Mulan, they all had mentors guiding them through their journey.

We’ve got around three spots left for April.

If you want my team and I to personally mentor you to the Senior level and beyond, apply here for a chat with me to see if we are a fit! <https://www.theseniordev.com/apply>

Even if we are not a match, I bet I have some ideas that could help you. I will give you my best hints, and we will keep in touch.

Perspective, remember?

Have a lovely weekend, and I hope I will see you soon :)

Take care, Dragos

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