How to deepen your software engineering skills
A twenty-something CS major working in consulting asked "How should I deepen my software engineering skills? Should I get a masters? Or join a startup?" My thoughts are: - I encourage you to do your software training on the side . . .while you keep getting paid - You can do that by doing classes remotely, either for a degree or just on your own - In my experience that many of the best software engineers are self-taught - That's because technology is always changing, so your experience teaching yourself allows you to keep current - You can also contribute to a startup or an open source project on the side - double check your employment agreement to make sure you stay compliant - Lastly, build things on your own that force you to learn more CS tools - Building things on your own eliminates any conflicts with your current employer - Pick projects that you can finish - start small so you get to a v1.0 and then add more capability or start a new project - pick projects tha...