Very well said. Most developpers I know consider it a day job, they do it, generally well, collect their money and get on with their lives.
I suspect most people on this board, most certainly including myself, are not like that. But we are the minority and I have nothing against the majority that wants to do that.
As to practical suggestions for the OP to keep growing: Find a community of people like you. My expertise is in SQL and I used to attend the local user group meetings (it now conflicts with my night classes in grad school). I still both write for and read sites like www.sqlservercentral.com where I can participate in the community in a virtual sense at least.
Also, you may want to consider going back to grad school, if your schedule permits it. It gives you a ready made community of smart people pursuing things at least vaguely in your field. This is more important than the classes or the piece of paper at the end, but that piece of paper can make a nice addition the next time you are in the job market.
Comments
Very well said. Most developpers I know consider it a day job, they do it, generally well, collect their money and get on with their lives.
I suspect most people on this board, most certainly including myself, are not like that. But we are the minority and I have nothing against the majority that wants to do that.
As to practical suggestions for the OP to keep growing: Find a community of people like you. My expertise is in SQL and I used to attend the local user group meetings (it now conflicts with my night classes in grad school). I still both write for and read sites like www.sqlservercentral.com where I can participate in the community in a virtual sense at least.
Also, you may want to consider going back to grad school, if your schedule permits it. It gives you a ready made community of smart people pursuing things at least vaguely in your field. This is more important than the classes or the piece of paper at the end, but that piece of paper can make a nice addition the next time you are in the job market.