Generally, applying for jobs is a young person's game. As one gets older, a lot of the opportunities come through the network you've built, so investing in building a network is an absolute must.
But at some point, even the concept of "having a job" gets precarious. So investing early in building the skills to generate your income independently of an employer is super worthwhile for career longevity. It's harder to master than yet another framework, but will do more to guarantee your income.
A big part of building this skill is figuring out a market you can serve, and the needs of that market. It's more likely to be an existing product or service, but over time one builds their own unique take on it, so that over time one becomes the best at servicing a particular type of client. This, coupled with ongoing investments in networking, is the closest thing one can get to "job security" in modern labor markets.
I have followed this path the past 15 years. I am nowhere close to generating enough revenue to really not need contracting. The issue I have with my industry is that pushing innovative products is very hard, so you end up making me-too style products with your own take on it. So basically 90% the same as what other people are making. This becomes very boring, because as an engineer or designer I want to contribute something new and unique, basically an entirely new product different from what competitors are selling. So anyway, in the end I am in a situation where I need to make me-too products which I have zero interest in to be financially succesful, or choose to do the groundbreaking interesting stuff and have a really hard time making money. To be succesful with innovative products you need big marketing budgets.
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Building your own business.
Generally, applying for jobs is a young person's game. As one gets older, a lot of the opportunities come through the network you've built, so investing in building a network is an absolute must.
But at some point, even the concept of "having a job" gets precarious. So investing early in building the skills to generate your income independently of an employer is super worthwhile for career longevity. It's harder to master than yet another framework, but will do more to guarantee your income.
A big part of building this skill is figuring out a market you can serve, and the needs of that market. It's more likely to be an existing product or service, but over time one builds their own unique take on it, so that over time one becomes the best at servicing a particular type of client. This, coupled with ongoing investments in networking, is the closest thing one can get to "job security" in modern labor markets.
I have followed this path the past 15 years. I am nowhere close to generating enough revenue to really not need contracting. The issue I have with my industry is that pushing innovative products is very hard, so you end up making me-too style products with your own take on it. So basically 90% the same as what other people are making. This becomes very boring, because as an engineer or designer I want to contribute something new and unique, basically an entirely new product different from what competitors are selling. So anyway, in the end I am in a situation where I need to make me-too products which I have zero interest in to be financially succesful, or choose to do the groundbreaking interesting stuff and have a really hard time making money. To be succesful with innovative products you need big marketing budgets.