I'll be writing about this kind of thing as part of my dev career newsletter soon, but will add a few thoughts on the issue (not directly "at" your article) 😊.
I believe that focusing on the difference between a $90,000 vs $108,000 industry focus is not really worth being a machine learning specialist vs. a web developer, for example.
$18,000 increase, in general, after deductions, where I live (for example) would really only be something like $12,000 (probably less actually...but a round number is easier to deal with).
Divided by a bi-weekly pay period, then that's about a $460 NET gain per pay. That sounds OK.. not as much as $18,000 annually sounds up-front...
Also, I'm not taking into consideration that higher tax brackets in some countries have an even larger increase in deductions.
Also, we should consider the difference in training you will need. Chances are, becoming a machine learning dev means a lot more formal training than getting your foot in the door with web development.
That's going to be more upfront costs. More debt long term? Etc.
I think better yet, is to pick what focus you are really interested in. Something that motivates you. Then, become an expert in that field.
For example, the avg web dev salary is around $90,000 USD. What do you think industry-recognized senior/lead/architects make? Way more than the avg machine learning dev.
A large part of this is being responsible for your career, treating it as a long-term artifact to grow (much like a garden) and realizing that there's no silver bullet or "best" dev focus, in general. Becoming recognized in your field has way more value and I think should be the focus for ambitious software developers and a better long-term strategy.
Great comment @james
, becoming the expert is really the most important, whatever field you choose, if you are an expert, you will earn a lot more than others.
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Very well laid out article - love it!
I'll be writing about this kind of thing as part of my dev career newsletter soon, but will add a few thoughts on the issue (not directly "at" your article) 😊.
I believe that focusing on the difference between a $90,000 vs $108,000 industry focus is not really worth being a machine learning specialist vs. a web developer, for example.
$18,000 increase, in general, after deductions, where I live (for example) would really only be something like $12,000 (probably less actually...but a round number is easier to deal with).
Divided by a bi-weekly pay period, then that's about a $460 NET gain per pay. That sounds OK.. not as much as $18,000 annually sounds up-front...
Also, I'm not taking into consideration that higher tax brackets in some countries have an even larger increase in deductions.
Also, we should consider the difference in training you will need. Chances are, becoming a machine learning dev means a lot more formal training than getting your foot in the door with web development.
That's going to be more upfront costs. More debt long term? Etc.
I think better yet, is to pick what focus you are really interested in. Something that motivates you. Then, become an expert in that field.
For example, the avg web dev salary is around $90,000 USD. What do you think industry-recognized senior/lead/architects make? Way more than the avg machine learning dev.
A large part of this is being responsible for your career, treating it as a long-term artifact to grow (much like a garden) and realizing that there's no silver bullet or "best" dev focus, in general. Becoming recognized in your field has way more value and I think should be the focus for ambitious software developers and a better long-term strategy.
Great comment @james , becoming the expert is really the most important, whatever field you choose, if you are an expert, you will earn a lot more than others.