> Java and legacy C# development

Functional Reactive Programming (2016) uses examples in Java 8. Manning Early Access Program (MEAP) recently announced Fabulous Adventures in Data Structures and Algorithms, which uses C#.

That is to say, within languages there is still plenty to learn.

There's the operating systems and hardware route, systems programming, low-level stuff. Maybe not immediately applicable to present work.

There's cloud and DevOps, observability and monitoring. Hard to start that unless there's already a "digital transformation" initiative.

But you could segue to an ML platform while working out a data-driven ML thing.

React (frontend) is fine, but how's the backend knowledge? Would you use Spring and Hibernate, .NET Core, or Node.js?

Maybe work on some side projects and develop a portfolio? Blog about issues you've solved, handy shortcuts, migration tips, or discuss YAML pipelines?

Don't know about certs. Spinning up from Terraform (Gitops) seems eminently more hands-on.

There's also formal reasoning and software validation. Provers, constraint solvers, and dynamic programming. Operations algorithms and management science, optimization and the like.

You can do a blog about retro programming to find clients which have your stack. I read about group of developers who were writing in Cobol in 2010s. Because this software were in use and still in use somewhere. The guy who wrote about it was a developer with decades of experience, but no one wanted hire him because of the age. Then he found other developers in the same situation and run a company to support software written in outdated languages

You can write old-styled software for those who have nostalgic feelings about good old times, or support solutions written for old platforms. Instead of been thinking about it as of trash, think about it as it is retro

Unpopular opinion: lie

First you learn the technology stack you want to go into really well on the side. Get to the point where you can explain the intricacies of how you “used the tech” (even though you didn’t) to the point where when someone ask you deep details of what you did on your job, what tradeoffs you made and what you like don’t like about the technology you can explain it.

I would have no ethical qualms about doing whatever is necessary to get a job in today’s environment.

Now is far certifications? They are meaningless and no one takes them seriously. They are multiple choice tests that any idiot can pass by memorizing a few concepts from ACloudGuru. Interviewers don’t take them seriously at all as far as having competence.

I have 7 active AWS Certs and at one point had 9 out of the then 11. I got my first one without ever logging into the AWS console and my next 4 within the first 6 months. They were never about getting a job. They served as a guided learning path to help me know what I didn’t know as I became the defacto cloud architect at a startup.

Not even AWS Professional Services (former employee) the internal cloud consulting arm at AWS cares about certification as a hiring criteria.

I now work as a staff cloud consultant specializing in app dev + cloud working full time at a 3rd party cloud consulting company. I got my start on AWS dealing with migrating from .Net Framework to .net Core on AWS at the startup.

No one is going to hire you because you studied MLOps on the side doing toy projects when there are plenty of people with real world experience looking for jobs.

Your other bet is working for a company that has a mixture of .Net framework and they are moving to .NET Core and other modern tech and then volunteer to work on more modern tech at your new job.