Location, Location, Location

I get this question often:

"What skills do I need to learn?"

Well, I always reply with:

"Where are you located?"

Your local market is often a way to determine what skills are in demand and what skills you should learn. Because so often, people just follow what they are told. "Learn this and you will get a job." "Do this and you will get a job." But the people who give that advice are not taking into account that what might be popular where they live, might not be popular in yours.

For example:

Job Title 1: Software Engineer

• 3+ years of experience building server-side software using at least one of: Java, Scala, Python, and NodeJS.

• 3+ years of experience in AWS technologies

• 2+ years working with MongoDB or Cassandra

• 2+ years of experience working with 1 of the following relational databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server

Job Title 2: Software Engineer

• Proven work experience in Back-end development with a focus on .NET Core

• Proven work experience in Front-end development with a focus on Angular/React/Vue (Angular preferred)

• Development experience with PL/SQL and JavaScript

• Experience developing enterprise-level applications and supporting end-to-end systems development and delivery in an Agile environment

These are job descriptions from the search of a software engineer. The only difference is that these jobs are thousands of miles away from each other. These jobs want different skills and requirements for the same job title.

Location matters.

And I found out the hard way. I recently moved and I thought my skills (JavaScript, React, CSS, HTML) would translate seamlessly to wherever I located. However, when I went to apply for a job, I discovered that Java and Angular were the popular methods in my new area.

I actually started to learn Java because I was unsure I would find a job with the skills I had previously acquired.

Luckily, I did secure a position with the skills I had. Don’t be like me. Research your area. Look up the job title you want and see what is in demand and then move forward accordingly. Give yourself a chance to succeed before you ever start your journey!