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> "not because it's unspecialized, but because it's hard to fashion a value proposition for it relative to your competition in the market." I agree with this

> "not because it's unspecialized, but because it's hard to fashion a value proposition for it relative to your competition in the market." I agree with this entirely. But it makes me realize that perhaps I haven't explained my position well. I would agree that being a mobile expert is likely going to be LESS lucrative than being, say, an expert in recombinant DNA technology with a fluent C++ background and a PHD in machine learning. The only issue I see with advising people to invest tons of time and money into niche fields, is exactly what others have pointed out in this thread - You can't really predict what's going to be valuable in 10 years. So take your pick - Go the safe route and become an expert in a more general field like, for example, mobile. Or pick something incredibly niche, which will shrink your competitor pool and increase your relative value proposition. A classic risk/reward scenario if I've ever seen one.

kelnos 9y ago
> Go the safe route and become an expert in a more general field like, for example, mobile. I don't think this is all that safe, really. What we consider "mobile" development has really only been around for about a decade with the releases of iOS and Android. (Sure, there were mobile platforms before that, but most people didn't really care about them, and specializing in them would likely limit your options, not expand them.) In that time, mobile development has gotten nothing if not easier. So, over time, being a "mobile dev" will become less and less of an important specialization. More people will do it, and the frameworks around it (both those released by Apple/Google, and third-party things on top of it), will make it easier and easier. By that point you might be an "elite" mobile developer who can do certain things on mobile that most others cannot, but the market for that level of specialization will likely also be small.

kelnos 9y ago

> Go the safe route and become an expert in a more general field like, for example, mobile. I don't think this is all that safe, really. What we consider "mobile" development has really only been around for about a decade with the releases of iOS and Android. (Sure, there were mobile platforms before that, but most people didn't really care about them, and specializing in them would likely limit your options, not expand them.) In that time, mobile development has gotten nothing if not easier. So, over time, being a "mobile dev" will become less and less of an important specialization. More people will do it, and the frameworks around it (both those released by Apple/Google, and third-party things on top of it), will make it easier and easier. By that point you might be an "elite" mobile developer who can do certain things on mobile that most others cannot, but the market for that level of specialization will likely also be small.