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One isn't going to get to CTO in only hundreds of hours, but one can get to "getting paid" in that amount of time, and then, if you're smart and keep prioritize
by iainctduncan 6y ago
One isn't going to get to CTO in only hundreds of hours, but one can get to "getting paid" in that amount of time, and then, if you're smart and keep prioritize learning, get to CTO while getting paid. I started web dev at 30 (though had coded in high school), and was a startup CTO at 44, now an architecture consultant, and the best advice I had in the beginning from a good mentor was to structure everything relentlessly so that I was spending 20-25% of my time learning, even if it meant less money per paycheque. I can't stress enough how important and effective this is. If you're willing to make 75% less at the beginning to keep working that lever, in 10 years you will be a hot property and commanding very good compensation.
- arcturus17 6y agoI agree with pretty much everything you've said (your comment on the tension between billing and learning being particularly poignant), but you're talking about a 14 year path versus the gist of the article, which talks about shipping commercial products with 400 hours of self-learning - an unrealistic expectation for most people. You're probably better off planning for the decade-long path (starting humble, and improving incrementally) than thinking that anything remarkable is going to happen in your first couple of years.
- potta_coffee 6y agoThanks for this advice. I'm 37, started at 30 and I'm at the midway point. I'd like to get where you are.