Roy Tang

Someone on quora asked:

As an experienced Software Engineer, what type of knowledge I should obtain, which will not be obsolete by 2031?

For specific technical skills (programming languages, frameworks, platforms and such), it’s literally impossible to say. Technology advances quickly and at a pace difficult to predict. We probably can’t even predict what will be in use 5 years down the line, let alone 15 years.

Focus on soft skills and technical principles that will be the same no matter the technology being used:

1. Learn to communicate well. That means listening and reading and writing and speaking and good grammar and conveying your ideas clearly

2. Understanding of design patterns in software. Such design patterns are prevalent regardless of the technology in use (although they may look slightly different on each platform)

3. User interface design - that includes presentation, ease of use, etc

4. Business/requirements analysis - fleshing out requirements from clients, etc

5. Working well with other people. That means managing conflict, knowing how to help people who are doing poorly, and learning from people who are doing well, and being able to work well with teams and schedules

6. A bias towards learning and self-improvement - should be self-explanatory. Always seek to further and improve yourself