I am self taught. Never went to a bootcamp or any schooling past High School. I fell into it starting out doing design work... What has it meant over the past couple decades? A lot of constant reading and learning. It never stops. I spend an average of 2 hours a day reading and learning, every day. Some I tuck away, some I explore. In the end, I've seen things shift multiple times.
When Flash was at it's peak, I worked in eLearning writing simulations in flash, and supporting backends in VB/VB.Net, some C# and ASP/ASP.Net with SQL. From there, much more web/js, and various other database backends (cassandra, mongo, redis, etc). Currently working with C# and Node.js in web apps still. Learning Rust.
In the end, progress doesn't stop and wait for you. I tend to push for things faster than my workplaces want to adopt. In the end, it's a struggle, and it doesn't end. I will continue to do so until I die. I have absolutely no plans to retire.
Formal CS knowledge and education can help. Understanding and learning multiple platforms and languages helps more. If you want to settle in a rest on your laurels you won't last forever. You're best off understanding various ideas, workflows and patterns and how to recognize when one is a better fit. I have my preferences but am under no illusions that it will stay the same.
In the end, you have to commit to spending time each month/year learning and working on new things. It's the only way to keep up or get ahead.
When Flash was at it's peak, I worked in eLearning writing simulations in flash, and supporting backends in VB/VB.Net, some C# and ASP/ASP.Net with SQL. From there, much more web/js, and various other database backends (cassandra, mongo, redis, etc). Currently working with C# and Node.js in web apps still. Learning Rust.
In the end, progress doesn't stop and wait for you. I tend to push for things faster than my workplaces want to adopt. In the end, it's a struggle, and it doesn't end. I will continue to do so until I die. I have absolutely no plans to retire.
Formal CS knowledge and education can help. Understanding and learning multiple platforms and languages helps more. If you want to settle in a rest on your laurels you won't last forever. You're best off understanding various ideas, workflows and patterns and how to recognize when one is a better fit. I have my preferences but am under no illusions that it will stay the same.
In the end, you have to commit to spending time each month/year learning and working on new things. It's the only way to keep up or get ahead.