How to keep up with technology and advance your career

Source: Dev.to

In 2023, I published a blog post titled Sharing Knowledge as a Way of Life, where I suggested that knowledge sharing should become a habit because it helps raise awareness about neglected topics, build community, and enhance your professional reputation.

I agree that the technology world changes every day—new services are announced, AI capabilities evolve, cybersecurity risks emerge, and new technologies appear.
The question is: how do you keep up with technology, advance your career, and stay relevant in the tech industry?

In this post, I’ll explore that question from a fresh perspective: how to stay up‑to‑date in an era of rapid change.

Self‑learning

In the past, learning a new technology often meant paying for a college course or a training center, attending physical classes, and relying on an instructor to deliver knowledge.
Sometimes we would study at home, take a certification exam, and use the certificate to impress potential employers.

Since the COVID‑19 pandemic, online courses have become the dominant way to learn. Platforms such as:

• QA Platform (formerly Cloud Academy)
• Pluralsight
• Udemy
• LinkedIn Learning

have become the main sources of self‑learning. If your focus is cloud computing, AWS Skill Builder is a great option.

These platforms let anyone—from a newbie to a seasoned practitioner—learn at their own pace, from anywhere, by:

• Reading or listening to recorded lectures
• Gaining hands‑on experience in test labs

Theoretical knowledge alone has limited value. When you study a new cloud technology, create an account with the cloud provider, add a credit card, and start deploying services, building applications, writing code, and sharing it in a public Git repo. This way, others can learn from you too.

Tip: Reserve at least one hour per week (preferably more) for learning something new, practicing, and gaining hands‑on experience.

Public events

Self‑learning has its limits, which is why you should also take advantage of public events:

• Webinars – Attend from anywhere.
• Community meetups – Find them on Meetup.com or Eventbrite.
• Community platforms – Join discussions on Slack or Discord.
• Industry conferences – Cover virtually any tech topic you can imagine.

Getting the most out of conferences

1. Prepare in advance – Review the agenda, select sessions that match your interests, and add a few that are outside your comfort zone.
2. Be humble – Don’t assume you know everything. Listen, ask questions, and take photos of slides for later review.
3. Engage – Network with fellow attendees, reconnect with former colleagues, and meet new people.
4. Visit vendor booths – Talk to salespeople, learn about their offerings, and schedule follow‑ups if something catches your interest.
5. Gain hands‑on experience – Attend workshops (don’t forget your laptop!). Deploying and lab work solidify learning.
6. Share key takeaways – After the event, consolidate notes, photos, PDFs, or links, and share them with your team or community.

Knowledge sharing

The most advanced way to boost your career is by sharing your knowledge and expertise. I personally write in English to reach a global audience, but the platform you choose doesn’t matter—any sharing will advance your career.

• Develop soft skills – The most important quality for anyone in the tech field is the ability to communicate clearly, listen actively, and collaborate effectively.

Communication is essential in the tech industry. Whether it’s small‑talk with peers during a coffee break, a conversation with a customer about an issue, or explaining a technical topic to a senior manager, the ability to convey ideas clearly can make a big difference.

Ways to share knowledge and build your brand

• Write a blog post

  • Ideal for anyone who wants to share ideas but isn’t comfortable speaking in front of an audience.
  • You can post personal opinions, how‑to guides, or code samples.
  • You don’t need to be an expert; if your content is valuable, readers will follow you regularly.

• Record videos or podcasts

  • Platforms like YouTube and Spotify have exploded in popularity over the past decade.
  • Start small, share your insights, promote the recordings on social media, and attract followers worldwide.

• Provide lectures

  • Lectures (live or recorded) are a great way to share knowledge and engage with colleagues and peers.
  • Choose the format that suits you: video lectures (e.g., Zoom), on‑site small‑group sessions, or speaking on a large stage.
  • This helps build confidence, personal brand, and career momentum.

• Mentorship

  • A mentor has deep knowledge in at least one domain and is generous enough to help others grow.
  • Conduct one‑on‑one meetings or small‑group sessions (large groups tend to be less effective).
  • Offer honest feedback and ask for feedback on your own work to keep learning.

Summary

In this post we explored several ways anyone in the tech industry can:

• Expand knowledge
• Gain experience
• Build a reputation
• Advance their career

Learning never stops; there’s always a next level to master.

According to Werner Vogels, Amazon’s CTO, a T‑shaped person has deep expertise (the vertical bar of the “T”) in a specific domain—such as software development, cloud architecture, or data science—combined with broad knowledge and skills (the horizontal bar) across multiple disciplines like communication, systems thinking, and collaboration.
To advance your career, strive to develop both depth and breadth across multidisciplinary domains.

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