How do you know when you should change the programming domain you're working in?

Question

I've recently become one of the most senior developers in one division of the company, and am generally the 'go-to' guy about questions in the problem domain the division works in, however I feel I'm not learning anything new. To continue to learn new things I would have to change division and work on something competely different, but then my current domain knowledge would be useless & I would start off with knowing nothing again.

Obviously, this is quite a large decision & I'm hesitant to lost my 'status'; and the knowledge I do have would be useless.

How do you know when you should change the programming domain you work in?

Answer 1

When job market requires it.
You can always learn other things on your own.

Answer 2

There are always ways you can learn something new in your current domain. Just because others aren't making it easy, doesn't mean that you can't find ways to learn on your own.

That said, this is my answer to your question How do you know when you should change the programming domain you work in?

Simple. When you're no longer having any fun.

Answer 3

I don't think its wise to throw away the advantages of domain knowledge that you have built up.

I do think you should expand your knowledge, but try to do it by tackling problems at the edge of your domain, and on the side.

Also, fads come and go. Be careful before jumping on the latest bandwagon. Facebook apps were really hot a while ago, now very few people talk about them. People stull use C, even though it's more than 30 years old. I doubt the same will be true about a lot of the latest technologies.

Answer 4

If im the "go-to" guy i wont leave that field, although i will work part time on new and exciting projects to learn new stuff and stay updated.

Answer 5

You should changing your programming domain when the domain itself starts to be less relevant. It may be hard to pinpoint when and where that happens. As long as the domain is relevant and important for the company / market, you are a lot safer sticking with it, even though you may not learn as much as you wish.

However there is nothing that prevents you from keeping yourself up to date on other matters.

Answer 6

Well, this is totally subjective, but if you are tired of the domain and want to change, why do you care if the old domain knowledge is useless? I used to work for a bank and now do something totally different. I've never lost a minute's sleep about that domain knowledge being essentially useless in my current job.

Who cares about status? If you are good at what you do, the new division will likely recognize that quickly. Plus, not being the top dog for a time gives you time to get up to speed on the new domain.

Change can be hard. If you aren't able to learn anything new where you are, take the leap and see what happens. What's the worst that can happen?

I know it's time for a change when I cease to enjoy what I'm doing.