#035 - Jack of All Trades, Master of None
![](https://thejoyofprogramming.com/content/images/2020/07/35-dan-meyers-WGfhyaORzh0-unsplash.jpg)
It's an honest phrase that I'm convinced would not go down too well with the HR team when reviewing your job application, never mind during a job interview.
However, the reality is - if someone is SO good, they wouldn't be applying for a 'regular' job in the public sector. Instead, that top-notcher would likely reach out to a Fortune 500 company or become an entrepreneur and pursue their great ambition.
For organisations and establishments within the public sector, soft skills typically trump technical skills.
When I was revising my curriculum vitae recently, I chose to scrap my list of 'skills' which consisted of a shopping list of software and technologies that I have used in the past. Instead, I chose to weave these worded technologies and software as part of my descriptive duties and responsibilities throughout my given roles.
I shared in last week's reflection that I also made the effort to update my non-disclosed portfolio website. I say non-disclosed, because I don't advertise it freely. I like my false sense of anonymity on the Interweb.
I have also been deliberate to NOT reveal my source code for my personal side projects in the form of a GitHub profile link. The reason being is that I use private repos on GitHub. And at the time of writing, I am not involved in any open source projects. However, it doesn't stop me from using open source technologies to create working solutions and viable prototypes.
Nonetheless, I will happily disclose the web links to commercial projects that I have been involved in. I personally believe this is typically what prospective employers care about (i.e. work-related projects that they can contact your referees to confirm your involvement).
I am not afraid to share my source code of my personal projects with prospective employers ONLY if they take a genuine interest in my self-taught knowledge and practical skills in software development. For an advertised technical role, you do hope that the prospective employer will explicitly request to see your code and/or projects. My only personal annoyance with my side projects is that I have been weaving a secondary project in the form of a custom API and it's something that I am experimenting for a potential commercial product.
I also have a pet peeve about technical roles for organisations and establishments within the public sector, because there are hardly any technical or practical tests. Why is that?
Why should a candidate appear to bluff their way in verbal conversation, when it's easier to test them on the spot and ask them to code a simple program (or discuss the intricate code of their portfolio project), or sit with someone from the interview panel in the form of pair programming, or browse through a team mailbox, or study a project design brief, or respond to live tickets and queries in a real-world environment.
It is my long-term personal ambition to work for a specific multinational company with the view to work alongside smart boffins and creative individuals and contribute to assistive technologies and educational tools for all users.
Perhaps I am setting my own bar too highly as I scope out a very niche but important role, but I would rather use my skills for good and make a positive impact in life. I hope to pilot such prototypes using open source technologies, which I will likely target for 2020. My only hindrance is accelerating my foundational knowledge in JavaScript and C# to achieve this short-term goal.
~Richard