Hi dear readers. In this blog post I am going to write about the next Apprenticeship Pattern called ‘The Deep End’. I am sure all of you are wondering now what does that mean?!

This new Pattern talks about how to be able to realize if you can take over different kinds of projects and realize where do you stand in terms of your knowledge and career.

For a lot of developers there comes a phase in the career where you start thinking about how are you doing and where do you stand. Questions like: have I achieved enough, am I in the right position, should I move to another company, is my portfolio where it should be, etc, cross your mind.  I liked the expression the authors used: “Waiting until you’re ready can become a recipe for never doing a thing”. I totally agree with this expression as I personally think you can never be fully ready for any type of job. There are always new things to learn and new technology coming out.

Two years of experience with my company and I have been a witness of people asking these questions to themselves and moving on and out of the company because they didn’t feel right anymore, they did’t see space for growing and said it was hurting the career. Every move you take it has its own risks, some bigger than others but always present. I personally think that risks shouldn’t just be avoided but should really be considered. Moving out of the company you are working or taking over big projects that you know that you can’t handle can fail your career. I believe this is big enough reason to hold back and really think about  this new step you are about to take.

Always challenge yourself with different  bigger and bigger projects, but don’t just climb 5 stairs at a time. ‘You can fall and seriously get injured.’ I like the author’s suggestion about making a list of your all achievements, projects and skills you are at. This list will definitely show you were you stand and give you a better idea on what your next step should be.