My Angular Dilemma

[Mister_L]

I'm planning to look for a job as an angular js developer. The dilemma is that angular 2.0 is about to be released in a few months, and it's going to be completely different from angular 1.x. Now I'm not sure if I should spend my time learning angular 2.0, or stick to angular 1.x in the meantime. In the interviews they'll probably ask me questions about angular 1.x so I have to know it well, but if it's going to be a thing of the past soon then it bums me out to have to learn it...What do you think?

[tangor]

See that the interviews say.

YOU:"I am accomplished in x.

THEN: What about x new?

YOU: I feel sure that I can learn it with no difficulty if it is a requirement for the job. However, x nw has not been released to the public yet.

[piatkow]

However, x nw has not been released to the public yet.

I do know of a company that once advertised for people with 18 months experience in "x" just 6 months after it was released.

[LifeinAsia]

No idea about angular js, but just about every other language, database, and operating system is constantly evolving and getting new releases. (And if it's not, then it's probably a dead language with little demand.) The IT world is an ever-changing environment and you need to be constantly keeping your skills up to date. Or go into management. :)

The demand for the new version all depends on how fast people in the industry are going to rush to adopt it. In general, the larger the company, probably the slower they are to adopt new versions- more people the upgrade could affect, so more preparation needed; more mission-critical systems that could be affected, so more preparation/testing needed; etc. Smaller shops with only a handful of people working with that language are more likely to adopt sooner. Conversely, with more limited resources, smaller shops can also be less inclined to upgrade until much later down the road. It all depends on if the benefits of the new version outweigh the "costs" of upgrading.

As a interviewer, someone trying to learn 2.0 before it's available to the public would impress me as someone who is focused on keeping his skills up to date and could possible lead the company's upgrade to 2.0.

Then again, a different interviewer might have a different opinion- this uppity kid is just going to complain since we have no intention of upgrading any time soon. Most likely he'll just get bored and look for a new job. :)

But that brings up another issue- are you looking to work for a company that wants to be on the bleeding edge of technology all the time, or are you looking for a slower paced company that doesn't mind being behind the technology curve?