Specialization is for Insects

Photo by [F]oxymoron.

As you likely know, all we do at mirRoR is Ruby on Rails. We talk only with Ruby developers and fill only Ruby jobs. That being said, most Ruby developers aren’t just Ruby developers. Most developers have experience with multiple other languages and frameworks. Even within the Ruby on Rails world, there is great variety in coding philosophy, testing tools, and more. 

Although we specialize in Ruby on Rails exclusively, we view developers as multi-dimensional in their skills and experience. While we do work with developers who are devoted to Ruby and would only consider Ruby-focused opportunities, we also work with jack-of-all-trade types who don’t choose to peg their skills as exclusive to Ruby and Rails. 

We get that. And support it. Ruby on Rails isn’t the best solution for every programming problem out there. Other languages and frameworks fit best for certain projects. 

Our advice here is simple: keep learning, expanding, and building skills. It’s great to have a strong Ruby focus and to hone those skills everyday, but it’s also important to recognize and appreciate the diversity of programming languages and capabilities.

We’ll leave you with our favorite quotation on the diversity of human capabilities:

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, con a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. Robert A. Heinlein