Java is the 21st century COBOL, a must have for all offshore developers. Stay away from it. Learn Python/Ruby and Django or Rails. They will keep you way ahead on the productivity curve. If you are doing web development, learn the full stack, html and js all the way through to SQL. If not the web, find something interesting and dig deep into it. Think about what is not out there. Don't do social networking or mobile games, they are too crowded. Enterprise solutions, however, have barely been tapped.
The biggest skill is networking and not just with HN types. A socially active SO who collects people is a wonderful person to have, better than a VC. Who you know is better than what you know.
The biggest skill is networking and not just with HN types. A socially active SO who collects people is a wonderful person to have, better than a VC. Who you know is better than what you know.