Earl's on target here. If you spend five years obsessively learning the ins and outs of a particular language or technology, getting to know its strengths and weaknesses, and ideally at the end of that five year tenure, started contributing to advancing the state of the art of that language or technology, you'll likely be in the top 10% or more of that area.
I assumed that anyone who spent five years in an area would inevitably get to that point, but upon further reflection, it takes five years plus a passion for excellence and not being satisfied with "good enough". And that's something else companies look for --- they want 'A' players that are always looking to see how they can improve themselves, their environment, and help improve the people around them.
The good news is that in my experience there are many people who have come out of the military do have that ethos. So although I don't know you (Joshua) beyond looking at your electronic presence, I think you have a pretty good shot at becoming a world class expert. I definitely would encourage you to go for it!
I assumed that anyone who spent five years in an area would inevitably get to that point, but upon further reflection, it takes five years plus a passion for excellence and not being satisfied with "good enough". And that's something else companies look for --- they want 'A' players that are always looking to see how they can improve themselves, their environment, and help improve the people around them.
The good news is that in my experience there are many people who have come out of the military do have that ethos. So although I don't know you (Joshua) beyond looking at your electronic presence, I think you have a pretty good shot at becoming a world class expert. I definitely would encourage you to go for it!