Today, after The Developer’s Conference Floripa, I had a mentoring session with Bruno Souza — and, as always, it left me thinking about our discussion, and how we can grow our careers in tech.
We weren’t talking about the latest Java release, cloud, or AI hype (ok, a little bit about AI also). We talked about focus. About consistency. About becoming the kind of developer people remember.
And Bruno reminded me of something so simple, yet so powerful: You don’t become a specialist by accident. You build it, one small step at a time.
Most developers I know (and I’ve been there too) jump between too many things at once — chasing every trend, every new tool, and end up overwhelmed.
But the people who really stand out? They go deep.
And that’s what I want to share with you today.
📌 What is “Going Deep”?
It’s choosing a clear, focused area for your career — something that excites you — and intentionally building your knowledge, skills, and visibility around it.
For example, here’s my focus: 👉 I help professional Java developers to help others and build meaningful relationships in the tech community so they can break out of mid-level positions, increase their industry visibility, and accelerate their path to senior and leadership roles.
It’s specific. It guides my decisions, my content, my conversations.
📌 Why is This Important?
Without focus, you’re everywhere but going nowhere. You learn a little of everything, but no one knows you for anything.
When you go deep:
- You become known in your niche.
- You attract opportunities aligned with your focus.
- You create impact, not noise.
- And you build confidence, because you know what you stand for.
And here’s the key: When people start seeing you as a specialist, they’ll call you to solve complex problems. And solving those is how you become truly a specialist.
📌 How Do You Do It?
Not by working four hours a day on it. Not by promising yourself you’ll write one article a week and then burning out.
You do it by showing up for 5 minutes a day.
Start by breaking your focus down:
- What topics are connected to it?
- Who are the key people?
- What blogs, videos, communities, events, or open-source projects exist in this space?
- What skills complement it?
You don’t have to know everything. But you should know about everything that matters in your focus.
And you build that awareness through small, consistent steps.
👉 5 minutes a day. Read a post. Save a resource. Share a thought on LinkedIn. Send a thank-you message to someone you admire. Write an e-mail. Watch a talk.
The magic isn’t in how big the step is — it’s in doing it every day. Because a lot of little 5-minute steps compound into something huge.
And yes — on good days, you’ll go beyond 5 minutes. But on tough days, you can still win by doing at least those 5 minutes.
📌 And Now What?
Pick your focus. Make it clear, make it yours. Then start your 5-minute habit today.
Because consistency beats intensity. And when you look back in a few months, you’ll be surprised by how much you’ve accomplished — and how far those small steps took you.
If you’ve already chosen your focus or want to share yours, send me a message. I’d love to hear about it.
Cheers, Luiz Real.
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