Understanding Jeff Bezos's Timeless Advice

For side hustlers and solo entrepreneurs, the challenge of limited time and resources makes it crucial to allocate efforts wisely. In a recent interview (December 2023), Jason shared a significant piece of wisdom he and DHH received from Jeff Bezos, the former Amazon CEO:

"Concentrate on aspects of your business that remain constant." — Jeff Bezos

This advice resonated with Jason and DHH, as they still recall it over a decade later. The target audience for this article consists of software side hustlers who are either developing their own applications or aspiring to do so, with the ultimate goal of achieving financial independence.

In this context, I want to clarify what types of applications or domains software side hustlers should focus on. Excelling in a software job can be challenging, and maintaining a side project over an extended period requires careful decision-making.

A frequent pitfall is when software developers blend their professional work with their side projects.

"Stay focused on your own business and don't confuse it with your profession." — from "Rich Dad, Poor Dad".

Let me share a personal anecdote. A few years back, a group of contractors on my team were inspired by the success I attributed to my End-to-End test automation work as a lead tester. They decided to form a consulting company specializing in .NET, an area I had no interest in pursuing. To avoid misunderstandings, I clearly communicated my desire to focus solely on my own business.

Nevertheless, their setup took over six months. Eventually, they reached out to me for a role as a test automation consultant for two days a week. I agreed to assist them in launching their new venture. Their first project involved Angular.js, a framework one of the contractors was familiar with, so they hired two JavaScript specialists.

However, Angular.js was deprecated in December 2021. Who can predict when the currently popular React will face a similar fate? According to Hired's 2023 State of Software Engineers Report, "Ruby on Rails and Ruby are the two most sought-after skills."

The takeaway here is that specializing in software consulting tied to a specific technology stack may not be the most prudent choice, given the rapid pace of market changes.

Some readers might argue, "Zhimin, you're not being realistic. Change is an inherent aspect of software development. Just look at the evolution from PHP to Java, Ruby, C#, and JavaScript. Who knows what's next? It could be Ruby again, Python, or even Rust! This is just about programming languages; we also have to consider frameworks like Spring, Rails, React, React Native, and Flutter."

While this perspective holds some truth, it overlooks a broader view. Consider this question:

What area of software has undergone the least transformation over the past 10 or 20 years?

The answer is the web. HTML 4 debuted in 1999, followed by HTML 5 in 2008. Yes, developing web applications involves frequent updates in the tech stack, but the fundamentals of testing have remained relatively stable. From a testing perspective, there have been minimal changes since 1999—an extended period in the tech industry!

Some software engineers may recognize this but still find it hard to accept the idea of enduring stability. I once held that view but have since embraced a different approach. For more on my transition from programming to automated testing, check out my article series.

This realization led me to steer clear of job contracts involving native apps or integrations for my daytime work. I aimed to focus on a technology stack with minimal fluctuations. I intentionally avoided Oracle Forms, Flex, and Silverlight, which were once in vogue, for this reason.

Many of my readers are testers, and I've applied this same principle to testing as well. The W3C governs web standards, and when it comes to web test automation frameworks, using raw Selenium WebDriver is a straightforward choice for me. For API testing (SOAP, RESTful, and GraphQL), I simply use Ruby for handling raw HTTP requests and responses. For more insights, see "My Universal, High-Efficient and Free Approach to API Testing".

Many 'automated testers' have chased trends, leading to an abundance of failed JavaScript test automation frameworks!

In 2024, an independent survey corroborated similar findings.

The first video, titled "Jeff Bezos - 'I Got RICH When I Understood THIS!' | 2 Hours for 20 Years of Success," delves into Bezos's insights on achieving lasting wealth and success. This video provides a wealth of knowledge for those looking to thrive in their side hustles.

A discerning side hustler would begin learning raw Selenium WebDriver immediately, even if they continue to dabble in trendy test automation tools like Cypress at their job. Remember: stay focused on your own business and avoid conflating it with your profession.

Several so-called 'Selenium replacements' have either failed, like Protractor, or are struggling, such as Cypress.io. When I stepped in to salvage failed test automation projects using these newer JavaScript frameworks, people were often taken aback by my exceptional efficiency—typically completing in 3 to 5 days what would have taken two JavaScript testers three months to achieve, with superior quality and visible results (running daily on BuildWise CT servers). The primary reason for this success is simply that raw Selenium outperforms any other web automation framework. Additionally, I've honed my Selenium skills since 2011, maintaining consistency in my approach.

For further reading, check out the following resources:

• AgileWay Test Automation Formula
• Why Raw Selenium Syntax is Better than Cypress and Playwright? Series
• Three Big Fat Lies about Selenium WebDriver: "Not Reliable," "Hard to Learn," and "No Enterprise-Level Support"
• Why Selenium WebDriver is So Easy to Learn?
• How to Implement Real Automated Regression Testing?

The second video, "Jeff Bezos' BEST ADVICE - STOP Aiming for Work-Life 'BALANCE' - #MentorMeJeff," offers invaluable guidance for those navigating the challenges of balancing their careers with their side hustles.