I have 10 YOE in the backend OO languages, c/C++,Java,Scalia, microservices, AWS, etc. But I’m very curious about iOS development, and more of the front half of the companies like Uber, Lyft, AirBnB. That means Ruby, GO, python, JS, etc. I’m sure I can hit the ground running but I don’t have the years of experience like I do with the core services like java. It makes more sense to keep being highly specialized as I move into Staff engineer, architecting etc. But I’m still curious and would like to broaden my horizons. Would I be hired in as a more junior level? Is this a bad idea to be too much of a “jack of all trades”. My motivation is slightly fearing that I could maybe land some great jobs with the new stuff as well, and not being too narrow with my current tech stack. Has anyone done this before? Did you drop down the ladder a few rungs or did they understand the concepts you know are language independent?
It's better to do it inside company. Just ask your manager about this opportunity and sell it like "I will get more knowledge about our mobile client needs to improve our backend, bla bla bla". I don't think someone(except tech giants) will hire 10 yoe backend developer with no mobile exp and will pay you staff lvl salary