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I have six years experience in iOS development. My company has decided to move away from their native iOS and Android apps, and to pursue using Progressive Web Apps. The company app is not high security or high demand, but more like an extension of the main product to allow some functionality on your mobile device.

I have worked hard to be the company's expert iOS developer, and I'm not sure whether I want to head off in a different direction. I know that in the IT industry, technologies come and go and one must be ready to adapt, but I want to adapt to something that will enhance my career.

QUESTION: Would employers see it in a more favourable light if I only had purely iOS (native app scenario) experience, or would it be seen as more favourable if I have a very good history in iOS development and have some experience in PWA?

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    As a rule of thumb, in IT, more is better. It will open more doors and avoid you being anchored to a sinking ship when Apple decided to replace iOS with jOS overnight.
    – lambshaanxy
    Feb 2, 2020 at 11:46
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    @lambshaanxy OP isn't working in IT. OP is a software developer.
    – gnasher729
    Feb 2, 2020 at 12:41
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    @gnasher729 Not sure what point you're trying to make here? I'm a dev myself, I'm working in "information technology", and every tech I learned at the start of my career is long since obsolete.
    – lambshaanxy
    Feb 2, 2020 at 15:11

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Broader expertise is usually viewed as better unless they're looking for a specialist. In which case 6 years is plenty of expertise already.

That is just generally though, companies and individuals may differ.

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You can be good at one thing, or mediocre at many.

iOS is now 13 years old. It's based on MacOS X, which was about six years old at the time iOS started. MacOS X was based on NextStep which was about 8 years old when MacOS X started. iOS is not going to go away for the next ten years; iPhones and iPads are not going away at all and if there is anything new, you will have a huge head start. Obviously never rest on your laurels, keep up to date.

Start looking for a good iOS position, there are plenty around, more than decent developers. Preferably look for one that pays significantly more (assuming you started six years ago as a newbie and got reasonable raises, starting at a new company with six years experience should give you a much improved salary.

Say you added a year of experience with PWA. No employer needs both. A new company will pay you either as an iOS developer with six years experience and one year break, or as a PWA developer with one year experience. Today you can find a job that pays for an iOS developer with six years experience.

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    There are actually tons of companies that need people with skills in both. If anything, it's unusual to have a company that only needs a single tech, since there are tradeoffs to both native and web apps and both can make sense depending on the requirements.
    – lambshaanxy
    Feb 2, 2020 at 15:15

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