> Later, as a consultant, my first project was on some dying database system that needed to be kept alive a short while longer. In this case, I'd learned already, that you don't have to always accept your circumstances as they are. I politely complained to management that this is not what I was hired for and did not match my skills, and was transferred to a way more interesting and career rewarding project.
This is important. I used to think that you're supposed to be doing what you're told, but this is often very bad for your career. You should do what will get you your next job. Introduce new technologies that are hot because you'll get to work on them, it doesn't matter so much if its good for the employer.
I think it's a bit more subtle than this. You won't get promoted for just doing what you're told, but you might get fired if you don't do your job or you do overtly selfish things (like unilaterally introduce new tech that may not a good fit for the team/company). The key is to understand your bosses incentives and motivations and be proactive about making things better from their perspective.
Of course there are a lot of reasons not to follow this advice: maybe you don't want to be promoted, or your boss is an idiot, or you fundamentally hate your role, etc. In that case other tactics may apply, but be aware there's a glass ceiling if you only rely on job-hopping for your growth opportunities.
This is important. I used to think that you're supposed to be doing what you're told, but this is often very bad for your career. You should do what will get you your next job. Introduce new technologies that are hot because you'll get to work on them, it doesn't matter so much if its good for the employer.