How do I get domain expertise?

Hi Taro community,

I currently have 1 YOE as a SWE at a large bank and I am on STEM OPT. I want to be more intentional with my career.

In short - I want to know how to get domain expertise. My tech stack is mostly python, SQL, and some Angular. In short, I don't feel like an 'engineer' at all and since it's a bank things don't move that fast and I feel like I will get complacent or obsolete with how fast the tech landscape is evolving with artificial intelligence.

My issue is I don't think I am gaining the 'depth' of knowledge that I would hope to acquire. I am just working on stories as they come and the knowledge I am getting is mostly proprietary to the org I belong to. I can't see how transferable the knowledge will be.

I am trying to figure out what my next move should be. So far I have tried:

• Applying to other jobs. The bad thing is that the tech job market is awful and while I don't mind leetcode, it becomes a parasitic activity that leeches on my free time.
• Switching to another team - roadblock here too. We have a hiring freeze.
• I've had some luck interviewing with startups but unfortunately a lot of them don't sponsor. I actually think that had my visa situation not been a problem, a startup would be a great way to supercharge in improving my skills.
• Build projects - I've seen this advice on here before and it seems like the only wiggle room I have until something better comes up. But, as far as projects, past a certain point they are just toys I feel - they lack the complexity, and business context that makes a good engineer. I mean after all, engineering is a team sport. Also, I am not sure how it gives me the 'depth' that I want.
• Courses/Technical papers? This is another option I am thinking of: maybe start or join a reading group for technical papers and try to re-implement and discuss the concepts discussed? Maybe brushing up on computer science fundamentals/system design will help?

I am a little worried because it seems like I will be at this job for a while - which is not a bad thing because I'm very lucky to have one to start with, but at the same time, I don't want to be left behind.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading your comments!