Suck it up, learn and keep trudging dude. Lots of us have been where you are! Hang in there.
Ask HN: I've realized I'm a bad software engineer and I'm over 30, what's next?
251–260 of 275 posts
Re: Ask HN: I've realized I'm a bad software engineer and I'm over 30, what's next?
#252Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Now that you're at the medium software company, seek mentorship and coaching from others. Agreed. My abilities as a developer increased tremendously at one of my jobs, and I can attribute 90% of that to a single person at that company who mentored me and helped me grow. (Hi, René, you probably don't read this.) You can read all the articles and books you want, but actively pairing with someone on tasks and getting…
Do you have tips or things you did to get more effective mentor ship? My company has assigned me a mentor but I always thing I am not using it to the fullest extent. The `only` time I speak with my mentor is when I get stuck with a bug and need help getting started. I have asked frequently on how to do better code reviews or how did she get so good at programming - she always said it takes time. To get better with th…
Ideally, this person should be on your team, or otherwise someone you work with regularly. But asking your mentor when you run into bugs is a good start! Pairing on those helps.
I guess in terms of concrete advice:
1. Put time on a calendar to work with this person; don't just slack back and forth about some specific issue for a bit.
2. If you're looking to become a better programmer, actually pair with them - take turns driving and writing code. If she's doing the driving, it would help to hear out her rationale for what she's doing - probably even before she starts writing. If you're driving, try to do the same.
3. Ask for code reviews on as many of your pull requests as she can provide; this is going to be pretty workplace specific, and is going to depend on how much code you end up putting up for review and how much time she has. It's a good way to get async feedback.
And yeah, it takes time and practice.
Re: Ask HN: I've realized I'm a bad software engineer and I'm over 30, what's next?
#253Recognizing the problem is the first step in solving it. It's good that you are dissatisfied with yourself and have specified the reasons for your dissatisfaction.
But since the problems you gave are so specific, it is obvious that the solution is to solve them first.
Re: Ask HN: I've realized I'm a bad software engineer and I'm over 30, what's next?
#254You worry too much, friend. Most of my colleagues are positively clueless, and this is at a FAANG company. It's often a matter of drive.
Re: Ask HN: I've realized I'm a bad software engineer and I'm over 30, what's next?
#255You could be suffering from impostor syndrome. This is the feeling that someone gets when they are in a role but feel like they aren't living up to it and don't belong there, even though they may not be doing anything wrong. I also have 10+ years in software development and have switched companies several times. Every place is very different in terms of how their architecture is set up and what's expected in a softwa…
I don't know what it is about "imposter syndrome" but it's clearly having a moment. People are quick to label things "imposter syndrome" these days. Imposter syndrome is feeling like you are an imposter or fraud even though, objectively, your job performance is adequate. If anything, the original poster is describing the opposite of imposter syndrome, because they cited specific objective criteria showing that their…
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Re: Ask HN: I've realized I'm a bad software engineer and I'm over 30, what's next?
#256I would suggest looking for interesting videos and twitch streams that let you watch more experienced coders live-code. Not video courses where you're trying to learn a curriculum, but live-coding streams is a way to watch the process of more experienced engineers.
There might also be online mentorship platforms (I googled and https://www.platohq.com/ came up), but I don't know as much about these.
Related: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/24/doctors-are-watching-surgica...
Re: Ask HN: I've realized I'm a bad software engineer and I'm over 30, what's next?
#257You are being too hard on yourself. We all suffer from "imposter syndrome" but you seem to have taken it very hard.
See the post from "yowlingcat" in this thread for a positive outlook.
To add to the above, If you have already spent 10 years in this industry as an SWE, you cannot be as bad as you think you are. Yes there will always be much to learn and you might have some catching up to do but that can be fixed with studies and collaboration with coworkers. Do not give in to self-doubt and quit your job; particularly in these difficult financial times. Ask for help, mentorship and study/work hard and you will grow in knowledge and confidence.
Re: Ask HN: I've realized I'm a bad software engineer and I'm over 30, what's next?
#258Earlier quoted context omitted.
I really appreciate your (and everyone) help. I've always knew I was behind some things but this real world experience slapped me in the face and now I'm trying to readjust. My manager has already been aware of my lack of knowledge but I'll talk to him to know if they still want me there. If I keep my job I for sure will be asking for more help at the start of a new project.
> I'll talk to him to know if they still want me there. Why would you think they don't want you there? This is not a helpful mindset to have. Here are the facts: 1) You passed the interview process. 2) They made you an offer. 3) They've continued to invest in you as an engineer by giving you feedback on your weak spots and where you can improve. If you were really that far behind, they would have realized that in the…
Much needed shot in the arm !
Re: Ask HN: I've realized I'm a bad software engineer and I'm over 30, what's next?
#259I would suggest looking for interesting videos and twitch streams that let you watch more experienced coders live-code. Not video courses where you're trying to learn a curriculum, but live-coding streams is a way to watch the process of more experienced engineers. There might also be online mentorship platforms (I googled and https://www.platohq.com/ came up), but I don't know as much about these. Related: https://w…
any twitch streams you recommend?
Re: Ask HN: I've realized I'm a bad software engineer and I'm over 30, what's next?
#260Read code from successful projects in languages you understand on github. Figure out why they're doing what they're doing. When you find something you don't understand, either search online for more context or ask another developer. You don't need to spend fifty hours a week reinventing the wheel, you just need to figure out why successful developers are successful. Books will close some of that gap, but nothing is a…
Strongly agree with you that there are two ways to significantly and inexpensively improve programming skills.
1. read books written by experts, especially those with good reviews. These books are often categorized as software engineering or software development methodologies. If you find one of these books, then go to sites such as Amazon to see the relevant recommendations, and gradually you can find almost all of them. 2. read the recognized good source code. This is hard, but necessary.
Then it needs to be accompanied by practice: use what you have learned above consciously in practice, so that you can consolidate this knowledge and even you can build on it to gain more specific insights.
Low cost means: no need to create a special environment and no need to be overly dependent on others.