Ask HN: What should I do next for my career?

I used to like programming, but nowadays my work has boiled down to writing unit/integration tests or just fixing bugs. The last major feature that I implemented was 5 months ago. I don't want to work here anymore.

Should I work on solving LeetCode questions, and aim to get into FAANG companies. Or maybe try to go to Canada/USA/Ireland for a Masters in Comp Sci, because I don't have good grades in my undergrad. I've never faced any difficulty because of my low grades in undergrad yet, but will it be a problem when I go on to become a software architect in the future?

I have stopped learning new things, and working on personal projects because of Dota2. I'm trying to leave it behind, but its hard.

I feel very lost as to what to do right now.

I got my bachelor's degree almost 15 years ago, and never once have I wanted to get a master's degree. Only do it if you have an extremely good reason to, as it doesn't have much market value over a bachelor's.

Becoming a software architect comes with experience, and credentials usually come in the form of industry or platform certifications, not degrees.

Don't worry about learning potential work related things or tech projects outside of work. That's your time, not your employer's time. Go outside, touch grass, and feel sunshine.

Uninstall Dota 2. It's hard but you can do it. Channel that creative energy into a side project, an instrument or whatever else you find fulfilling. Furthering your studies is also a good idea but be prepared for the marathon that comes with it.

The reality is that some people at some times are capable of spending a significant portion of their personal time pursuing new skills and technologies, but not everyone can and that's fine. I think that either way, relying on your own personal time and projects as the only forum for developing new skills is not a great way forward. Sure, you might have interests and want to learn things that exceed what you're doing at your job, but you absolutely should feel that the job you are spending much of your day at is challenging and helping you progress as a software engineer. As soon as you feel that it isn't because either you have learned all you can in your current role or because you're interested in other things that aren't really on offer in your job, that's the right time to explore other opportunities.

> Should I work on solving LeetCode questions, and aim to get into FAANG companies.

For better or worse, sharpening up the LeetCode-type skills does seem to be helpful when you start the interview circuit, but not necessarily and it's a secondary concern IMO. From what you've said, it sounds like you need to get a better of sense of a) where you see yourself going medium-to-long-term (senior software engineer, tech lead...more?) and b) what technologies are you interested in?

To me, it sounds like you are just not really working on features and your job has become very prescriptive and limiting. From that standpoint, the fix seems a lot simpler and may not require a huge self/existential review — instead, simply finding a company that wants to hire a proper software engineer who works on real features. Up to you what kind of product you're interested in working on and with what tech.

So I would start there: is your near-term goal to become the best software engineer you can be? Then find a company with people smarter than you that is looking for a software engineer to work on core features with tech that interests you.

I have been in exactly the position you are in many times in my career and it's a completely normal progression. You start somewhere and level up and eventually you have learned all you can or you're interested in a greater challenge. As soon as you start to feel comfortable, that's the time to pursue other opportunities (of which there are many). The people who stick around forever in spite of feeling completely unchallenged tend to do so because it's comfortable and familiar — and there's nothing wrong with that — but it is not the way to grow and progress. All of this is to say that you may not be as lost as you think you are. You're simply experiencing a normal phase of "time to look for other things."