I could use some honest advice from experienced programmers and engineers.
I'm almost at the two year mark as a developer. On paper I might look like a passable Junior Dev, but if you sat me down and asked me about algorithms or anything else I did to get my job in the first place I would be clueless. I can solve problems and always get my work done, but I don't even know the language/framework I use daily well enough to explain what's going on, I can just do things. I don't think I have imposter syndrome, I think I really might have let any skill I had atrophy.
I used to enjoy programming as a hobby in my spare time, but in two years I've opened the IDE on my personal machine no more than twice. People talk about all the side projects they have, but I have none. I feel too stressed out from the job to do any programming outside of work, even though I love it. I feel like I can't level up from a Junior to Senior because I either don't have the headspace or the will to do so. It doesn't help that the job I've had has taught me very little and my dev team has been a shitshow from the beginning.
At the moment I have an offer on the table to do a job that isn't engineering (but still tech) and it surprisingly pays more. Part of me thinks I should take that job, rediscover my passion in my spare time and build my skills, but I fear I might go down this route and never be able to come back to engineering. Not that I'm sure I want to.
It might sound defeatist but I don't think I'll ever be a top 5% or even 25% engineer. I could be average with a lot of work, but not great. I could potentially be great in the new field I'm being recruited for, but that's also hard to say without being in the job.
I know that some people just aren't cut out for being engineers. Maybe I have the aptitude but not the mentality to do this for 30+ years. I want to know if that's what it sounds like to people who've seen that before. If you were in my position, would you walk away and just be a hobbyist programmer or stick it out and hope to be a mediocre engineer one day?
Not to hijack from the OP, but would you change your reply if someone was feeling similarly but wasn’t yet in their first role yet? I’m coming out of 2 years of private mentorship and have spent the last almost 3 months applying with barely a whisper of a reply from a fraction of these jobs so I’m a bit down on myself. I felt confident a month ago but now I’m slinking back applying to jobs in my old industry.
it's a bad time to be looking for work in tech.
Be patient, keep your head up. Keep applying. You'll get something soon.
Sorry you're seeking in a down market. It happens every now and again in this industry. You'll get through the eventually.
Couldn't have said it any better.
Once you're in the industry and see the typical shitshow that goes on in most companies and teams, you won't think twice about not hearing anything for 3 months. There's a million reasons why you won't get a job or not hear back for a really long time that have nothing to do with you. Stick with it, times are tough right now but your luck will eventually change.
ODelay42 said it all.
I saw a 20 year veteran programmer have a 3 month job search last year. I haven't seen that since Y2K. Both in Y2K and the 2008 recessions, it was tough to break into the industry.
It sucks, but it will pass. Hang in there.