I've come to the conclusion I don't have it takes to be a SWE in todays world. I'm very convinced I am getting kicked out of the SWE industry 1. I'm a slow learner and forgetful. I can't figure things out on my own, I have always needed clear requirements when completing the tickets. I can't code or do anything from unclear instructions. I also constantly need my hand held during execution lots of times by asking questions like a junior. Executing and finishing tasks would take more than few days and sometimes an entire sprint to write the business logics, unit tests. I have almost 8YOE at this point. 2. The only thing I have done in web development was build backend REST APIs and some business logic, query the database. 3. I have zero knowledge on Cloud, Ci/CD, Terraform, networking like VPCs and subnets and other infrastructures as codes. I have tried learning it and still do not understand it. I understand cloud at a high level, but in terms of executing and implementing the infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, IaC and more I cannot do it. I can't learn and self study on my own. I need some live instructor to tell me what to do to understand things and ask questions. I struggle when trying to learn from documentation or from a video courses like udemy. I just end up copy and pasting. 4. I struggle to write a Dockerfile. I can follow a youtube tutorial, but when I try to write a Dockerfile for my own projects I just can't dockerize it into a container. 5.Can only do LC easy and some mediums. No real system design knowledge 6. I was outperformed by newer hires and interns and ended up getting laid off at the beginning of the year 7. I really struggle trying to learn new programming languages. The ones I can write, I'm not even good at. Python is my best language for LC interviews and I really struggle to program in other languages like Golang and Java. I've tried learning MERN, javascript with react, node, express and can't comprehend my head around functional programming and javascript 8. I don't understand Microservices, SOA, Serverless, event driven architeture, messaging queues, or distributed systems. I've read them and understand them at a high level, but never can get any implementations correct despite trying. I've always worked with monolithic applications 9. Poor communication skills Now that I am in my early 30s, despite trying and putting effort I have failed to improve and grow myself as a SWE. At this point I'm wondering if I should cut my losses and try to go into tech recruiting, become an IT support specialist, becoming a flight attendant or some other job, or start applying for a masters in Spring 2024. What are the other options out there for me? TC 0
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Why masters?
Career pivot into anything else. Anything, education, become a therapists, nursing maybe another engineering. I don't know
Your mother's maiden name?
You need the experience that you'd learn at Amazon. You should practice leetcode and try to get into Amazon. You'll learn everything you're missing, and receive instruction on it
Was there ever a time you loved being a SWE?
My first few years working as a SWE getting better at programming. I made only 75K back then but I was happy. Got to learn the codebase I was working on to where I was a mid-level. It is not in web development or cloud though.
Exploratory data analysis? Maybe go back to data analytics, data science?
Have you tried learning from ChatGPT? I think what you need is to learn how to calm down and take things one step at a time. There is imposter syndrome everywhere in tech especially when there are new kids coming into the game seeming like they are blowing it out the park. I say. Take a break. Get yourself together, and come back again :)
I have tried learning and got a better understanding of things on the high level. I have already taken a break. Everything is overwhelming and I feel like giving up
Wait, ChatGPT can tell me how to build a backend REST API?! OP how do you build one anyway?
Dont worry everyone had these kind of problems. Just focus one thing u like dont do multi tasking. Listen what others talking during meeting. Do some extra home work to match others once u learn things then its just a same repeating work. I think issue may be due to wfh. We miss lot communications. Finally fake it till u make it
“Listen what others talking“, this is a good advice. See what senior engineers focuses on, how they break down the problem into small prices, what kind of questions they ask. Listen to SDMs, what are they interested in, how they communicate their ideas, how they get things done from external teams.
The exciting world of project management awaits you! Shuffle JIRA tickets and take credit for other people's work. It's easy and lucrative work. I expect you will find great success!
Any ideas how to make the switch?
From what I have seen, acting skills are key. Pretending to be interested in other people helps. Take a Udemy course on JIRA and then gush about it at stand up. No competent SDE wants to be king of JIRA so you should have an easy lock. I have actually seen this trajectory work, but it was Rivian which is not a great example.
TPM is a very common path for people in your shoes.
I feel like you can’t know all the parts of the SDLC nowadays. I bet you know alot more than you think you do. You know where your weakness is, I would just pick a single area and get better at it.
For senior SWE, it seems all positions need all parts of SDLC
Look man .. if you like being a swe then figure out what it is you liked and build around it. If we had to do things we love for the wrong reasons we will grow to resent it.. a half good example is .. say someone who enjoys watching movies now has to watch a movie that they will be quizzed on later.. and if you have brown not love being a swe and that’s okay with you it’s ok.. find something else to do.. something else to love ..
YOE?
8. It’s in the post. Paragraph 1.