I've been a software developer for more that 15 years and my biggest piece of advice is don't be in a rush. Hone your craft and forget comparing yourself to some social media version of the job. You will progress at your own rate. Burn out happens when you try to progress faster then you naturally can. When you start getting too comfortable is when you know it's time to push to the next level.

Here in Japan there aren't many companies that do a technical interview. The culture here for any position is that you learn on the job, so most companies are happy to hire you even if you have zero experience. And for that reason they also expect you to be pretty much useless for a year or two. I always liked this because it gives you time to slowly learn the skills you need, while getting fully paid!

I’ve been writing code over 20 years now... still feel like an “impostor” sometimes. This man speaks the truth. Bravo.

I've been programming for over 20 years. I am 50 now and the I one thing I regret most is that I spent so much of my time coding whether at work or at home and not enough time with my wife. I only realised too late after my wife passed away that it wasn't worth it. I love coding, but @Gyasi you are so right that no other field expects you to be constantly updating your skill set. It's an amazing field to be in, but it can take over your life. Peace fellow programmers.🖖

This title is pretty clickbaity… Should be something like “Potential Downsides of Becoming a Software Engineer”

I was afraid of becoming a software engineer because I knew it would be stressful at times. It was and still is stressful. Burnout, imposter syndrome, exactly is the way I feel and I've been a developer for 18 years. On the bright side, I've taken a majority of my money over the years and invested it wisely. I'm planning on getting out of the industry all together by the end of 2023. Life is too short to have this much stress all the time.

no job is perfect but not every job has a starting salary of 80k/yr

Its comforting as a junior developer seeing all the advice from experienced devs in the comments. I feel parts of the internet portray this mindset of grinding day and night.

I'm a senior software developer. My biggest advise is, choose your profession based on your interests, not on the salary. You will probably spend decades and a large part of your life doing the choosen line of work, so make sure it is one that you actually like. If you like, for example, raising animals and driving big machinery more than coding, for gods sake, please look into working as a farmer (the pay may be crap, but in the end you will be happier, because you will not dread to get up in the morning to do another day of boring work that you've come to hate).

Something that’s really not talked about (or thought about) enough is the morality of software we create. Coming out of uni and being thrown a tonne of cash is so enticing but ‘waking up’ five years later and realising you just helped make some shady surveillance software that actually messes people up, is something that no amount of money will help with your conscience. It sounds whacky but I really think we need to hit the brakes on software, sit back, really think long and hard about what it actual does and where it’s going and then build something based off of real values and morals for the whole world. Not just super wealthy control freaks.

30+ year systems architect here. I give all my "newb" developers the same advice. Learn to say "no". Learn to say "I need help". Learn to say "I can't finish in time." There is nothing wrong with being human but there is a lot wrong with being stubborn and prideful.

I've been an engineer for over 10 years, and my biggest piece of advice for new engineers is that you have to prepare that its going to be a GRIND to go from zero to being a professional level programmer. Its HARD to learn how to code, like REALLY hard, and you are going to often be very frustrated while you're working through bugs and learning how a language works. Don't give up! As long as you keep grinding through the problems, you will make it

Take it from a guy who's been in IT professionally for over 25 years and a computer addict for about 40 years ... KNOW YOUR LIMITS AND EMBRACE THEM! Along with that is NEVER apologize for being you. The truth is that your skills are needed and there is no foreseeable end to that demand at this time. That being the case means that you'll always find work and you need NOT be someone that a corporation expects you to be. Learn how to shut down the laptop at 5pm because when it all boils out in the wash ... no one ever said on their death bed that they wished they had worked harder - FAMILY IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN WORK‼And I cannot say that enough nor can I stress it enough. If you do not TAKE THE TIME EVERY DAY and spend it with your family, you have no idea how quickly 40 rolls around and you look behind you and you realize that you missed ALL of it because you were trying to be what someone else expected you to be and for what? A few extra bucks? ITS NOT WORTH IT - TRUST ME ITS NOT WORTH IT!

Being a software engineer is so mentally exhausting. I don't think people realize just how hard it is to recover from mental exhaustion in a field that rarely gives you a break from working at full mental capacity all day everyday.

I just want to take a moment and think all the folks on here who have been in the industry for so long… Freely given away great advice… It really helps Junior developers like myself navigate this technology space and really learn what areas I need to be focusing on… You guys are the real heroes

In my 24 years of experience. As a developer, engineer and now architect. Once you have experience and are able to hold down a job and take on the challenges, you are good enough.

It's good to see that others feel the same. I started wondering if I was the only one that felt this way because I am surrounded by people who seem to live to code. I have been the lead (hands on) engineer at the 3 companies I've worked for. It seems like I am the only one who cares for a work life balance, which makes me feel guilty even though I know it should not. We always deliver but since there is always more to do, we just feed to the infinite void. And, every time I try to switch jobs I am reminded that the interviews are completely different, and it feels like im back in school again. Seems like a never ending battle.

Thank you for this, it's all true. A few things I've learned in over 25 years of being a software engineer:

I've been a software engineer for like 14-15 years, I lost track, but there is one piece of advice I could give to anyone. Always estimate your tasks at least 2x or better 3x than you think the task will take to finish. Don't be that guy who underestimates everything and then works after hours to meet the deadlines. And you will be overflood with "side tasks", management will take advantage of your work pace.

Thanks for this real talk, been burnt out and started the same way you did. Been having trouble balancing this new career while still having a life. I really appreciate this