9+ years architecting distributed systems at enterprise scale — from leading petabyte-scale post-merger data migrations at Dell Technologies to building FRA-compliant Egyptian FinTech platforms.
Genuinely, this appeared right on time. Yes the game is hard, but it’s not impossible. I come from a background of playing competitive real time MMOs (AION specifically) and boy the bar is high when you have shitty ping. BUT you adapt, you time yourself and you still become one of the best players on the server.
And when, eventually, your ping improves it just becomes a Rock-Lee moment!
I’m one month into a 6 month lock in inspired by @georgekobaidze - and this post was right on time.
Oh, thank you so much! And you're spot on, waiting for the perfect timing and conditions isn't productive at all, it's just an excuse. Staying comfortable in uncomfortable situations is the best skill anyone can have.
Hey Khalid! Glad you found this helpful and yea, ping is ALWAYS an issue. It gets worse if your WIFI just randomly goes out in the middle of the match.
But like you said "eventually, your ping improves it just becomes a Rock-Lee moment!". You just become unstoppable lmao.
Thanks for stopping by and glad the article from @georgekobaidze was inspiration. I hope you will do well :D
You just summed up our conversation just brilliantly with this post. I think everyone who’s doubting themselves should read this. I wish I had read this when I was starting out my career.
Thanks Giorgi and appreciate having a conversation with you and @codingwithjiro on this! It's something worth noting. Glad it was a great summary since I was quite worried on missing pieces, but that's up for discussion nevertheless :)
@georgekobaidze@francistrdev , I think VC did podcasts in the past. If it gets revived maybe we could join. Good opportunity for both VC exposure and boosting communication skills!
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
This screenshot is your article in one image. A game about catching monsters, and the character says 'change without force' — method vs vision. 'It's You' indeed. Also, fellow otaku confirmed 🤣
I'm a high school student who loves coding. I'v been coding since i was 9 and have several awards on the national level. Trying to survive college entrance exams and code to at the same time.
I'm a high school student who loves coding. I'v been coding since i was 9 and have several awards on the national level. Trying to survive college entrance exams and code to at the same time.
@francistrdev thank you for sharing our deep talks here in DEV. I feel like more people should read these especially in today's society where pressure and anxiety are accelerated by social media. I love that it's always you that determines your success, never other people.
Hey Elmar. Totally! It's worth mentioning that mental health has been on the rise recently and I think it's important to have these conversation time to time. Thanks for stopping by!
I felt like you were talking directly to me. That constant feeling of self sabotage and regret, wishing you did more can really get to you. Thanks for the motivation, I needed this.
Yeah, that's understandable, but now that you're talking about Cuphead, I think it's time for you to stream on Twitch
To your question why humans are still useful in the AI era, it's because AI needs to be controlled, and only humans can do that lol
I've gotten carried away with this longread (man, this is a whole poem for you, my friend), so you don't have to read it. In short, you can get paid for doing nothing in government companies (all cuz of your words about working after university, college, whatever).
I don't know what the problem is with getting a job at an IT company, but when I read reviews of government-run companies, I always find that some employees there don't do anything at all, except drink coffee and breathe air. They're useless. Their staffs are so bloated that each person can only write one function a day. Despite their super-inflated staff of several dozen thousand lazy people, they're happy to hire you, but they make you pass some weird tests first. Idk, I've seen a lot of articles like that, and it was a long time ago, so maybe they're not so eager.
Of course, working for a company like that is only possible for the purpose of earning a little extra cash (firstly, from advertising, secondly, from the government, and thirdly, from paid services). Of course, you won't earn much from such work, but a couple of months will be enough to save up for a powerful comp 👍️ It doesn't provide any knowledge, and the work isn't enjoyable at all, so many end up working as freelancers (2nd job), and get nothing but status (thanks to working in a large company) and all sorts of perks from the government. I live in a country (I won't say which one) where IT has completely sunk to the bottom, not in terms of technology, but in terms of quality. The biggest problem was that AI had a hand in it, and not even the best one. And with a staff of incompetent people, you can imagine what a mess it's become, even when advertised on TV as innovative products - it's basically cringe and a joke 🤣🤣
You've been talking nonsense to me again, and I've started discussing the difficulty of finding a job (even though I don't work myself rofl)
Ah, Francis, you know how to trick people into long-winded chatter about companies collapsing!
Hey Ember! "Trick" is a deceiving word in my opinion. It's more "persuading" if anything lol.
But I did read all of it and it does seem interesting where you get a Gov job where your primary goal is to do, nothing. I would assume that is the case for most jobs (depending on intensity and position).
The biggest problem was that AI had a hand in it, and not even the best one. And with a staff of incompetent people, you can imagine what a mess it's become, even when advertised on TV as innovative products - it's basically cringe and a joke 🤣🤣
This has become COMMON. I have seen YouTube Ads where their ad video is fully AI-Generated and it made me sick to my stomach. Went to the commons and people expressed the same feeling. It is an unfortunate reality but there is still hope!
DataCenters constructions are being canceled because of the cost (which makes sense since AI is not profitable) and companies and slowly realizing the impact on the use of AI and its tokens usage.
With that said, I don't think AI will completely go away anytime soon. However, AI will eventually be used the right way and the idea of using AI will become more focus on when it's appropriate to use it or not.
I really liked that this didn't come across as "ignore the market and just work harder."
You acknowledged that things really are harder today, but you also reminded people that difficult doesn't mean impossible. I think that's an important distinction that's easy to lose online.
One thing I'd add is that adapting doesn't always mean doing more. Sometimes it means becoming more intentional about what you choose to spend your time on instead of trying to chase every trend.
Your Cuphead analogy also made me smile because it's true, you don't beat the game by wishing it were easier, you beat it by gradually getting better.
Thanks for writing another thoughtful follow-up. It's been really nice seeing how these conversations keep building on each other.
Thanks Aryan and glad you enjoyed the post. You made a good point on "One thing I'd add is that adapting doesn't always mean doing more. Sometimes it means becoming more intentional about what you choose to spend your time on instead of trying to chase every trend." It's something to keep in mind and I believe many people fail to see that to begin with. Thanks :D
Hahaha World 3 already? You're making good progress.
And yeah, I think that's why your Cuphead analogy worked so well. Every boss feels impossible until you slowly start recognizing patterns. You don't suddenly become amazing overnight, you just get a little better every attempt.
I feel software engineering works the same way. Looking back, most of the things that once intimidated me now just feel... normal. Which is probably a good reminder that today's difficult problems will eventually become tomorrow's routine ones.
Good luck with the rest of the game, and the Salesforce exam! Looking forward to both the articles and hearing when you finally beat Cuphead. 😄
Sr Technical Writer passionate about information architecture, docs-as-code, and making complex information easier to comprehend. I write about technical documentation, UX, and mental health in tech.
First of all, I wholeheartedly agree 💯 Second, everyone has doubts from time to time. That's why it's great to belong to such a great community as DEV! Thank you for being part of it, and good luck with your career!
This hits close to home — I'm a junior Android dev actively job hunting right now, and it's easy to let "the market is rough for juniors" become the whole explanation. What's helped me is treating that as the starting condition, not the verdict — building projects, writing about what I'm learning, putting myself out there even without a title yet. Still plenty of days where the impostor syndrome part is very real. But I'd rather be the person adjusting than the person just naming the regret. Appreciate the reminder.
I am a 4th year MCA student confused which domain to go for. As pursuing MCA from a tier 3 university (Jorhat, Assam) not aiming for big tech giants instead going for startups and later join big companies. Many people say that MERN is a good tech stack if aiming for startups but some people and youtuber advice not to go for it as its outdated.....And also thought of applying for Data Analyst role but friends told me not to as there's good amount of competetion and most of the jobs recuiremnt doesnt suits freshers....What to do????..Can u help me?
Hey RP. To be fair, any career has competition, regardless if it is more or less.
My advice is go to a career that you enjoy and is in demand in some way. That way, you get to be in a career that you enjoy and people need those roles you are pursuing. I believe that gives you a good start. Stack doesn't matter. As long as you are a specialist in something, you overpower 99% of people. Thanks!
Thank you for such an enjoyable read. Honestly, users like you are what make the DEV Community a better place, especially when there's so much AI-generated copy-paste content circulating everywhere lately. I loved the reflection you shared here; it was truly inspiring!
Appreciate it Thaísa! There are AI-Generated Content everywhere and I think people on DEV are starting to see more of it than ever and more aware of it. Thanks again :D
... you spent too much time craft and express your feeling in a post. I'm sorry but maybe you feel this way for a genuine reason. I mean,... well, yea... there there?
Genuinely, this appeared right on time. Yes the game is hard, but it’s not impossible. I come from a background of playing competitive real time MMOs (AION specifically) and boy the bar is high when you have shitty ping. BUT you adapt, you time yourself and you still become one of the best players on the server.
And when, eventually, your ping improves it just becomes a Rock-Lee moment!
I’m one month into a 6 month lock in inspired by @georgekobaidze - and this post was right on time.
Thank you!
Oh, thank you so much! And you're spot on, waiting for the perfect timing and conditions isn't productive at all, it's just an excuse. Staying comfortable in uncomfortable situations is the best skill anyone can have.
Hey Khalid! Glad you found this helpful and yea, ping is ALWAYS an issue. It gets worse if your WIFI just randomly goes out in the middle of the match.
But like you said "eventually, your ping improves it just becomes a Rock-Lee moment!". You just become unstoppable lmao.
Thanks for stopping by and glad the article from @georgekobaidze was inspiration. I hope you will do well :D
You just summed up our conversation just brilliantly with this post. I think everyone who’s doubting themselves should read this. I wish I had read this when I was starting out my career.
Great work! 👏
Thanks Giorgi and appreciate having a conversation with you and @codingwithjiro on this! It's something worth noting. Glad it was a great summary since I was quite worried on missing pieces, but that's up for discussion nevertheless :)
That was a podcast-worthy conversation by the way. 😄
Good to know it was peek. Imagine listening to it:
@georgekobaidze @francistrdev , I think VC did podcasts in the past. If it gets revived maybe we could join. Good opportunity for both VC exposure and boosting communication skills!
Oh naa I get stage freights with no stage.
My fate is mine to decide, not heaven's.
This screenshot is your article in one image. A game about catching monsters, and the character says 'change without force' — method vs vision. 'It's You' indeed. Also, fellow otaku confirmed 🤣
"I recently talked to @georgekobaidze and @codingwithjiro in the Virtual Coffee group about life in general"
okay, wait what? what is a virtual coffee group? how did that happen? when did dev.to have such an option?😭
btw this article was awesome in every sense of the word. absolutely LOVE your use of these pics. made the thing whole lot more readable.
It's an awesome group of people in tech (I believe it's outside of dev.to). You can learn more here and possibly join us too!
this is INTERESTING!!! ill absolutely try to join. thanks mate.
Excited to see you in meetings!
You beat me to it. I thought u busy D:
I just finished my English recording and was just working on my web portfolio hahaha
Glad to see you're feeling positive! 😊 Let's DO IT!
Thanks Hyper. Feeling a lot better now and appreciate your support :D
@francistrdev thank you for sharing our deep talks here in DEV. I feel like more people should read these especially in today's society where pressure and anxiety are accelerated by social media. I love that it's always you that determines your success, never other people.
Hey Elmar. Totally! It's worth mentioning that mental health has been on the rise recently and I think it's important to have these conversation time to time. Thanks for stopping by!
I felt like you were talking directly to me. That constant feeling of self sabotage and regret, wishing you did more can really get to you. Thanks for the motivation, I needed this.
Hey Isah! Glad it was motivating :D
Thanks for reading!
Appreciate that! And thanks for writing it, it hit home.
There's 1 other kind of "people" - "the 1 who refuses to change". I'm happy I read this post. 🫂
Appreciate it Ekong :D
t's You three words that hit harder than any error message.
The uncomfortable realization that the common denominator is yourself. Not blame Just awareness.
Thanks for this Francis takes courage. 🙌
Thanks Harsh and appreciate the comment :D
Yeah, that's understandable, but now that you're talking about Cuphead, I think it's time for you to stream on Twitch
To your question why humans are still useful in the AI era, it's because AI needs to be controlled, and only humans can do that lol
I've gotten carried away with this longread (man, this is a whole poem for you, my friend), so you don't have to read it. In short, you can get paid for doing nothing in government companies (all cuz of your words about working after university, college, whatever).
I don't know what the problem is with getting a job at an IT company, but when I read reviews of government-run companies, I always find that some employees there don't do anything at all, except drink coffee and breathe air. They're useless. Their staffs are so bloated that each person can only write one function a day. Despite their super-inflated staff of several dozen thousand lazy people, they're happy to hire you, but they make you pass some weird tests first. Idk, I've seen a lot of articles like that, and it was a long time ago, so maybe they're not so eager.
Of course, working for a company like that is only possible for the purpose of earning a little extra cash (firstly, from advertising, secondly, from the government, and thirdly, from paid services). Of course, you won't earn much from such work, but a couple of months will be enough to save up for a powerful comp 👍️ It doesn't provide any knowledge, and the work isn't enjoyable at all, so many end up working as freelancers (2nd job), and get nothing but status (thanks to working in a large company) and all sorts of perks from the government. I live in a country (I won't say which one) where IT has completely sunk to the bottom, not in terms of technology, but in terms of quality. The biggest problem was that AI had a hand in it, and not even the best one. And with a staff of incompetent people, you can imagine what a mess it's become, even when advertised on TV as innovative products - it's basically cringe and a joke 🤣🤣
You've been talking nonsense to me again, and I've started discussing the difficulty of finding a job (even though I don't work myself rofl)
Ah, Francis, you know how to trick people into long-winded chatter about companies collapsing!
Hey Ember! "Trick" is a deceiving word in my opinion. It's more "persuading" if anything lol.
But I did read all of it and it does seem interesting where you get a Gov job where your primary goal is to do, nothing. I would assume that is the case for most jobs (depending on intensity and position).
This has become COMMON. I have seen YouTube Ads where their ad video is fully AI-Generated and it made me sick to my stomach. Went to the commons and people expressed the same feeling. It is an unfortunate reality but there is still hope!
DataCenters constructions are being canceled because of the cost (which makes sense since AI is not profitable) and companies and slowly realizing the impact on the use of AI and its tokens usage.
With that said, I don't think AI will completely go away anytime soon. However, AI will eventually be used the right way and the idea of using AI will become more focus on when it's appropriate to use it or not.
AI is good, especially the Coca Cola advert is legendary 🔥
I think my style might be "try everything, be perpetually questioning."
Its a constant state of chaos.
Catch my cheesy dev pun? 😂
lol I got it. Not a style for me since I like simplicity XD
I really liked that this didn't come across as "ignore the market and just work harder."
You acknowledged that things really are harder today, but you also reminded people that difficult doesn't mean impossible. I think that's an important distinction that's easy to lose online.
One thing I'd add is that adapting doesn't always mean doing more. Sometimes it means becoming more intentional about what you choose to spend your time on instead of trying to chase every trend.
Your Cuphead analogy also made me smile because it's true, you don't beat the game by wishing it were easier, you beat it by gradually getting better.
Thanks for writing another thoughtful follow-up. It's been really nice seeing how these conversations keep building on each other.
Thanks Aryan and glad you enjoyed the post. You made a good point on "One thing I'd add is that adapting doesn't always mean doing more. Sometimes it means becoming more intentional about what you choose to spend your time on instead of trying to chase every trend." It's something to keep in mind and I believe many people fail to see that to begin with. Thanks :D
btw I am on World 3 on Cuphead :)
Hahaha World 3 already? You're making good progress.
And yeah, I think that's why your Cuphead analogy worked so well. Every boss feels impossible until you slowly start recognizing patterns. You don't suddenly become amazing overnight, you just get a little better every attempt.
I feel software engineering works the same way. Looking back, most of the things that once intimidated me now just feel... normal. Which is probably a good reminder that today's difficult problems will eventually become tomorrow's routine ones.
Good luck with the rest of the game, and the Salesforce exam! Looking forward to both the articles and hearing when you finally beat Cuphead. 😄
First of all, I wholeheartedly agree 💯 Second, everyone has doubts from time to time. That's why it's great to belong to such a great community as DEV! Thank you for being part of it, and good luck with your career!
This hits close to home — I'm a junior Android dev actively job hunting right now, and it's easy to let "the market is rough for juniors" become the whole explanation. What's helped me is treating that as the starting condition, not the verdict — building projects, writing about what I'm learning, putting myself out there even without a title yet. Still plenty of days where the impostor syndrome part is very real. But I'd rather be the person adjusting than the person just naming the regret. Appreciate the reminder.
Appreciate it Aalaa and thanks for reading!
I am a 4th year MCA student confused which domain to go for. As pursuing MCA from a tier 3 university (Jorhat, Assam) not aiming for big tech giants instead going for startups and later join big companies. Many people say that MERN is a good tech stack if aiming for startups but some people and youtuber advice not to go for it as its outdated.....And also thought of applying for Data Analyst role but friends told me not to as there's good amount of competetion and most of the jobs recuiremnt doesnt suits freshers....What to do????..Can u help me?
Hey RP. To be fair, any career has competition, regardless if it is more or less.
My advice is go to a career that you enjoy and is in demand in some way. That way, you get to be in a career that you enjoy and people need those roles you are pursuing. I believe that gives you a good start. Stack doesn't matter. As long as you are a specialist in something, you overpower 99% of people. Thanks!
Thank you for such an enjoyable read. Honestly, users like you are what make the DEV Community a better place, especially when there's so much AI-generated copy-paste content circulating everywhere lately. I loved the reflection you shared here; it was truly inspiring!
Let's keep going and doing our best!
Appreciate it Thaísa! There are AI-Generated Content everywhere and I think people on DEV are starting to see more of it than ever and more aware of it. Thanks again :D
Too many thoughts and too much information are worse than having less. Let's just act on what we believe.
I heavily agree. Simplicity beats complexity
I was stuck in the just sitting there stage for a little over a year. I feel this so deeply! You are absolutely not alone in that.
Indeed. If we want something, we take initiative to reach that goal!
Cool.
... you spent too much time craft and express your feeling in a post. I'm sorry but maybe you feel this way for a genuine reason. I mean,... well, yea... there there?
Great work! 👏
hello
hi
Good to see you are feeling better. Someone who is in doubt should read this
Thanks Anvay. Also welcome to DEV btw (Saw you are new) :)
Good website.