"We don’t just build software. We build ourselves while doing it."
Hey folks!
I’m Harsh — a MERN Stack developer and a curious soul navigating the wild world of tech. This is my first Dev.to post, and I’m here to share my chaotic yet rewarding journey into full-stack development — plus some lessons I’ve picked up along the way. Take a cup of coffee, and let’s dive in!
How It All Started
My dev journey began with a mix of curiosity and chaos. Picture me, a teenager, tinkering with HTML in Notepad, accidentally breaking my blog’s layout, and feeling like a hacker when I fixed it. 😅 One unforgettable moment? Spending hours debugging a CSS issue only to realize I’d misspelled display: flex as disply: flex. That’s when I learned: details matter — and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since.
As I kept going, I realized how much I loved not just writing code, but organizing it — clean file structures, readable functions, naming things properly. For me, a tidy repo is like a tidy room: it makes everything feel more manageable.
Eventually, I stumbled into JavaScript, then React, Node.js, and MongoDB. The MERN stack became my home — not just because it’s popular, but because its flexibility, structure, and challenge keep me hooked.
Lessons Learned (So Far)
Here’s what I’ve picked up on this journey:
You Don’t Need to Know Everything.
Tech moves fast — new frameworks, tools, and hot takes on X drop daily. Focus on learning at your own pace.Google is Your Co-Worker.
Knowing what to search and how to read docs is half the job. A smart developer knows how to be flexible and rely on search engines.Break Stuff to Learn.
Tutorials are great, but debugging teaches more. My best lesson came from a 3 AM bug where my React app wouldn’t render — turns out, I’d forgotten akeyprop in a map function.Impostor Syndrome is Universal.
Even experienced developers occasionally feel like they’re faking it. (For those unfamiliar: Impostor Syndrome is that nagging feeling that you’re not as skilled as others think, even when you are.) It’s not a flaw — it’s part of the process.Structure Makes Life Easier.
Keeping my codebase clean and well-organized helps me debug faster and think clearly. I’ve learned that good architecture is as important as the code itself.
Always Learning
Even as a full-stack dev, I don’t think the learning ever stops — and that’s the beauty of it.
Every new project brings something different. One teaches you how to build scalable APIs, another throws async bugs your way, and sometimes you find yourself deep-diving into performance optimization because… well, your app started lagging again.
Being “full stack” doesn’t mean knowing it all. It means being adaptable, curious, and willing to dig deep to solve problems across the stack.
Why I’m Sharing This
I know tons of devs - beginners, juniors, even seniors — sometimes feel overwhelmed or stuck. If that’s you, you’re not alone.
Tech is about community, collaboration, and those “aha!” moments when things click. I’m sharing my story to remind you: keep going, keep breaking stuff, and keep learning. And if you're the kind of person who geeks out about proper folder naming or a well-commented function? You're in good company.
Let’s Connect
I’ll continue posting more about helpful dev tips and stories. If you’re into coding, new techs, or weird bugs, let’s connect! Drop a comment with one lesson you’ve learned on your dev journey or the weirdest bug you’ve faced — I’m all ears.
What’s your go-to stack, and why? Share below or hit me up on X!
Happy coding!
Thanks for reading! Check out my LinkedIn and let’s connect.
Top comments (14)
Gotta say, seeing someone own the chaos and still keep showing up makes me wanna push harder on my own coding messes too.
Good luck with your journey! 👍
I feel i've this imposter syndrome all the time.
That's normal to every developer
Thank you for sharing this @hprakash1999 ! It's always nice to read about people's journeys and it's great that you are open about this. Oh and "Impostor Syndrome is Universal.", absolutely! I've been a professional frontend developer for 7 years, became team lead within 5,5-6 years and still it troubles me sometimes.
Thank you for sharing ❤️
It's an wonderful journey Harsh!, All the best ahead👏
Thank you!
Pretty cool to hear someone else cares about making stuff tidy in code - I always get a weird satisfaction from that too.
I hope for your continued support 🤝
Those lessons are so real honestly the main thing is to keep going persistence is very important
Yupp 💯
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