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My first 4 years as a professional developer in a dream company. And why I left.

kethmars on March 13, 2021

Are you someone wondering what the first years in a developer's career look like? Or maybe you're already working as a developer but finding it har...
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darkeye123 profile image
Matej Leško • Edited

Interesting reading :)
Though according to the content I've just read, you are a senior developer for a longer time. You are just comparing yourself too much. Be happy with your progress and the flow you enjoy.

The sad truth is that seniority is "given" according to what you ask as a payment. The bigger salary you requesting, the better title you will be given :) This is true for most od the companies out there

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kethmars

Thank you, Matej!
And I actually agree with you regarding comparing part. At some point, during my 2-3 years, I got rid of it, but when I saw people around me being promoted, I started thinking about it more and more...
Nevertheless, I do agree with you and believe that in the end, it's us that must ask for what we want.

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Alex Vechy

I feel it's a common issue in big companies who attract lots of talent, some of which can grow faster than the established process for all engineers. However, technical growth and challenges met by such people are pretty much scoped to the level they're in, and there are just too many variables to see why it is so and how to fix it. There's a good picture about the distribution of layers and I like how it explains growth in companies, especially for big companies.


But in the end, I believe it's the best choice one can make – move on to become happier, more experienced and wiser :)
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kethmars

Firstly, thanks for sharing that article!

But I agree with your point regarding processes - it's hard to come up with a system that really suits everyone. Fortunately, there are plenty of discussions around that.
But imo it's equally important to talk about from an individual's perspective. In my case, it was hard for me to justify a promotion, because of comparisons to others. It's easy to find developers who are better than you and it's easy to start comparing yourself to them. In some way, processes can help around it, but at the same time, managers and culture must support and motivate to reach higher.
And yep...in the end, the easiest way to understand your value is to go to a new environment.

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Rejwanul Hoq

Awesome Story. Carry On

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kethmars

Thank you, Sir :) !

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Kindred Fawn

Great article in which I can completely relate. I started out as self taught with a startup as well. Growing in IT can be challenging but you will get there if you persevere. The only way to make it, is to work your ass off, learn and learn some more. It’s never ending so you need to understand this if you ever want to get to senior level.
It took me 4 years to get to senior. I had to improve my soft skills from day one and I think alot of devs overlook this crucial step. I’m naturally shy and I hate public speaking but I do it anyway. I landed my first contract in my 5th year. It’s my 8th year now and I’m a Lead Engineer. But let me tell you this, there will always be elitists in IT who will be jealous of your success, or devs who will even try to take your role from you.
Ever since I’ve been lead, this has been happening.
It’s competitive out there so to get to the top you have to be on your A game while remaining calm, supportive and approachable.
Like Elon musk said “work your ass off” and like Dwayne Johnson said “be the hardest worker in the room”.
This mindset applies to every aspect of life too though. Good luck to all you aspiring devs out there!

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kethmars

Thank you and I'm glad to hear about your journey but also the mindset you have! That's the way to go!
In the end, I've come to believe that if we want something, we must ask it and try not to compare ourselves to each other.
And as you said - always make sure to give your best!

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Christopher Wray

Super cool story and thanks for sharing! So glad that you got a great job at the end of it all.

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kethmars

Thank you, Christopher!

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Jonathan Sexton

Great article and awesome advice for developers at any level!

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MiroKoLe

As someone who got his first dev job three weeks ago I find this article very interesting. I hope my first year will be as good as your. :)

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kethmars

Thank you and wish you the best in your endeavours!! Stay hungry for knowledge!

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Jocelin Queau

which books are you refering (1year) ? YDKJSY | Eloquant JS ?

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kethmars

Great question :)!
Eloquent JS is a great one and I strongly recommend reading it!
In my case, it was mostly more high-level books like Clean Code, Microservices Architecture, Javascript the Good Parts, Javascript patterns to really get me away from the "let's just hack it together" mentality.

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sheetly

Great story. Subscribed!

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kethmars

Thank you :) !