What I Learned After 4 Years of Writing Code. Four years ago, I opened my first code editor, not knowing what a “console.log” even did. Today, I’ve written hundreds of thousands of lines of code across web apps, SaaS products, open-source projects, and experiments that never saw the light of day.
It’s been a wild ride — full of small wins, countless bugs, and quiet moments where I almost gave up.
Here’s what these four years taught me (and what I wish I knew earlier).
- Code is the easy part — consistency isn’t
Writing functions and fixing errors is fine. But showing up every single day to learn, build, or debug, even when no one’s watching? That’s the real challenge.
The biggest difference between people who “want to be developers” and those who become developers is consistency—small, boring practice compounds like magic.
- Build projects that solve problems, not portfolios
Early on, I chased shiny project ideas to impress others. Later, I realized the best way to grow is to build tools that actually help people — even small ones.
Every project that made me grow the most had one thing in common: real users or real problems.
That’s how I ended up building full SaaS products, such as Pulse HMS, Freelance Shield, and SnapForm. Each project taught me more than any course ever could.
- Debugging builds patience (and character)
I used to panic every time an error popped up. Now, I see bugs as breadcrumbs — tiny clues that guide you toward understanding the system better.
Learning how to think through a bug is what turns you from a copy-paste coder into a real engineer.
- Design and UX matter more than we admit
I spent years caring only about logic and performance, until I realized something: users don’t see your algorithms — they feel your design.
Clean UI, clear flows, and thoughtful UX turn average projects into great ones.
Now I design with empathy before I optimize for speed.
- Community changes everything
The best thing I did was start connecting with other developers — sharing projects, joining meetups, starting small dev groups like The Legend Devs, and just talking tech.
Coding in isolation limits you. Sharing your work accelerates your growth and gives you perspective.
- Learning never ends — and that’s the beauty of it
After four years, I’ve realized there’s no “final boss level” in programming.
There’s always a new tool, a smarter way to think, or a cleaner way to write.
Instead of chasing mastery, I now chase improvement.
Final Thoughts
If you’re just starting, don’t rush.
Forget perfection. Build, break things, rebuild, and stay curious.
The goal isn’t to be the best coder — it’s to become the kind of person who keeps learning, no matter what.
💬 I’d love to hear from you —
What’s one lesson you learned on your coding journey so far?
Top comments (0)