There are so many ways to learn software development today—university, online courses, YouTube, books, side projects, coding challenges, online communities, and now AI.
Still, I sometimes wonder whether aspiring and junior developers are actually getting the preparation they need for real-world engineering work. If you’re currently trying to break into the industry, what do you feel least prepared for?
And if you’re an experienced developer, what skills or experience do you often find missing in junior candidates? Looking back, what helped you the most early in your own career?
I’m especially curious about the gap between understanding a concept and being able to apply it confidently to a real problem. Does that gap come down to technical depth, hands-on projects, debugging experience, mentorship, teamwork, exposure to production systems—or something else entirely?
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
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