7 years, no senior. So what?

#career #cpp #devjournal #learning

7 years ago I started learning to code.

I didn't become a senior at 22. I didn't get into Google. I didn't build a startup.

I worked. Jobs that pay $300 a month. I studied at night. I compiled C++ code on an ancient FM2-socket machine that lagged harder than I lagged on job interviews.

I rewrote std::string from scratch. Not because I had to. Because I wanted to understand what's under the hood.

I debugged with GDB when the call stack fell into nowhere. On Arch Linux. With DWM, Neovim, a browser, and JUST GOOGLE.

I wrote C++ and Python. I built a Qt6 app under sanctions — through Windows Subsystem for Linux, because "Installation from this IP address is not allowed — F#CK!". I rendered a window with Vulkan just to check if my GPU actually supports it. "It works" wasn't enough. I needed to see it.

I learned English. Not on courses.
First — children's books. The Very Hungry Caterpillar was my first.
Then — The Big Bang Theory. First in Russian, then original with subtitles, then without.
Now — Tanenbaum. Computer Architecture. In English. Because I want to know how this damn machine actually works.

And I'm reading Fight Club by Palahniuk. It's not that hard. But he really writes chaos.

Now, about work.

I've been at Yandex for 1.5 years. In support.

Yeah, I'm that guy answering drivers in chat. Not a developer. Yet.

But after work, I write my own code.

I have:

— Docker containers with FastAPI and PostgreSQL.
— SQLAlchemy, Alembic, Swagger.
— My own online chat — pure backend (registration, login, messages — all custom).
— A GitHub I'm not ashamed to show.
— A Telegram channel I run in English, because my market isn't CIS. My market is the world.

Here's what I finally understood :)

For years, I only looked for jobs inside my country. Because that's what you're "supposed" to do. Because everyone does it.

And I got nowhere.

Now I'm looking everywhere.

EU. UK. Remote. I don't care. I just want to work where my skills are worth something.

I don't know if I'll make it. But I know one thing:

I'd rather crash running than die standing still.

What I'm doing now:
— Deep diving into SQLAlchemy and FastAPI.
— Reading Tanenbaum and GoF patterns.
— English every day — reading, posting, and yeah, speaking is next. I just need practice.

Applying for jobs. Everywhere. Failing interviews. Learning.

Building my personal brand. Not because I'm a narcissist — because silence sells nothing.

And yeah — I finally have a decent PC.

i7-10700F. 16GB RAM. RX-6400. 2K monitor.

That's brilliant hardware for me. Because before that — I had an FM2 socket in 2008-2024! (This PC is still alive, ah-ha-ha-ha)

Took me 2 years to build it. On a $300/month salary. Piece by piece.

Because compiling C++ and running Docker on old hardware was hell.

Now I have no excuses.

If you're reading this and thinking:

— "Man, I've been learning for 5 years and got nowhere"
— "I also have old hardware and no money for courses"
— "I'm afraid it's too late"

Don't be.

It's only too late when you stop running.