Minna Tech Meetup

If I were to start Software Engineering all over again, knowing everything I know today, I would take a very different path. I wouldn’t start by chasing frameworks. I wouldn’t try to learn every programming language. And I definitely wouldn’t spend years collecting certificates. Here’s exactly what I’d do:

I think as a software engineer, there should be a certain level of pride and ego you should have. Not the kind that makes you feel superior to everyone, but the kind that comes from knowing what it took to become who you are today. I know what it took to know what I know now. The years of learning, breaking things, debugging, making wrong decisions, making better ones, dealing with difficult problems, and accumulating experiences. All of that should count for something. At some point, you should know your worth. You should be confident enough to say, “I know this.” You should be able to stand behind your decisions, defend your work, and have standards for the kind of engineering you’re willing to put your name on. And honestly, little things irritate me sometimes. Not necessarily because I think I’m better than everyone, but because experience changes your eyes. You start noticing things you wouldn’t have noticed years ago. You see avoidable mistakes. Poor decisions. Inefficiencies. Things that could have been done better. The important thing, though, is knowing where to draw the line. Pride should protect your standards, not control your behaviour. Know your worth. Have standards. Be confident in what you know. But remain humble enough to admit when you’re wrong and curious enough to keep learning.