Our mind can be the greatest ally or the greatest Lier...
As you progress in your journey you should avoid these 3 harmful beliefs that many software developers hold, which can ultimately destroy their careers.
By understanding and avoiding these beliefs, you can accelerate your career, improve your skills, and enjoy a more fulfilling professional journey.
Belief #1: I need to learn every programming language to succeed
This belief can lead to overwhelm and burnout, as it's impossible to master everything.
As a newbie, a junior developer, ten to try to learn multiple different languages at once, and as a result, struggle to become proficient in any of them. In contrast, juniors choose to master just one language deeply, which led to landing a real and stable growth.
Newbies must focus on core languages relevant to the field of choice to yield better results.
Belief #2: Working long hours means I'm more productive
While it might seem like a sign of great dedication, overworking often leads to burnout, decrease in productivity, and even health issues.
As a junior I used to work 12-hour days, 7 days per week, and I saw my performance decline over time; however, if I maintained a balanced schedule from the beginning, I could stayed sharp and consistently delivered high-quality work without burnout.
Remember that is always better to work smarter not harder.
Belief #3: I don't need to network; my skills will speak for themselves
Ignoring networking opportunities can limit your career growth. Skills matter, but relationships open doors and create new opportunities.
A lot of developers don't like to deal with people, like unironically they deal with clients a lot-well at least some of them. They prefer to stay isolated and because of that missed many job opportunities.
I hope this helps you recognize and avoid these harmful beliefs in your career journey. Embrace growth, focus on what's essential, and build meaningful connections.
Wishing you the best on your path to success!
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Top comments (32)
Hi Soulis, Thanks for a great article.
I have a significant investment in this industry, which is another way to say I am old, and your comments concur with my experience.
1: I agreed, you don't need to learn every programming language or framework. Indeed it is foolish to try, unless you want to become a "jack of all trades" (aka full-stack developer) as opposed to a "master of one". However, it is also foolhardy to focus entirely on one programming language/tech stack. It is wise to concentrate and develop your skills on one technology but it is well worthwhile learning from other languages and stacks.
2: Productivity in software development is virtually impossible to calculate, despite what some “American multinational strategy and management consulting firm” might report. However, there are two aspects to what you produce as an individual. There is not just quantity but also quality. What is the point of cutting loads of code if it all needs to be fixed by someone else the following day?
To be more brutal about it, you also have to consider your rate of pay, especially if you are on a salary. There is nothing wrong with doing extra hours when required (by the project, not demanded by management - they always want more, especially if it is not costing them extra). Consider your personal productivity. How much money are you making per hour of your working life (not just your contracted hours but all of it)? How much are you giving to the company for nothing? The more hours you work but don’t get paid for, the lower your rate of pay - simple mathematics. Also, If you work all the hours you can some if not all of the following things are going to happen:
3: This one is an area I have personally neglected to my cost and is far more important now that it was when I started in the industry. However, I suspect many “hard-core” developers might struggle with this, especially these days of social media and working from home.
I honestly feel for new developers entering the industry - it’s tougher than I experienced.
Your words are gold for developers like me who don’t have the same level of experience as you. What do you recommend doing in cases where you give it your all during your 9-to-5, but still it's not enough for the project, especially in a remote setting where people might think you’re not trying hard enough?
It is tough for young developers. But 1) Don't measure your productivity by the project demands (they are probably our of your control) but by your own professionalism. If you think you have given it your best effort (side we all have bad days, ignore those), stop beating yourself up.
2) If you have a good manager it should be sufficient to provide regular updates (daily) on progress, blockers and work around (all the sort of things raised in daily stand-ups).
If you don't have a good manager then try to rely more on your team, liaise regularly (hourly min) especially when working remotely.
I am very fortunate in having both a good manager and great team. We are geographically dispersed but make an effort to colocate at least twice a month's. 1 day tends to be more programmatic reporting/planning oriented but the other day enables us to work collaboratively and discuss design, problem areas etc. these have been invaluable.
Thanks, I appreciate your response!
I work in a company where at the beginning everything was just fine and all but after a year the honeymoon ended and I finally I saw the true nature of the company.
I was always made fun for not "knowing basic stuff" but in reality, here there's a culture of blaming others bad or 0 planning and false promises.
To fix these problems I:
Started studying more technologies that not only could help me in my work but also to eventually get a better job or go independent.
Network with people joining communities and writing online (this one is a better option since my social skill that don't include working aren't the best xd)
Learn to use chatGPT.
Learn persuasion to move and organize the project the best I can.
Great insight, thanks!
Communicate clearly. If the project is falling behind there might be many reasons: feature creep, underestimated scope, too many meetings, not enough communication, not enough skills and no mentor in the company to talk to. Identify the issue and communicate.
Yeah, that's the most common issue: pushing forward deadlines without consulting people in the tech area and expecting developers to work extra hours without additional pay. I guess it is talking about that or a new job, sadly.
I'm glad you liked the article ^^
Nice post, however three is a bit tricky. You're making it sound as if you need to network to advance your career, which will just cause anxiety with the shy and introverted. You need to network for some jobs, sure, or some career paths, but you don't need to network if you don't want to. There are loads of jobs that don't require it at all, and working in smaller companies can make you a great developer just as well.
I've an introvert with hyper focus ADHD-more like AD4K jajajaja. And even when I've been trying hard to network in the traditional way with people, but I suck.
However, writing online and, joining communities and helping people helped me a lot to network and thx to that a lot of doors are open to me to explore.
You're right about that networking isn't a must-I', still developing my writing skills (my bad). I wanted to make it look like a great extra that can help you in your career.
Hey Soulis!
I totally agree, you portrayed my current situation in concrete detail .
I'm currently in that jack of all trades tutorial jail phase and you just gave me the best insight anyone could've received at this level.
Can we chat some more? I would love to know your story.
Sure Kofi.
You can send my a DM in my twitter and if you can't send it then just post your twitter profile here or you can send me an email too.
Nice will do !
Hi Soulis,
I totally agree with all the points you mentioned in your article, specially that I have been in the web development industry for 17+ years and I was under the misunderstanding of working too much means more productivity but it turned out that I am being burnout and started to hate my job. It is vital to have a really work/life balance to take care of your mind health as the job of development is kind of an art and require a relaxing and focused mind.
Great article!!
Ty for reading my article Samir and I agree with you 100%.
This sounds very interesting. I don't have very higher technical skills but I learn to upgrade my soft skills and this is the reason because I just move forward based on persistence. I think is very helpful learn about some many things to be adaptable but don't confuse this with be a person who knows everything. God bless you colleagues!
I love what I'm reading thanks for taking out your time to put this up for learners and reader.
The title is captivating.
Kudos 🙏
You're welcome my brother.
I completely agree with this post. It's easy to fall into harmful beliefs that can derail a developer's career, like thinking perfection is required, refusing to adapt, or underestimating the value of communication. I've seen how limiting these mindsets can be, and it’s essential to stay flexible, embrace learning, and build strong teamwork skills. Great insight!
Ty brother!
Hi Soulis, this is an amazing article. thanks for taking your time to share your experience.
I'm glad you liked
yeah i totaly agree with you
Ty ^^
Nice blog !
Ty Steve! =D
Great article!
Ty very much ^^
I agree with all dawg, nice article!
Ty very much ^^
"Remember that is always better to work smarter not harder.", talk is always easy, isn't it?
You will never work smarter before working harder. It is a must-dependency.
Years of hard work will give you deep knowledge, experience, etc., leading you to the "work smarter" road. It's an investment with great returns.
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