I know someone else mentioned impostor syndrome, and I do agree with them that you certainly displayed elements of that. I've been there too. I suppose I'm what you'd call a backend dev, C# and Azure development mainly. I'm 44 and coming up on 19 years as a dev (I had toyed with a bit of HTML and JavaScript at uni in my spare time but nothing significant, so I started as a graduate trainee). A few years ago I was struggling to keep up with a few key concepts and patterns that had passed me by thanks to some of the places I worked being pretty backwards in some ways (and actually React and modern js development was one of those topics). Luckily at the time I was working with some awesome people who are now good friends and one in particular just encouraged me to take things one bit at a time and explained anything I didn't understand that he could and if not, he'd know someone who could. I owe him a lot (and Pluralsight!). I was really struggling with depression and anxiety back then in part caused by this sense that I wasn't good enough. I still occasionally worry about it but all I have to do is have a word with my mate or one of the great folks I now work with and I'm back on the right track. I think as you get older it becomes easier to feel that it's a youngsters game and get yourself tied up in knots, but as you or someone said, what makes a senior is how you approach problems and progress work, not how many frameworks you can use off the top of your head. If you can recognise the need for one and can evaluate which is the right one to use (maybe by asking the right questions of someone who knows that framework) then that's how to be a senior. Good article!
I know someone else mentioned impostor syndrome, and I do agree with them that you certainly displayed elements of that. I've been there too. I suppose I'm what you'd call a backend dev, C# and Azure development mainly. I'm 44 and coming up on 19 years as a dev (I had toyed with a bit of HTML and JavaScript at uni in my spare time but nothing significant, so I started as a graduate trainee). A few years ago I was struggling to keep up with a few key concepts and patterns that had passed me by thanks to some of the places I worked being pretty backwards in some ways (and actually React and modern js development was one of those topics). Luckily at the time I was working with some awesome people who are now good friends and one in particular just encouraged me to take things one bit at a time and explained anything I didn't understand that he could and if not, he'd know someone who could. I owe him a lot (and Pluralsight!). I was really struggling with depression and anxiety back then in part caused by this sense that I wasn't good enough. I still occasionally worry about it but all I have to do is have a word with my mate or one of the great folks I now work with and I'm back on the right track. I think as you get older it becomes easier to feel that it's a youngsters game and get yourself tied up in knots, but as you or someone said, what makes a senior is how you approach problems and progress work, not how many frameworks you can use off the top of your head. If you can recognise the need for one and can evaluate which is the right one to use (maybe by asking the right questions of someone who knows that framework) then that's how to be a senior. Good article!
Thanks for that comment, Steve! I really recognize myself in it. It is só good to have people around you like that and I am very happy for you ☺️