
Ask HN: How to get unstuck with programming skills - throwaway-jr
(Using a throwaway account to protect my current job)<p>Little bit of background: I&#x27;ve been programming as a hobby for nearly 20 years now, mostly full-stack web stuff (PHP, Java, Python, Ruby, Javascript), worked in Silicon Valley and an European startup, done some freelancing and now I&#x27;m working as a junior software consultant in Europe.<p>Even though I&#x27;ve been spending almost my entire life programming and learning programming, I still can&#x27;t seem to grab enough skills to become a non-junior. I try to build hobby projects (can&#x27;t share any to remain anonymous) but almost always struggle to build anything worthwhile.<p>I can write code but that&#x27;s pretty much it. I can&#x27;t seem to learn how to architecture software, how to build interactions between different parts of the app and can&#x27;t make technological decisions about different technology choices.<p>As a junior, it&#x27;s always someone else responsible for making bigger decisions or building important integrations so I will never get other experience than maybe reading through their code. But that stuff doesn&#x27;t seem to stick with me.<p>At the same time I see people with zero experience take on three-month bootcamps, work as a junior for a year and then head on to building a career as a successful developer while I stay in the same spot never able to progress.<p>What can I do to escape the situation and learn how to build real-life stuff?
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rajeshamara
The only way is to have confidence in you. No one is perfect everyone learns
by trial and errors. You become perfect via practice

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throwaway-jr
Sure but as I mentioned, I've been practicing for about 20 years. Somehow
things are not sticking and I'm looking for more actionable advice.

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cimmanom
You may just need a better feedback cycle. Find a position (junior or mid-
level) that will allow you to make architecture decisions or proposals, and
get feedback on how your proposal might be improved.

This process is called "design review".

