🧩 1. Good Devs Don’t Ask Google - They Ask Better Questions
The moment you start asking, “Am I even good at this?” - that’s a signal. Not of failure, but of awareness. Of ambition. Of standards. The worst developers I’ve worked with weren’t the ones writing bad code - they were the ones who thought they had nothing left to learn. If you’re questioning yourself, you’re already better than most.
🔧 2. You’re Not Measured by Code - You’re Measured by Impact
I’ve seen developers build pristine architecture that solved the wrong problem. And I’ve seen messy, duct-taped scripts hold million-euro ops systems together. A good developer doesn’t just code - they solve. The skill isn’t in the syntax. It’s in connecting the dots between a vague request and a working result. The cleaner code will come. Clarity comes first.
🛠️ 3. Velocity Means Nothing Without Direction
Feeling behind on a team of sharp minds? Good. Stay there. That discomfort is where you grow. When a junior surprises you with a creative approach, it’s not a threat - it’s evolution. You bring different strengths. Communication. System thinking. Problem decomposition. Maybe you don’t know the latest framework, but you know how to keep a product from collapsing. That’s value.
📈 4. Tech Mastery Is a Byproduct - Not the Goal
You’re not here to memorize syntax. You’re here to build things that work. Yes, dive into Rust. Yes, struggle through new stacks. But don’t tie your identity to how fast you picked it up. The best developers I know grew by getting uncomfortable, asking questions, and teaching others what they learned. Not by pretending they knew everything.
🧠 5. So… Are You a Good Developer?
Here’s the simplest test:
You’re given a problem.
You understand the context.
You figure out a solution.
You ship something that works.
You do it again - better.
That’s it. That’s the job. The rest - style, performance, maintainability - comes with time. But the ability to solve problems under pressure, in systems that matter? That’s what makes you valuable. So if you’re here, reading this, wondering if you’re good enough - you already are. You’re just not done yet.