I've had a near identical experience over the last 30 years. Every point in the article rang true and I sympathise with every one of them.

Regarding the second point: One of the hardest things to swallow is a programmer with 2 or 3 years experience pointing out code smells in my work simply because he's read Clean Code (I've been a professional, full time programmer for 30 years). Sure, there are code smells in my work - I won't deny it - I'm not a clean coder and I accept that my coding style leaves a lot to be desired. But I work hard and solve difficult problems to a clients satisfaction.

Is it just me or does anyone else think that 'code smells' is a demeaning expression?

> Other web developers who think they’re holier-than-thou, just because they write code for a living.

TIL there are still web developers who don't write code.

What offends me the most, as HN reader (in EU), is clicking on links to articles only to discover they're behind a paywall or require me to accept cookies or other analytics crap, especially when they come with "Pardon the interruption" and "We value your privacy" modals. Isn't the article on a freely accessible personal blog somewhere?

Yep - agreed. The "Pardon the interruption" and "We value your privacy" is pure nonsense. "We value your privacy" must be the biggest piece of misinformation on the web. Tip: Turn off Javascript and all the extraneous crap disappears and the web returns to peaceful normality.