Ask HN: Did anyone here struggled with being a bad engineer?

Posted by Throwawayuns on Thursday January 12, 2023 @04:38PM
from the ask-hn dept.

I have undergraduate degree in cs and I have been working at the same company for 6 years since graduating. I always expected that eventually I will somehow become a good engineer. Instead I still struggle with simple stuff. I feel like I just don’t have the concentration, memory etc to become good at engineering.

Did anyone here struggle in a similar way? Were you able to overcome it?

( 5 comments | on HN )

Re:Ask HN: Did anyone here struggled with being a bad engineer? by cratermoon on Thursday January 12, 2023 @04:43PM (#34360663)

Let's start at the very beginning: What, in your mind, does it mean to be a good engineer?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Did anyone here struggled with being a bad engineer? by bckr on Thursday January 12, 2023 @04:47PM (#34360717)

What evidence do you have that you are not a good engineer? Performance reviews or feedback from others? Etc?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Did anyone here struggled with being a bad engineer? by Throwawayuns on Thursday January 12, 2023 @06:21PM (#34361671)

Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it about myself. I feel like I have learned almost nothing over those 6 years and see other devs on my team growing quickly. I was mostly looking for stories on what stopped people from growing as engineers and how they over come it.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Did anyone here struggled with being a bad engineer? by bckr on Saturday January 14, 2023 @02:07PM (#34383024)

I almost didn't become a software engineer because I didn't believe in myself and take positive action every day.

I think these 2 changes will turn things around for you. They sound simple, but that is very deceptive. You can work the rest of your life on believing in yourself and taking positive action every day.

My email is available to you if you want to talk more.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Did anyone here struggled with being a bad engineer? by perfecthjrjth on Thursday January 12, 2023 @06:23PM (#34361693)

If you are making $300K to $400K at least for four years, you are not a bad engineer.

[ Parent | on HN ]