I'm a web dev that takes REST data and puts it in the database, or the other way around. It's not rocket science, and I do consider myself a good developer.

Of course I learned long time ago that there is zero correlation between my knowledge and getting a job, and in anyway the amount of companies I want to work at, can be counted on one hand (and most of them rejected me anyways, but I guess it would turn out to be the same feeling eventually).

What was your path to becoming competent? I've been a software engineer for over a decade now and I'm middling at best. I've been studying algorithms in my free time as my energy permits and am hoping to branch out into other areas, but I feel as though I'm always behind my more talented colleagues who can immediately "see" the solutions while I have to puzzle them out.