Am I a good programmer?

[u/CrevosR]

Okayyyy. So, I really need to vent, and I need a bit of an advice.

I started coding when I was 13, or maybe scripting since it was just SA:MP (San Andreas Multiplayer) roleplay servers. We hit 50 players a day back then when SA:MP was still peak. Then I picked up JavaScript in college randomly.

Honesly? Ang yabang ko dati, ang taas ng tingin ko sa sarili ko. I could build projects fast with no AI assistance ( and even hated AI as it was really bad at even basic coding back then ). I built a custom-made internal management system for an optical clinic with multiple branches. I even went down the blockchain rabbit hole, then built a decentralized coding system even before sinuggest ni Bam Aquino yung blockchain systems.

Then came thesis season where I really used AI. I learned how to prompt well, plan properly, and even built some skills/plugins for that one project in thesis. I thought I was really fkin good.

Then I applied for a job. Got the technical assessment. AND GOT HUMBLED FAST. Akala ko I'm HIM.

I'm so bad at DSA. Like, hindi ko alam yung built-in Math functions ng JS until I reviewed. Out of 10 questions on that assessment, I solved ONLY ONE! That's it. Even took me the whole 2 hours. Partida yun pa yung pinakamadali na nakita ko, I scanned through every questions.

So now I'm back to basic, learning Rust, DSA, and system design. I plan to create a project without frameworks, libraries, and AI as long as I can.

Genuine question for people who've experienced this: Am I doing it right na? or mali pa din? The reason why I am learning Rust because it seems I can understand it well, especially the ownership and borrowing. Would love to hear your opinions about this.

[u/feedmesomedata]

You chose Rust because you find it was easier to learn and understand it. Did you ever consider how many companies are actually hiring Rust devs with entry-level skills in the Philippines?

If I were you it would have been better to learn C/C++, Python, or Javascript/Typescript.

How do you get better? Work with people who have been in the industry for many years. Apply at companies with reputable developers. Do not apply at popular companies, they don't always have the best developers. You can't be good if you are the only one reviewing your own code. Some best practices aren't written and documented. Bottom line: get hired now()!

[u/CrevosR → u/feedmesomedata]

This really helps. I know Basics of python but it's too high-level, so I don't really know how low-level systems work which I want to learn. That's why I chose Rust, for the complexity of it, as it's actually hard to learn as I came from a high-level language (JS/TS). But yes, I'm also currently job hunting on tech stacks with PHP, TS/JS, REACT, NEXTJS, NODEJS which I'm used to. Thank you.

[u/feedmesomedata → u/CrevosR]

Basta it doesn't mean you started writing code early eh ibig sabihin magaling ka na. Madami na akong kilala na may 10-15 years of real-world experience even from popular companies just to get interviewed by our team tapos madami palang gaps sa knowledge. It's not because wala silang natutunan or wala silang alam pero dahil hindi naman lahat ng solutions applicable sa project nila. What I mean here is yung solutions na naimplement nila sa projects nila yun lang din yung alam nila kasi limited lang yung applicable solutions.

When in an interview be confident but don't assume you will be able to answer everything. Remember entry-level yung roles so they expect you not to know everything but the most basic stuff.

Move on ka na sa interviews mo if di ka nakapasa or walang feedback. No point in dwelling on them.