I’m seeking advice from seasoned developers regarding my career journey. I’ve accumulated around 5 years of experience as a backend developer, but I feel somewhat stagnant.
Although I earn a good salary, I often doubt that I truly deserve it. My daily tasks lack complexity, and when I’m faced with ambiguous assignments that require more thought, I find myself wanting to avoid them.
I can write code reasonably well, but that’s about the extent of my contributions. In design discussions and team meetings, I tend to hold back and rarely voice my thoughts. I often come to understand things only after conversations have ended, which leaves me feeling inadequate.
I am genuinely worried about my career path. The tech field evolves rapidly, and I’m anxious about potentially falling behind. Additionally, I struggle with general anxiety, which amplifies my concerns about the future.
Has anyone gone through a similar experience? What actionable steps did you take to improve your confidence and advance your career?
hold up - what kind of ambiguous assignments are we talking about here? is it more the technical stuff that’s messy, or are the business requirements just all over the place? and does your team actually notice when you’re holding back in meetings, or is that just you being hard on yourself?
This happens to tons of people at the five-year mark. I went through the same thing - realized I’d been coasting on stuff I already knew instead of challenging myself. What really helped was writing down my thought process when solving complex problems. Made it way easier to explain my ideas in meetings. I also stopped avoiding vague assignments and started asking clarifying questions upfront. Turns out that actually shows initiative, not weakness. Find a mentor at your company who’ll give you straight feedback about how you’re doing. Your anxiety makes sense, but you’ve got five years of experience plus you’re aware of what needs work. That’s a solid foundation to build on.
this hits way too close… I was in the exact same spot year 4-5. the anxiety made everything worse. what helped was starting small - I forced myself to ask one question per meeting, even feeling like an idiot. side projects helped push outside my bubble. impostor syndrome’s brutal, but you’re probably better than you realize.