10 Years as a Developer: What Nobody Tells You

In 2016, I wrote my first professional line of code. Ten years later, I still don't feel "senior enough." And that's okay.

Impostor Syndrome Never Goes Away

Year 1: "I don't know anything, I'm a fraud." Year 5: "I know something, but others know more." Year 10: "I know quite a bit, but there's so much I don't know."

The difference isn't that the syndrome disappears. The difference is that you learn to live with it. Every time I learn something new, I realize how much more there is to learn.

The trick that works for me: document everything I know. This portfolio exists partly because of that. When I write about something, I realize that I do know things. It's tangible evidence against the voice in my head saying otherwise.

Burnout is Real (and You've Probably Had It)

In 2019, I worked 12 hours a day for three months on an "urgent" project. The project shipped. I didn't.

I spent the following weeks unable to concentrate, with no motivation for personal coding, staring at the monitor without seeing anything. I didn't know it was burnout because nobody had told me what it was.

Signs I ignored:

• Sunday afternoons thinking about Monday with panic
• Code that used to excite me felt like an obligation
• Constant irritability
• Insomnia thinking about bugs

How I Recovered

1. I set boundaries - After 7pm, no more work code
2. I started a different side project - Gaming streaming, something completely different
3. I talked to someone - My partner, friends, eventually a professional
4. Exercise - Cliché but it works, 30 minutes of walking daily

The Side Projects That Matter

Of all the side projects I've started, 90% are abandoned. And that's okay.

The ones that survived:

• This portfolio - Rewritten 4 times, learning something new each time
• My content channel - 5 years now, with ups and downs but consistent
• A component library - That I use in real projects

What I learned: side projects don't need to be "successful." Their value is what you learn from building them. My streaming channel taught me more about engagement than any marketing course.

Frameworks Come and Go

2016: jQuery → Angular 1
2017: Angular 1 → React
2019: React + Redux → React + Hooks
2021: Create React App → Next.js
2023: Pages Router → App Router
2025: ?? → Server Components everywhere

The pattern? Fundamentals remain.

• HTTP still works the same
• CSS Flexbox and Grid are still CSS
• JavaScript is JavaScript (with more features)
• SQL is still how you talk to databases

My advice: learn one framework well, but invest more time in the fundamentals. When the next "React killer" arrives, you'll be able to adapt because you understand how the web works, not just how the framework works.

Ecuador and Tech: A Silent Evolution

When I started, getting remote work from Ecuador was nearly impossible. Companies wanted someone "in the office" or "in the same timezone."

Today:

• International companies actively hire in LATAM
• The local ecosystem has grown (meetups, communities, startups)
• The cost of living vs remote salaries is favorable
• The pandemic normalized remote work forever

But there are also challenges:

• The salary gap still exists
• Internet infrastructure isn't perfect
• Finding local tech community requires effort

What I Would Tell My 10-Years-Ago Self

1. Write more - Documenting forces you to understand
2. Rest - Burnout isn't a badge of honor
3. Learn English well - It opens incredible doors
4. Network - It's not "selling yourself," it's sharing
5. Fundamentals > frameworks - Always
6. Perfect code doesn't exist - Shipping > perfection
7. It's okay not to know - Nobody knows everything

Looking Ahead

I don't know what technology I'll be using in 2036. Probably something that doesn't exist today. What I do know:

• I'll keep learning
• I'll keep writing
• I'll keep building

Because after 10 years, what I enjoy most isn't the code itself. It's solving problems. And as long as there are problems, there will be work.

Thanks for reading. If you're just starting out: keep going. If you've been at it for years: you're not alone.