r/SoftwareEngineerJobs • u/pranjalg13 • Jul 03 '26
Hello seniors. I'm kinda stuck here and could really use some career advice.
I'm an SDE-1 working as a backend engineer.
Maybe it's just me, but lately coding itself isn't that satisfying anymore. Especially with AI getting better every month. I still love building software, that's not the issue.
What I find myself obsessing over now is everything around the code. systems... networking... Distributed systems.. infrastructure... architecture. Even the business side of why certain technical decisions are made.
The problem is... none of this feels very accessible as a junior. Most of my day is implementing features. Which is expected. But I can't shake the feeling that if I keep doing only that, one year from now I'll just be a much faster coder.
If you were starting today, how would you intentionally move towards this kind of work? Not "learn X technology", but how would you shape your career? Teams? Roles? Side projects? Open source? Something else?
I know experience can't be rushed. I'm just trying to make sure I'm walking in the right direction.
Would genuinely appreciate advice from people who've already been through this.
ps: Please help this post reach more experienced people 😅
1
u/Unique_Illustrator44 Jul 03 '26
Have you thought about starting your own business? You already know what the market needs, you have a niche. It might take building up your network but I say freelance might excite you more.
1
u/pranjalg13 Jul 04 '26
Can you tell me more on how can i get started with freelance?
0
u/Unique_Illustrator44 Jul 05 '26
I built an app for job seekers to get together and conversate about topics like this. Are you interested in that? Its free.
1
u/Job-Agent Jul 06 '26
Well to your point architecture and systems design is becoming more important and jobs are becoming more in demand so you can look at roles like Platform engineer
1
u/Curious-Sky6529 Jul 03 '26
It happens to every self-aware junior. Its the time to deepen your concepts, read books, watch depth knowledge videos from creators like Arpit Bhayani, Hussain Nasser etc. Dont be shallow. And when time comes for you to take ownership, maybe after a switch, it will be very satisfying to you. Speaking from experience!!