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Ask HN: How do I get out of this self-imposed career rut?

This is hard to even talk about. I'm a software engineer. I've been doing this job for 20 years. I actually started programming when I was very young, about 35 years ago. By all measures, I should be very advanced career-wise, but I'm being held back by imposter syndrome, low self esteem and social anxiety. I feel like I'm unable to progress beyond the "Senior Software Engineer" level. Whenever I look at job ads for principle or lead roles, I can't help but think that I don't have the leadership experience or confidence to even make it worth applying. I'm also a generalist, and while I have an uncommonly wide background (everything from front end to firmware, network engineering, system administration and security) that does mean that I'm not really an expert in anything. I just started looking for a new job, and while I'm talking to companies like Amazon and Google, I'm finding it hard to really sell myself. How do I get out of this rut and progress my career to a level commensurate with my experience?

sharemywin 9y ago
Are you sure you want that job? I'm running into a similar situation. I keep thinking maybe I should start my own business. The problem is, the reason I've coded for so long is I like coding and I'm pretty good at it. Also, my kids are pretty young too. So, I'm not sure which way to go on things. It also could be I'm pretty unhappy where I work so maybe I need a new coding job.
- stuck_in_a_rut 9y ago
  > Are you sure you want that job? Yes, I want to have more impact and be able to use my experience to give more value to the companies I work for. It's hard to do that in a lower level position where all you can do is offer feedback rather than make decisions. Increasingly, it seems like the Senior Software Engineer role has less value, with requirements like "5+ years' experience".
ThrowAway172854 9y ago
Finding myself in a similar situation, I don't have a whole lot of suggestions or advice. But I can say that you aren't alone. Thank you for bringing this up. It's helpful to know that I'm not only one that is in this kind of situation. Genuinely interested in hearing others suggestions. Especially, curious to hear from folks about breaking into the management side. Seems that there isn't a real middle ground they either want you exclusively as a developer, or to have had several years of management experience.

sharemywin 9y ago

Are you sure you want that job? I'm running into a similar situation. I keep thinking maybe I should start my own business. The problem is, the reason I've coded for so long is I like coding and I'm pretty good at it. Also, my kids are pretty young too. So, I'm not sure which way to go on things. It also could be I'm pretty unhappy where I work so maybe I need a new coding job.

stuck_in_a_rut 9y ago
> Are you sure you want that job? Yes, I want to have more impact and be able to use my experience to give more value to the companies I work for. It's hard to do that in a lower level position where all you can do is offer feedback rather than make decisions. Increasingly, it seems like the Senior Software Engineer role has less value, with requirements like "5+ years' experience".

ThrowAway172854 9y ago

Finding myself in a similar situation, I don't have a whole lot of suggestions or advice. But I can say that you aren't alone. Thank you for bringing this up. It's helpful to know that I'm not only one that is in this kind of situation. Genuinely interested in hearing others suggestions. Especially, curious to hear from folks about breaking into the management side. Seems that there isn't a real middle ground they either want you exclusively as a developer, or to have had several years of management experience.