Nothing in your post leads me to believe you actually have a low IQ. Actual posts from people with low IQ read more like 3+ replies deep in the comments sectio

Nothing in your post leads me to believe you actually have a low IQ. Actual posts from people with low IQ read more like 3+ replies deep in the comments section on a controversial political video on YouTube. You sound like you have testing anxiety, insecurities, self-confidence issues, self-esteem issues, and self-doubt. The word choice of your post and the way you explain what is going on suggests you have sufficient intelligence. It seems like the biggest blocks to being successful in this field you have are believing in yourself and judging yourself. You keep thinking you should be further along and working at a "better" company. You keep comparing yourself to others and their path. Stop. Your life is your own, your path is your own. Your background is your own. Your challenges and dreams are your own. Don't expect your experience to be like everyone else's. There are a wide variety of successful developers from hugely different backgrounds. Some people could only go to a local collage or state university. Some people don't even have a CS degree and are still successful. I know some people with only high school-level education that can debug applications with with a time-travel trace looking at the assembly language level. Many of the people who created the popular frameworks and programming languages don't have the background you would expect. And honestly there are even a few positions at some really well known companies where even below average intelligence people can be successful. There are successful developers who have never worked at a FAANG company and probably never will. Work on confidence, self-esteem, self-worth, and believing in yourself. Stop judging yourself. Don't let getting into a FAANG company be your measuring stick of what success is, make that a goal instead. Plenty of people found that when they actually got to a FAANG company, they didn't actually like it, or didn't end up staying very long. I would ask yourself these questions to see if you are successful: Are you enjoying your current job? Are you learning at your current job? / Does your current job prepare you for future jobs? Are you being paid well at your current job? Do the benefits of your current job meet your needs? If you can consistently answer yes to these questions, then you are successful. These are also a good barometer of when to ask for a raise or look for a new job.