Bold headlines always spark clicks and debates—but let’s be honest, they also strike a nerve for a reason.
The phrase “You’re not a real developer...
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You're not a real developer until you've burned out, quit, and now raise goats on a farm in the middle of nowhere.
I feel you bro! :-D
Being a farmer is the last stage of being a developer!!
I normally get with assembling IKEA only🤣
😂😂
True that
Are you speaking from experience? Kek.
I already have a goat and want to become a developer...
In my case, I am the goat
Goals.
A Strawberry Farm counts? I'm a .NET Developer and started harvesting a two years ago..
i feel you bro (2)
You're not a real developer until you've written your own microkernel
That's debatable lol.
Not really.
I remember those days when I wrote my own php frameworks 😁
30 years as a developer (junior, senior, project lead, tech lead etc.) - but according to this post - not a real one apparently.
Anyone can be a developer. Not everyone ends up a GOOD developer. See the difference? Anyone can cook, but very few are famous chefs instead of Line Cooks for 30 years. Your a Line cook, not a chef. No amount of time will change that.
also, being famous doesn't make you great in what you are doing IMO
Let's say, you are a Go, C++, PHP or Python developer. You will build these applications totally differently, and what you will learn and use will not be on the lists detailed here.
CSS is broken in your website brother.. btw great artical. Appreciate it💪✨️🚀
Not being a real developer shouldnt stop us from idealizing about it especially with this perfect clickbait and engagement.
You’re not a real [web] developer if you set unrealistic goals.
Very few people master everything you mentioned.
You'd rather focus on 1 specific project and do it good.
You may disagree with me, but you can actually get a job without a portfolio.
I think your article is more about web developer.
Well to be honest: has dev.to have ever been anything other than webdev? I remember seeing few Scala articles, some Java ones, and I'd love to read more about FP or effect systems but I'm afraid that if we want that, we have to lead by example and start doing so
id say this hit home for me, gotta admit shipping real stuff always feels way harder than just following tutorials
It is, why is why platforms like Shopify exist, because building an e-commerce site from scratch is really really hard. Most tutorials don't even come close to producing a production-ready e-commerce site.
There's a huge difference between building something from a tutorial, and building something that is usable in the real world.
Nice! Reminds me I always wanted to program the algorithm of multiple elevators in a building with animation.
Never had time to do it and I still wonder how difficult it might be. :-)
I would also recommend programming a shooting game or any real-time animation and then make it multiplayer.
That should squeeze the best of you :)
So the 5+ companies who employed me employed a fake developer?
Noted. 😂
Lol you just escaped 😂😂😅you need my ebooks
😂😂
lol
You're not a real developer if you don't understand that there's a complete branch in the embedded domain. The fact that only frontend projects are mentioned is showing a serious lack of knowledge about software development.
And that's only ONE other domain. There are so many fields in development I really hate how people only ever talk about web
I wrote a list of several other genres of software development one could pursue a career in.
https://x.com/theDocWhoCodes/status/1894155750408061388?t=Gq1S5ui70vecv8g45xyGng&s=19
Until I finally went over it once again,
I never really knew
What I was doing then with two new battles won by me,
I believe and what I read from the article here behind the thiny hole at the end of it there's a greenlight beaming hope.
You are right but can these be built without using AI? Can someone voluntory write code from his brain without consulting google or AI.
Is it a right approach to software development from the head without consulting google or AI? I alway want to write code on my own without consulting google or AI. But the more I try to do that, get left behind especially in the assignment setting.
Hey Senior developer, what is the way out and the write approach to software development? Pls just be real in your answers.
I womder how B Gate, Elo Mask did it.
Does it mean if use google or AI build an app, should I be feeling inadequacy of not doing it myself?
People are using AI as a crutch without realizing the amount of holes in its logic. If you're in a learning setting the only way to do that is to write by hand. Use boilerplate sure but study it. If you must use AI you must read over everything it gives you and understand it. What does it get right, what does it get wrong? If you can't answer that you need to step back and rely on it less.
We're hitting a point where it might become more critical to rely on AI to get work done faster but it's such a new thing we don't know all of the repurcussions it might have. The only folks who should be using AI regularly are seniors because they know what to look for, but even then there's a concern it might degrade their capacity to code. Time will tell, it's still early.
At some point I had the same question about Intellisense enabled IDEs, the bit that shows a drop-down to auto comple your code and shows toolips with the functions signatures, examples, etc. Not too long ago, code was being written blind, you'd look up the functions in the documentation, and would just write it on your own. I'm sure that AI code assistants would become as common place and natural as that helper IDE functionality.
Maybe, but there's a significant difference in that generative AI is being sold as a genius, not autocomplete. Autocomplete is of course a simple algorithm, you treat it like you would a calculator: it can only work as well the input provided. AI is the same way, but it's advertised as still getting the right answer even with bad input. It's also non-deterministic, so results are at the mercy of entropy, unless you somehow always use the same seed. Offering as much context as possible by directing it to readmes and documetnation before prompting, and putting it through a cascade of reasoning model loops is supposed to bring order to it's chaos, and it does help. But it still is a dumb machine at the end of the day and likely will remain as such for years to come. It's a search engine and a calculator that responds to English and can directly interact with your code and server environment. It's an insane amount of power we're giving something with those kinds of limitations. At the very least you'd better learn how to use git and rollback commits before you let an MCP lose on your repo...
Correctly said, check my ebook
I'm a senior here. Most of the AI code I see is poorly optimized or has flawed logic. I usually have to bridge the gaps because creating a prompt to generate the correct coding for some concepts is difficult. Balancing the requirements with what is technically feasible, practical, and time constrained is always essential for a programmer. Not every technical requirement is a good idea to implement. We are there in the middle to create reliable solutions. Our job is beyond “writing code.” In my opinion, AI is good for building an MVP, but I don't trust most of it to be production ready, only to be boilerplate plus code.
I have never heard of those guys and don't know if they're famous with kids nowadays, but how I did it back in the day was to sit down with a reference manual for the language and start trying different things until I got results. You might start with a simple “Hello World” tutorial, then grab the reference manual to expand it. Remember, AI is a tool just like Visual Studio Code. It'll write code, but it's usually not the best or most optimized way of solving a problem. Humans writing code is still the best way to create a program, even though companies tell you that human coders are obsolete.
Depends what you are using Google or AI for. I'm a firm believer in not trying to memorise syntax, especially when you regularly use multiple languages. Googling "for loop python syntax" doesn't make you any less a developer. What makes you a developer is know HOW to use that for loop in your code.
You judge people by their indentation style.
Forget zodiac signs. The real personality test? Tabs vs spaces.
You have 43 Stack Overflow tabs open but still scream “WHY DOESN’T THIS WORK?!”
Bonus points if the solution was missing a semicolon. Or… you didn’t save the file.
You talk to your computer like it’s sentient.
“Oh, now you want to compile? After four hours of ignoring me, you narcissistic silicon diva!”
Your Google search history is basically: “how to center a div”
…and you’ve been a developer for 10 years.
Your coffee intake is directly proportional to the number of bugs in production.
And there’s always bugs in production.
That was some good advice!
No real scotsman fallacy right there in your face. You develop [insert development here]? Congratulations, you're a developer. You might not have lots of experience or connections. It doesn't matter. Or, as we used to say in frontend development: semantic tag - you're it!
You know I don't have Portfolio and never make e-commerce with backend because I did better stuffs and yet building enterprise cross platform app for the company I working for :D
I hate how so many people fail to realize that "developer" isn't synonymous with "web developer"
If you're not a webdev then this article is meaningless.
Very helpful information is shared above! Building real-world projects is important, especially for those who are looking for 2D game development services. Projects like real-time apps. This post is a great reminder that hands-on experience truly defines a developer. Thanks for sharing this roadmap!
I can only develop about 2 or 3 of projects listed above. But, i can develop another things and generate income. Like You, You make this articles and list Your E-book on gumroad. It's okay if we can't do listed all of em, but how to make it works even we cannot do it. Solve it with money, or Tariff.
This article hits hard—and in the best way. The “You’re not a real developer until…” line might spark debate, but the core message is spot-on: real growth comes from real projects. Each of these suggestions isn't just a box to check—they’re practical, challenging, and incredibly relevant in today’s job market. I especially liked the emphasis on building a portfolio site that truly represents you—too often we overlook the power of personal branding. Definitely bookmarking this as a roadmap and reminder to build, not just consume.
Are you saying that a ToDo app is not a "real project"? Because I would strongly disagree with that. Making a proper ToDo app that you can use in your daily life can be a very hard project indeed. The problem is most ToDo apps people make are the very basic "list of task titles connected to a mongodb database". Sure it's a start, but nobody is going to use that in their daily lives, so it's pointless.
I always find it amusing whenever someone claims a ToDo list app is "basic" and everyone has done it. Sure, having a simple list of task titles connected to a mongodb database is very basic, but just how useful is that? How many people actually use their ToDo list app after they have created it? A real ToDo list app is much more complex than that, letting you do things like create task categories, assign task priorities, plot tasks onto a calendar, have recurring tasks that happen every week/month/etc, and maybe even integrate with systems like Google Calendar or Monday.com
This is NOT simple. So my advice to new developers is don't just stop with the tutorial ToDo list, but actually create an app that you can use on a daily basis because there is a huge difference between an app from a tutorial and an app that people actually want to use.
Good points 👍 I have created a service that have coding challenges and helps build a portfolio. Btw, there is a task about the chat app.portfo.me/challenges/df97c3a8-...
I appreciate the insightful article on essential projects for developers. Building real-world applications like CRUD systems, responsive portfolios, real-time chat apps, e-commerce platforms, and SaaS dashboards indeed sharpens practical skills and bridges the gap between tutorials and actual development. These projects not only enhance technical abilities but also demonstrate problem-solving and project management skills.
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Hehe, when I started the challenge was to build a toy OS, a compiler and a game engine in ASM :)
Good
Hm what if I don’t believe in full stack and just backend focused? Build server side logic for any of the listed projects?)
Full stack is a hype term for lazy recruiters and bad companies who essentially expect you to knowledgeable about their "full stack". One dev that can work on anything they have. It also means they expect you to work on cruft project that incompetent devs build (like the author of this blog). I wouldn't never consider it, not even with a high salary. It's not rewarding work. That being said, if you don't care about personal progress and only care for the money: go for it ;)
Notef
I'm
Move on, it's just another frontend aficionado believing JavaScript is the Alpha and Omega of the coding universe! Kudos for the title though, he got me there.
I looked for your developer portfolio but couldn't find it. I'm curious to see your version of all these projects. Can you post the link?
It seems you don’t have to be a real dev to talk about what is real dev.
My brother you are intelligent ,my I inbox you
did you mean web developer?))
You're not a real developer until you've taken down production at least 3 times :D
You're not a real developer if it can't speak for itself
Do people purchase your resources when your site looks like that 🫠
What do you mean with "Real developer"?
I agree. These are must haves for a dev.
You're not a real developer if you're over 20~ and living at mom's house, coding under your father's wings.
Still building, but you're a real developer only after you have built projects
You're not a developer until you've built something with business value.
You learn by understanding the domain, not by stupidly following tutorials.
We are not a developer ❌
We are copy paster✅
Dope. Very eye opening 😯
You aren't Dev if your "hello world" not print continuing with , " how are you today, so how can I help you my lord?"
You are not real developer if you use JS lol...