My current state accroding to Software Craftsman

 

Before this reading, I mostly thought about becoming a “good developer” in terms of technical skills, knowing more languages, frameworks, and tools, and use them according to what was needed to reach the goal. However, the book shifts focus on identity and long-term growth. It argues that being a Software Craftsman is not just about competence; it is about commitment to mastery.

The three stages—apprentice, journeyman, and master—made the abstract idea of growth feel structured and personal. I strongly identify with the apprentice stage. The idea that everyone begins with “Hello World,” but what differentiates people is how they approach growth afterward, really resonated with me. The journeyman stage was interesting because it expands responsibility outward. It is not enough to just improve personally; you begin contributing to others and strengthening the community. But something interesting is that reality of modern software development is that you may be with a single team for a significantly long time, unlike traditional where you are split into different teams every time, going from one master to another to learn the craft and this is the state I am aiming to become in short term goal.

One of the most thought-provoking ideas across the introductions to Chapters 2–6 is that experience alone does not equal growth. Simply working for years does not guarantee mastery. Growth requires deliberate practice, accurate self-assessment, humility, and intentional learning. Emptying the Cup challenged me to adopt a beginner’s mindset even when I feel somewhat confident. Accurate Self-Assessment made me consider whether I am surrounding myself with people who truly push my limits. Construct Your Curriculum forced me to rethink my learning strategy; instead of passively absorbing whatever work gives me, I should be intentionally designing my development path.

While the book encourages experimentation and deliberate practice, it also acknowledges that many corporate environments are rigid and output focused. The responsibility for growth ultimately falls on the individual, who must create learning opportunities even in imperfect systems. However, in highly structured corporate environments with strict deadlines, limited autonomy, and performance metrics tied only to output, there may be little psychological or practical space to experiment, reflect, or deliberately practice. There is constant shifting of goals, changes in project priorities, and in some cases even monitoring of productivity that makes it difficult for new apprentices to slow down and reflect on their learning. In such environments, survival and task completion often take priority over mastery even with advancement of ai it became more prevalent.

Instead of viewing advancement as a title progression, I now need to see it as a developmental journey defined by mindset and responsibility. The chapters most relevant to me are Emptying the Cup, Accurate Self-Assessment, and Construct Your Curriculum, because they made be overthink my current goals and restructure the masterplan as software developer.

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