Question: Devs with 3+ years of exp.
Do you like coding? Or do you like HLD/LLD or general tech solutioning more?

Considering I'm in a state of perpetual depression or burnout, I do like programming. Sometimes it's just meditative implementation of a known solution, sometimes it's something interesting to build a solution for.

PS: why 3+ is a senior?

@iiii 3+ years is a convention. I think the rule is 3+ years is not-junior, you can call that whatever (semi-senior, semi-junior...).

About the rant question, yes. Although I've been coding for 3.5 years, working for 3 years and having a job for 2 years, so I think I'm in the lower limit of being able to answer.

Both. Need to have both

Not that im far past 3 years in work experience, but yeah, I still love programming. I've done it since I was a kid, and I'm afraid I'll continue to.

16 years+, still enjoy coding my ass off , not that I get to do that a whole lot any more. (Maybe 1-2 days a week)

But having to do HLD / LLD prior just sets the path of what you're going to build and allows other devs, business stakeholders, and who ever else is involved, to get a firm grasp of what it is they are asking for before building something and somewhat prevents having several iterations of change.

You come to appreciate both sides.

I'm curious how ~3 years = senior though, 3 years is barely a mid dev in my books, a junior/mid I can trust to get the sprint work done but not someone I'd expect to be solutionizing changes or features on their own.

I'm this old: Turbo Pascal

I built an enrolment system, billing system, grades, transcript of records, etc around Pascal. I had to learn by reading the manual for Borland T. Pascal and dot-matrix printer (to print out the grades and transcript of records). TP didn't have support for DBs so it was a file of objects. DBs back then was Clipper and FoxPro but no support for TP. I also had to build my own text UI to make the systems easy to use.

Internet in our country was still in its infancy and the only way to talk to someone on the Internet was to "finger" a server (haha) and use talk (talk user@server.tld.edu). It was hard because the only reference I had was 1 book. No Google or StackOverflow. After that stint, I quit coding and switched careers as a sysadmin. Linux was gaining traction and I wanna be on that train. I still program but small automation scripts.

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I learned PHP when it was all the rage but never built anything from the ground up. Just wrote some plugins for Joomla, WordPress & modified a checkout routing in X-Cart.

I still love coding, that's why when the pandemic started, I started learning javascript (via nodejs) and Python. I love Python and how dynamic and versatile it is. But I don't see myself doing anything big by myself. It's just too draining.

@fruitfcker you make a good point. I like coding how I like socializing. It’s important, interesting to a point, but after a while my battery for it runs out. I need a break to recharge.

@iiii no, 3+ is I presume when you have learnt programming decently well to write good software. Hence you can do some HLD/LLD.

@C0D4 I asked this question coz I'm 3+, already working with some freshers in my team. Slowly but definitely I'm losing interest in "actually" writing code, instead, I like thinking about solutions and helping interns/junior devs solve it.

I just wanted to know how others feel.
IMO 3+ is where one can become a totally independent contributor. Before that, a lot of devs require help/mentoring.

@C0D4 so it's more like, just randomly thinking about my future I want to understand where I want to head, and does it align with where I am actually headed to.

@BugsBuggy so am I a senior then? I've just passed 3 full years in one company 🤔

@BugsBuggy ah ok, well usually the longer you work in the field the less you have hands on tasks (writing code) and become more of a mentor and determine the way forward for your team(s).

Basically management with high level / architecture planing but still technically focused enough to help the team if needed, unlike those Project Managers we all complain about that wouldn't know a bar of soap from a bar of white chocolate 😒

I guess it's always better under an Engineering Manager, than a Project Manager.