Roy Tang

Someone on quora asked:

Can one become a “software savant” mid-career, where they become brilliant after years of experience, or are the best of the best always superior from the start?

I don’t believe there’s such a state as “software savant” where you click a switch and you’re suddenly this perfect all-knowing super brilliant guru. I think software development (like many careers) is a continuous journey of self-improvement.

What differentiates better developers isn’t being brilliant or some advantage that makes them “superior” from the start. It’s the attitude of knowing how to apply experience from past mistakes, knowing not to let ego drive your decisions, knowing that you need to approach problems systematically, knowing how to communicate well with your peers etc. None of these are inherently out of reach of anyone.

Years of experience gives you exactly that - experience. The experience by itself is meaningless if you don’t learn from it and apply that learning properly.