[_dibly]

I'm almost two years into self-employment and I'm wondering when I'm going to either stop cutting myself on things or land a position with some people who can show me their cool scars for a while.

This forum is the closest thing I get to coworkers and I don't even understand what half of you are saying. I'm fortunate for the opportunities that I have, but my antisocial tendencies and lack of professional peers can make progress a bit of a bear on occasion.

[throwawayboise]

It never ends, unless you stop advancing/keeping up. That's the frustrating thing about this field, you are never an expert because the technology advances so quickly.

[solraph]

I'm somewhere between two and three decades in the field.

> when I'm going to either stop cutting myself on things

Never. You (should) get better at recognising some of the themes and danger signs, but the field evolves so fast that at some point you are going to work with something so new that literally nobody knows what the sharp edges are.

> land a position with some people who can show me their cool scars for a while.

Meetups, slack, discord, IRC, forums. Find the one that works for you and be a regular. Be an expert in one subject and be modest and willing to learn when it comes to others. Nobody has it all figured out.

[flir]

It's just as important to develop the soft skills as the hard skills, and I think you've just quite nicely summarized why that is.

[ficklepickle]

I'm in a very similar situation, just a few years further down the road. I would gladly show you my cool scars.

I have often thought about trying to build a network of like-minded individuals. Of course, it doesn't come naturally. If it did, there wouldn't be a need for it!

My contact info is in my profile, feel free to reach out.

[ipaddr]

I like your spirit. Welcome to the party.