| I think when I was younger I had in general more strong opinions on how to do things. They weren't really based on anything more than sounding like they were true. I'd hop on every paradigm that sounded correct. Clean code. Pure functions. Effective java. Pragmatic programming. Defensive programming. Like it has that righteous vibe to it. I'd totally strap a bucket on my head and go conquer the holy land under any of those banners. If only we could do it my way, I thought, then we wouldn't have to put up with all these chafing points that annoyed me. Never do this! Always do that! My mind was like thumbnails from fitness youtube. Along the way I discovered that when I got to do things my way, it turned out that there were actually still a bunch of chafing points. Different, but it sure wasn't great. Maybe my 30-year-old ass didn't know everything. Eventually, along the way, I sort of came to the insight that I've built what, 15 applications in the course of my private and professional career. I've worked with 3-4 programming languages in enough depth to be competent with them. I've tried a few architectural paradigms. If I work until I'm in my 60s, I'll maybe double that. Life isn't long enough to get much deeper than that into the craft. Given this pitiful sample size, it's nothing but hubris to think that I or anyone else would have a clear grasp of what is the best way of doing things. |
Whether you wrote 15 applications or just one or two, does that really matter? Designing, exploring, writing, iterating on and maintaining these applications _for years_ have given you insights, battle scars and tacit knowledge that can only be gained through experience and continuous learning. Not to mention the different environments technologies and foundational knowledge you explored and internalized.
You've accumulated a hard earned skill set and the ability make wide reaching, pragmatic decisions. Do you or someone else _know_ what the _best_ way of doing things is? Probably not. But I bet you have developed opinions, taste and a toolbox of approaches with different trade offs.
That's maybe where the OP is coming from as well. The mindset of being opinionated is very valuable if you can back it up.
That doesn't mean you're always right and don't let other speak. That doesn't mean you can't change your mind or that your approach excludes other people's perspectives and incentives.
It means you can strive for _better_ and that you're crazy enough to make bold decisions when necessary.