David Brady

Cons of being a software engineer no one really talks about 👇 Everyone sees the salaries, WFH perks, and fancy titles. Here’s the other side: • Your learning never ends If you stop learning for even 6–12 months, you start falling behind. Tech doesn’t wait. • Mental fatigue is real Staring at screens, debugging for hours, context switching—your brain gets tired before your body. • You’re judged by output, not effort 10 hours of hard thinking can look like “nothing” if the feature didn’t ship. • Imposter syndrome never fully goes away New stack, new company, smarter peers → constant self-doubt. • Deadlines don’t care about bugs Management promises dates. Engineers deal with reality. • Work-life balance depends on the team, not the role One bad manager can ruin a “dream job”. • Rejections hit differently You can be good and still fail interviews because of luck, timing, or niche questions. • Side projects feel mandatory To grow or switch jobs, your free time often becomes “resume time”. • AI pressure is increasing You’re expected to be faster, smarter, and more productive—constantly. • Your worth can feel tied to your skills When code breaks, confidence breaks with it. Still a great career. Just not the “easy money” path social media sells. If you’re choosing this field—choose it with eyes open.