Always look after number 1 · Front End Now Community

Always look after number 1

I want to tell you a story, not the polished kind you hear on YouTube or from influencers who haven’t worked a real engineering job in years, but the version that actually happens behind the scenes.

When I first started in tech, I genuinely believed that if I worked hard enough, stayed late enough, solved enough problems, and proved myself enough, the company would take care of me. I thought the late nights meant something. I thought the extra effort would be remembered. I thought loyalty still meant what it used to.

Turns out, it didn’t.

I watched brilliant developers people who built systems everyone depended on get laid off because a new VP wanted to “tighten budgets.” I watched companies replace entire teams based on a spreadsheet projection. And I learned something harsh but true:

You can be incredible at your job and still be disposable to the wrong place.

This wasn’t a tragic moment… it was a wake up call and I want you, especially if you’re early in your journey, to wake up much sooner than I did. Because here’s the part nobody warns you about:

Tech attracts passionate people, people who will stay up until 2am chasing a bug because they can’t let it go. People who feel guilty clocking off “on time.” People who tie their sense of worth to solving problems quickly. People who desperately want to belong.

But passion without boundaries becomes exploitation. I burned myself out doing work that I thought mattered deeply and it did, just not to the people I was doing it for. And I’ve seen juniors do the same: crushing themselves trying to “prove they deserve to be here,” without realizing that healthy developers don’t prove themselves by suffering. So here’s the truth:

Clock off on time. Go home. Close the laptop. Your life matters more than your output.

And if you still have that itch, that desire to build, to grow, to push yourself, don’t waste it on a sprint ticket you aren’t paid extra to complete. Put that energy into something that belongs to YOU.

A tiny side project.

A little app.

A freelancing experiment.

A tutorial video.

A product you’re learning to ship.

The first time you make even one dollar, the first time you build something someone wants, you’ll understand what I mean. It gives you freedom. It gives you confidence. It teaches you the parts of tech no job ever will. And yes, let’s talk about AI, because a lot of people are terrified of it right now. But here’s the truth:

AI isn’t coming for developers.

AI is coming for the companies run by people who don’t understand what developers actually do. You, the person learning, building, experimenting will always understand technology in a way the decision-makers never will. Use AI to help you. Use it to accelerate learning. Use it to test ideas. Use it to amplify yourself instead of fearing it.The future doesn’t belong to the people who panic.

It belongs to the people who adapt. So here’s the lesson I wish someone grabbed me by the shoulders and told me years ago:

Don’t give your entire life to a company that would reorganize you out of existence. Give your energy to your own growth. Protect your mental health. Build your skills. And always have something that’s yours. This industry can take a lot from you if you let it but it can give you even more if you learn to play it on your own terms.

So let me ask you:

What’s one hard lesson you’ve learned so far in your journey?

Drop it below. I want to hear it!

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