I learned to write better code by making code testable. When writing spaghetti code with a few tests, I'd create a big mess that worked. But then I'd try to add a test for something new and I couldn't figure out how to make it work. After coding myself into a corner enough times, I'd eventually learn to create more flexible abstractions. And eventually the code started making a bit more sense out if necessity.
The next big jump in my understanding was learning Elixir and the actor model. Learning how to write async code that didn't get a reply and where messages might not be received was huge.
I didn't get my first dev job until I was 40. I most definitely understand what it feels like being older than my peers in this industry. My secret weapon is knowing my shit and working my ass off to stay relevant. This is a hard industry if you don't like it enough to keep your skills sharp. Like you, I don't relish front-end development, but I do my best to learn what I need to know as needed.
I learned to write better code by making code testable. When writing spaghetti code with a few tests, I'd create a big mess that worked. But then I'd try to add a test for something new and I couldn't figure out how to make it work. After coding myself into a corner enough times, I'd eventually learn to create more flexible abstractions. And eventually the code started making a bit more sense out if necessity.
The next big jump in my understanding was learning Elixir and the actor model. Learning how to write async code that didn't get a reply and where messages might not be received was huge.
I didn't get my first dev job until I was 40. I most definitely understand what it feels like being older than my peers in this industry. My secret weapon is knowing my shit and working my ass off to stay relevant. This is a hard industry if you don't like it enough to keep your skills sharp. Like you, I don't relish front-end development, but I do my best to learn what I need to know as needed.