I wasted 3 years writing bad code. Here’s how I finally improved.

For the first three years of my career, I was writing code that “worked” — but barely. It got the job done, but it was messy, hard to maintain, and a nightmare for anyone else to read. Looking back, I wasn’t really writing software; I was duct-taping logic together until something stuck.

Here’s what changed everything.

1. I Stopped Hiding Behind StackOverflow and Started Reading Source Code

For years, I’d copy-paste solutions without understanding them. If it worked, I moved on.

The turning point? I forced myself to dive into the source code of the libraries I was using. Instead of Googling “how to do X in NestJS,” I started asking “why does this decorator behave like that?” That shift taught me more about design patterns and best practices than any tutorial ever could.

2. I Treated Code Like a Product, Not a Puzzle

Before, I approached problems like a hacker in a coding competition — how fast can I make this work?

Now, I ask:

Will someone else understand this?
Will I understand this in six months?
How easy is it to test or refactor?

The shift came when I started thinking more like a software architect than a coder. Writing clean, scalable code became the goal — not just passing tests or meeting deadlines.

3. I Asked for Real Feedback (and Took It Seriously)

Early in my career, code reviews felt like a formality. I either brushed off feedback or defended my decisions too much.

Eventually, I started actively asking senior engineers what they’d do differently, why they’d change something, and what habits I should drop. That humility accelerated my growth more than anything else.

4. I Started Building Outside of Work

Side projects taught me what production-quality code really looks like — because I had to live with my decisions.

When I built my own tools and tried to make them usable by others, I learned to:

Write better error handling
Structure projects cleanly
Automate tests and deployments
Choose the right abstractions (not just clever ones)

And because no one else was reviewing my code, I had to be my own harshest critic.

5. I Learned to Read Before I Write

Now, I study architecture patterns, read books like Clean Code and The Pragmatic Programmer, and spend time understanding existing systems before jumping in.

I used to write by instinct. Now, I write with intention.

Final Thoughts

If you feel like you’re just "writing code that works," you probably are — and that’s okay. We’ve all been there.

The key is to stop optimizing for speed and start optimizing for clarity, reusability, and maintainability.

Bad code is a phase. But staying there? That’s a choice.

Want help leveling up your engineering skills or moving into software architecture? I’ve been there — and I’m building systems to help other devs avoid the mistakes I made. Reach out if you’re interested.

I wasted 3 years writing bad code. Here’s how I finally improved.

Comments

More from this blog

If I had to start over as a developer, I’d do these 5 things differently

10 habits of insanely productive software engineers

7 free alternatives to expensive dev tools (you need these)

The most infamous software engineering failures of all time

1. I Stopped Hiding Behind StackOverflow and Started Reading Source Code

2. I Treated Code Like a Product, Not a Puzzle

3. I Asked for Real Feedback (and Took It Seriously)

4. I Started Building Outside of Work

5. I Learned to Read Before I Write

Final Thoughts

Command Palette

Comments

More from this blog

1. I Stopped Hiding Behind StackOverflow and Started Reading Source Code

2. I Treated Code Like a Product, Not a Puzzle

3. I Asked for Real Feedback (and Took It Seriously)

4. I Started Building Outside of Work

5. I Learned to Read Before I Write

Final Thoughts