When I started coding at 15, I thought experience was measured in years. It took me a long time to understand it’s really measured in growth.
I began with PHP while fixing computers in a shop. I was curious about how websites worked, discovered PHPNuke, and built my first site by editing everything over FTP. It was messy, but it sparked something in me.
During my mechanical engineering degree, I kept learning PHP, JavaScript, and CSS. Ruby on Rails opened my eyes even more. By my third year, I knew I wanted to be a developer, but I finished my degree anyway and I’m still proud of that. I never stopped studying on my own—Linux, Git, Docker—whatever I could get my hands on.
My first job came after a CakePHP course. The teacher encouraged me to apply for a junior role, and getting it changed everything. I learned the basics of real teamwork: Git, tasks, writing clean code. I had good colleagues and a mentor who pushed me forward. Still, I felt there was more to learn.
After a few years, I picked up NodeJS and Angular, and eventually moved to Luxembourg to join Salonkee. That move felt like relief. For the first time, I had space to grow, and working with JavaScript every day helped me finally understand it in depth.
Looking back, I wish I had learned design patterns earlier. refactoring.guru helped fill that gap. I didn’t always have someone more experienced beside me, so I relied on courses and books: The Pragmatic Programmer, Refactoring, Clean Architecture. If you read Spanish, Diseño Sostenible is worth it.
After more than a decade of coding, people sometimes call me a senior. I’m not sure I can call myself that yet. You can spend ten years repeating the same thing without moving forward. What matters is whether you keep learning, stay curious, and don’t get stuck. Some days solutions come naturally; other days I’m checking docs or asking someone I trust. That’s fine.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: growth makes you senior, not time.
Books I also recommend:
But if you can read Spanish, I highly recommend this book: