10x developers in 2025 do this

Here is one simple trick that will help you become 10x the developer you are now.

It is not some crazy AI coding tool. Or a fancy design pattern. 

It is also not easy to do.

Actually, it is probably the HARDEST thing you can do these days. Dedicated time and energy are required.

But I guarantee you, 100%...

I swear on all my reputation as a software engineer... 

That this thing alone will double and even triple your effectiveness as a developer (and therefore your salary 🤑).

Ready?

The trick I am talking about… The trick that will make you 10x the software engineer you are right now is…

Actually thinking about stuff before doing it! 

Bear with me. 

“Thinking about it” means that when you have a question, a doubt or a bug… You don’t ask ChatGPT. You don’t Google. You don’t jump on Reedit. 

You sit in silence for a minute. 

And you think about it.

I can hear you saying... 

"Dragos, you old cat… Tell me something I don’t know!"

Well, even if you knew this already… Knowing about something doesn't imply doing it!

(I knew that a keto diet would help me get rid of my belly for years, but every time someone handed me a piece of bread, I couldn’t stop from eating it)  

With most developers these days delegating their thinking to ChatGPT and other AI chatbots… 

“Thinking about it” will become the most valuable skill in the whole world!

Sure, in the short term, your developer colleagues who skip the thinking will seem like they are getting ahead. 

All while you are busy writing things on paper like a 16th century monk.

But, as time goes by, you will get better… 

And they will only get worse!

Thinking is like a muscle. You don’t use it, you lose it. 

(same with coding, by the way) 

When you actually “thing about things”, you are able to come up with your own plans to solve problems.

To see problems before they happen.

To develop your own ideas and to test them. 

Back in my Aerospace Engineering studies, teachers pushed us to simplify equations as much as possible before using our calculators.

We had no choice but to clarify our thinking, detect mistakes and optimize. When the solution was obvious, we would leave it to the machine. 

That’s exactly what we need to do in this AI-coding obsessed world. 

The thinking part. 

And how exactly you do that? 

You don't just jump it, read the problem again... And wait for magic to happen. No. You follow a process. You apply certain methods. And mental models.

For all that sweet stuff, you will have to wait until my next email.

Right now, I just wanted to inform you that Software Mastery spots are flying by faster than cheeseburgers on a Sunday night.

Book a chat with me here and let’s see if we could help you!

(you don't want to be like a recent student, who after joining told me he should have jumped in 12 months ago, when he first found us, instead of wasting another year!)

Ohhh, and finally. 

I will be somewhere around Europe for the next 3 weeks. Spain, maybe Germany if the sun comes out (and stays out). Not going to London till summer. 

Just keep that in mind when you book a call :)

Hear you soon, 

Dragos the “think about it first” developer

P.S. I am back to my daily running. Every day, I put my shoes on, play my favourite music and run until I can't more. Sometimes is 15 minutes, sometimes is 25. I don’t track it because that’s not the point. The point is to get my head unstuck and get my body moving. Try it out if you can. Ideally in the morning. It works better than any mediation technique I’ve ever heard of. 

P.S. Whether you are searching for a new developer job at the moment or not, hear me out: These days, nobody believes anything any more! Sure, us AI to say you “elevated” the performance of that web service by 30%... So claim 500 other developers applying it to it. AI killed resumes? No it didn’t. It just made the more human. The only way you can stand out in the sea of liars and cheaters is to do the opposite of what they are doing. Write your stuff by hand. Add some personality. I mean all of it. Add stories. Add some passion, god-damn it! Swear if you have to! (okay, maybe only I can do that). But, you get the point. Make it human. It will get you more and better reactions than any AI crap will do! Even if it doesn’t, at least you learn what doesn’t work and you can improve it! Cheers, see ya! On to having my cheeseburger now :)