Between the status of a beginner and a confident developer there is a shaky zone where you seem to be no longer "green", but you still can't remember without Google what the SOLID principles are. Sound familiar? 😅
The path to the middle level does not lie through Udemy marathons or syntax cramming. It is built on routine but powerful habits that are rarely written about in motivational blogs.
💥 1. Stopped idolizing tutorials and started making crooked projects
Tutorials give the illusion of productivity. You did a To-Do - and you seem to be a good guy. And tomorrow you've already forgotten everything 🤷♂️
📌 Growth begins when you start to cut your projects. Buggy, ugly, but your own.
Break. Google. Curse. Fix. Commit. Repeat.
🔤 2. Wrote code for people, not just for computers
If in the code let x1 = getData() and const yyy = process(x1) —
Congratulations. You have just created a puzzle.
Midles write understandable code, not "smart". Because:
Code is read more often than it is written. Always.
Clean names, logical structure and a minimum of magic - this is the recipe for a normal level.
❓ 3. Asked stupid questions. A lot.
"Sorry, maybe this is a stupid question, but..." - this phrase helped more than any pretenses.
Real growth begins with the admission: "I did not understand."
🙌 Those who ask, learn. Those who hesitate — get stuck in place.
And if someone makes a remark to you for this, it's their problem, not yours.
🔍 4. Reviewed other people's PRs, even if I wasn't asked to
Want to learn how to see good and bad code? Start reading pull requests.
Leave comments. Ask questions. See what's being reviewed and what's not.
Middles don't wait for an invitation — they participate. This is growth.
🧱 5. Stopped blaming technology and started closing gaps
"React is complicated", "the code base is terrible", "the docs are figs"... All these are excuses.
Middles dig deeper.
If the docs are bad, we read the source code, watch the video, and go to the signor. No whining.
You either complain or you level up. You can't do both at the same time.
🧰 6. Started using Git as a superpower, not as an enemy
Fear of Git is a classic of a junior. But everything changes when you learn:
rebase without pain
squash nicely
search for bugs via
git logcherry-pick like a pro
💡 Write clear commits. Your future self will say "thank you".
📢 7. I learned to say "I don't know" with confidence
Showmanship is the least valued thing in the middle. It sounds much cooler:
"I don't know, but I'll figure it out."
Confidence is not knowing everything. It's knowing that you are everything you can understand.
🚀 You're closer than you think
If you're reading this, you're already on your way. You're not just scrolling. You want to grow.
This means:
Write bad code today.
Ask that "stupid" question.
Rewrite the incomprehensible variable to a speaking one.
And if someone calls you a jun, just smile. You already know who you really are 😉