Skip to content
BSWEN
Blog

Why Average Developers Are Struggling (And How to Stand Out)

Cowrie
Cowrie
Dev @ Bswen

Purpose

The market for “average” developers is saturated. If you’re completing tutorials but struggling to stand out, this post explains why—and what to do about it.

The hard truth: being average isn’t enough anymore.

The Problem

Here’s what changed:

Why Average Doesn't Cut It
──────────────────────────────────────────────
Bootcamps graduated thousands of "average" developers
Remote work opened global competition
AI handles "average" code tasks
Companies are more selective after layoffs

I keep seeing this sentiment from experienced developers:

“The market is more competitive now, so being average is not enough anymore. But if you actually get good, there’s still a lot of opportunity.”

The market didn’t shrink—it got selective.

What “Good” Actually Means

When I talk about being “good” versus “average,” I’m not talking about knowing more frameworks. I mean:

Portfolio Quality

Average Portfolio              Standout Portfolio
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
Todo app (tutorial)            Full-stack app you needed
Weather app (API tutorial)     Deployment with real users
Calculator (beginner project)  Documentation and tests


Signal: Completed tutorials    Signal: Can ship software

Depth Over Breadth

  • Deep understanding of one stack vs. surface knowledge of many
  • Knowing how things work under the hood
  • Ability to explain trade-offs
  • Debugging beyond copy-pasting from Stack Overflow

The Patience Required

Here’s the honest truth about getting good:

“True, you wont be able to stomach the hundreds and thousands of hours over months and years it takes to get good otherwise. I love programming but I understand it’s objectively boring and I could see how most people would find it intolerable.”

This isn’t meant to discourage you—it’s meant to set realistic expectations. The people who get good are the ones who stick with it through the boring parts.

How to Actually Stand Out

If you want to stand out from the crowd of “average” developers:

Build Projects That Solve Real Problems

Don’t just follow tutorials. Identify a problem you have. Build something to solve it. Ship it. Get users.

Tutorial Project              Real Project
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
Follows instructions           You define the scope
Exact expected output          You decide what "done" means
No real users                  Real people use it
Disposable after completion    You maintain it

Learn One Stack Deeply

I made the mistake of jumping between frameworks. Don’t do that. Pick a stack. Go deep. Understand every layer.

Build in Public

  • Write about what you’re learning
  • Share your projects on GitHub
  • Contribute to open source
  • Get feedback early

The Consistency Factor

The advice that stuck with me:

“You’re 17, which puts you in a great position. Start now, stay consistent, and you’ll be ahead of most people.”

Consistency beats intensity. An hour a day for a year beats 10 hours a day for a month. The people who succeed are those who show up consistently, even when it’s boring.

The Passion Requirement

One more thing:

“yes, but only if you truly enjoy doing it”

If you don’t genuinely enjoy building things and solving puzzles, the thousands of hours required will feel like torture. The market can tell the difference between people who code for money and people who code because they love it.

Summary

In this post, I explained why average developers struggle and how to stand out. The key point is that the market rewards genuine skills—real projects, deep understanding, and consistent effort—not just tutorial completion.

Build projects that solve real problems. Learn one stack deeply. Stay consistent for years. The opportunity exists for those willing to do the work.

Final Words + More Resources

My intention with this article was to help others share my knowledge and experience. If you want to contact me, you can contact by email: Email me

Here are also the most important links from this article along with some further resources that will help you in this scope:

Oh, and if you found these resources useful, don’t forget to support me by starring the repo on GitHub!

Comments

Tags: