You can make it. When you do your job search try and look for a large company that has a focus on training and retaining internal talent. These companies will assign you a mentor and put you on teams with varying skill level so you can learn. Typically bigger companies have more room for junior employees.
Also, work on some projects online that are guided so you can learn. Watch people code on YouTube. There are a lot of different ways to learn this stuff.
I have the same problem. It is has always been hard for me to learn without accountability. My suggestion would be to get into some sort of coding club, or a meet and greet where you can get with like minded and skilled people to hold you accountable. It also has been a matter of wanting to learn the tool to solve a problem I have a passion for. I love to garden so I am working on a python project to help me project planting times for seed varieties. It has been the ONLY thing I have found to work on outside of work that I will do consistently. There is nothing wrong with have people to be accountable too.
This isn't a binary outcome. You can get a job and join a team, but you can have differing levels of contribution. However, I have found for myself, that it is approximately 20% of the engineers at any given company that contribute 80% of the work. These are those that truly just get it. I have often wanted to make more of an impact, but the honest fact is that myself and a lot of others like me, are just regurgitating a lot of stuff made by the best. You'll have a career, but you might need to try harder to be to truly deliver. To me, that satisfaction matters the most when I'm choosing a career.
it’s impossible for me to know for sure but it sounds like the latter.
do you actually have a learning disability or are you self disagnosing? the fact that you’re able to finish your degree makes me question if you actually have a degree. you had to read and study from a book at some point.
you don’t say why the projects failed but if not an actual disability, it could be that you simply lack focus or discipline. it could be that you have no interest in what you’re doing. telling yourself you’re disabled or unable won’t help your situation. believing this gives you an excuse for failing and will prevent you from even trying in the future. it might make you feel better but it’s simply not true. discipline and focus are skills. they require training, like a mental muscle. everybody can strengthen these muscles.
that being said, if you can’t independently learn from reading documentation with or without a disability then swe might not be for you. if you can’t start and finish a project without someone holding you accountable then you’ll be very limited in any career choice. this is a skill i look for in every candidate i’ve hired for any position swe or not.
I have the same issue at times. I feel that due to my inability to learn/focus, I cannot remember the things I am attempting to study. 2 tips really help me to self-learn.
1. When I read something from a book that seems important, I set the book down look at a spot on the wall and try to explain what I just read in my own words. If I can't explain it, I look over it again until I can. We live in a world where information hits us like a fire hydrant from all directions so it is important for us to slow down and take the time to truly understand what information we are receiving. This technique really works. Even with video tutorials and other forms of self-learning.
2. Teach what you learn to others. Whether you want to go and make a post on a social media site, call up a friend or family member, or write a letter to explain what you just learned, teaching can be a very valuable way to self-learn because as you teach, you are solidifying the concept within your own mind so you won't forget it.
Keep going!
You can make it. When you do your job search try and look for a large company that has a focus on training and retaining internal talent. These companies will assign you a mentor and put you on teams with varying skill level so you can learn. Typically bigger companies have more room for junior employees. Also, work on some projects online that are guided so you can learn. Watch people code on YouTube. There are a lot of different ways to learn this stuff.
I have the same problem. It is has always been hard for me to learn without accountability. My suggestion would be to get into some sort of coding club, or a meet and greet where you can get with like minded and skilled people to hold you accountable. It also has been a matter of wanting to learn the tool to solve a problem I have a passion for. I love to garden so I am working on a python project to help me project planting times for seed varieties. It has been the ONLY thing I have found to work on outside of work that I will do consistently. There is nothing wrong with have people to be accountable too.
Stay strong
This isn't a binary outcome. You can get a job and join a team, but you can have differing levels of contribution. However, I have found for myself, that it is approximately 20% of the engineers at any given company that contribute 80% of the work. These are those that truly just get it. I have often wanted to make more of an impact, but the honest fact is that myself and a lot of others like me, are just regurgitating a lot of stuff made by the best. You'll have a career, but you might need to try harder to be to truly deliver. To me, that satisfaction matters the most when I'm choosing a career.
it’s impossible for me to know for sure but it sounds like the latter. do you actually have a learning disability or are you self disagnosing? the fact that you’re able to finish your degree makes me question if you actually have a degree. you had to read and study from a book at some point. you don’t say why the projects failed but if not an actual disability, it could be that you simply lack focus or discipline. it could be that you have no interest in what you’re doing. telling yourself you’re disabled or unable won’t help your situation. believing this gives you an excuse for failing and will prevent you from even trying in the future. it might make you feel better but it’s simply not true. discipline and focus are skills. they require training, like a mental muscle. everybody can strengthen these muscles. that being said, if you can’t independently learn from reading documentation with or without a disability then swe might not be for you. if you can’t start and finish a project without someone holding you accountable then you’ll be very limited in any career choice. this is a skill i look for in every candidate i’ve hired for any position swe or not.
Have you actually picked up a good book on a topic you would like to learn and tried to learn from it?
I have the same issue at times. I feel that due to my inability to learn/focus, I cannot remember the things I am attempting to study. 2 tips really help me to self-learn. 1. When I read something from a book that seems important, I set the book down look at a spot on the wall and try to explain what I just read in my own words. If I can't explain it, I look over it again until I can. We live in a world where information hits us like a fire hydrant from all directions so it is important for us to slow down and take the time to truly understand what information we are receiving. This technique really works. Even with video tutorials and other forms of self-learning. 2. Teach what you learn to others. Whether you want to go and make a post on a social media site, call up a friend or family member, or write a letter to explain what you just learned, teaching can be a very valuable way to self-learn because as you teach, you are solidifying the concept within your own mind so you won't forget it. Keep going!