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Why senior developers feel wrong more often

The unexpected side effect of expertise

Joel Clermont
Joel Clermont
2025-12-29

Ever catch yourself second-guessing decisions you were confident about just months ago? Does that mean you're getting worse at your job?

In the latest episode of the No Compromises podcast, we explore why senior developers often feel "wrong" more frequently than they did earlier in their careers.

Aaron makes the case that this isn't a sign of declining skill. It's evidence of a richer mental model that reveals nuance where things once seemed black and white.

We discuss how feedback sources shift with experience, why changing your mind signals growth rather than failure, and how to reframe architectural decisions as a spectrum rather than binary choices.

  • 00:00 Feeling wrong more often as a senior dev
  • 01:45 Knowledge plateaus and how growth resets them
  • 04:45 How feedback sources change with experience
  • 07:00 Binary thinking versus nuanced decision-making
  • 09:15 Silly bit

Listen Now (10 min)

And after listening, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, so you don't miss future episodes.

Here to help,

Joel

P.S. Want two senior Laravel developers to bring their nuanced perspective to your code? Check out our code review options.

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