I’ve been sitting with a realization lately and figured I’d throw it out here to see if anyone else relates.

I don’t think a traditional dev job is for me right now. Not because I don’t like coding, but because I’ve noticed I don’t retain information quickly the way a lot of people in the field seem to. I’m not the type who can binge tutorials and immediately recall everything or jump between stacks effortlessly.

But here’s the thing… I do love building systems.

Give me time, repetition, and a real problem to solve, and I’ll go deep. I like structuring things, connecting pieces, building workflows, and slowly turning chaos into something that actually works. I learn by doing the same kinds of things over and over until they click, not by speed-running concepts.

So instead of forcing myself into a mold that doesn’t fit, I’m taking a different route.

I’m keeping my current job (pizza shop life for now 🍕), lowering the pressure, and going all-in on building my own software ecosystem on the side. No deadlines except the ones I set. No pretending I “get it” faster than I actually do. Just steady iteration, real projects, and getting better through repetition.

It might take longer. It might look unconventional. But it feels a lot more honest.

Curious if anyone else has taken a similar path or is in that in-between space right now.