Building in the Dark – The Lonely Side of Being a Developer
Coding Alone? Yeah, It Gets Lonely.
It’s 2 AM. My editor is still open, my coffee’s gone cold, and I’m staring at a screen filled with code I’m not even sure makes sense anymore.
No one’s here to review it. No one’s waiting on it. It’s just me, alone, trying to bring an idea to life.
That’s the reality of being a developer that no one talks about.
We always hear about the glamorous side of tech—shiny new frameworks, VC-funded startups, “just build” Twitter bros. But they don’t tell you about the silent moments, where you’re grinding in isolation, pushing through bugs, and wondering if anyone will even care when you finally hit “deploy.”
Why Building Alone Feels Like Screaming Into the Void
Working on personal projects or learning new tech should feel exciting, right? And sometimes, it does. The rush of figuring out a tough problem, the joy of seeing something finally work—it’s addictive.
But what about when…
🚨 You hit a roadblock, and there’s no one to help?
🚨 You spend hours on a project, and no one notices?
🚨 You share your work online, and it gets… crickets?
That part? No one prepares you for it.
It’s like talking into the void—pushing out code, ideas, and thoughts, hoping someone, somewhere, is listening. And when you’re a solo dev (or even just a dev without a strong community), that silence can be deafening.
Why We Need More Than Just Code
For the longest time, I thought being a "real dev" meant going solo, figuring things out myself, and grinding in silence.
But I’ve learned that the best developers aren’t just the ones who know the most—they’re the ones who have a strong network.
🤝 The ones who share, collaborate, and ask for help.
🤝 The ones who don’t just build alone, but build together.
🤝 The ones who make connections, because that’s how you grow.
I won’t lie—I’m still figuring this out. I still catch myself working in isolation, thinking, I’ll just keep grinding until someone notices. But that’s not the way.
That’s why I’m making a real effort this year to build with people.
Let’s Build Together (For Real This Time)
If you’ve ever felt like you’re coding in a vacuum, I get it. But we don’t have to do this alone.
🔗 Not yet in Discord ? my Discord community is for developers who want to connect, collaborate, and talk tech without the noise. If you’re looking for a place to share your work, ask for help, or just talk about the dev life, join us:
👉 https://discord.gg/cwKmsaRFDh
☕ If you enjoy my writing and want to support more of this, you can buy me a coffee here:
👉 https://pay.chippercash.com/pay/GNMOCTZHWP
And if this post hit home for you—let me know. Drop a comment. Reply. Tell me how you handle the lonely side of being a developer.
Because yeah, we code alone sometimes. But we don’t have to be alone in this journey. 🚀