Hey everyone. Just an update on the Salesforce Certification. I am planning on releasing articles about it after getting the certification, so that...
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Well written, Francis. When you look at someone who has succeeded (for example, someone who works at Google), you only see the peak they reached. You do not see all the journey and hardships they went through to get there.
BTW, I also love the "What is your win this week" series 💛 It's so wholesome and helps to keep focus on small goals and successes instead of frustration that you're not where you want to be yet.
Thanks Klaudia! It's always a good idea to acknowledge small wins since it will compound into bigger wins :D
(Also, I saw your message about discord. I will prob create a poll sometime in the future about that).
Thanks :D
Francis, "more burden than glory" is a another way of saying something I've been living without a word for lately . a stretch of applying to things that gave nothing back and choosing to keep applying anyway. The Loki quote just nails it.
Indeed. Thanks Daniel!
i'm learning motion design so I work on my portfolio almost every week - improving it bit by bit. it's something new that I never tried before & looks cool so ig that solves the motivation problem.
the only issue with me is releasing the project when its good enough (and that good enough is the whole reason) but i will definitely release all 4 projects in 2-3 months 😭
i have never watched x-men, doomsday will confuse so many people
If you think about it and people using AI, every project looks perfect...
I would love to see the project! I would never know if it's perfect to my eyes lol
I watch the Fox X-men and it's good. X-men 97 is also good, though I haven't got around that. Annnd yea, Doomsday will be confusing since this is his first appearance where he does something (Fantastic 4 Post Credit doesn't count for me lol) 😭
As a star wars AND marvel fan, i really enjoyed this read xD
Thanks Alexandra! Hopefully Doomsday is good, but excited to see Spiderman: Brand New Day next week!!!
Also excited for spiderman. Doomsday felt kinda... Empty?
I mean to be fair, Dr. Doom first appearance in any movie oof. My friend told me that movie is going to be like "Action figures fighting each other" lol
And he is totally right. There wasnt the excitement of endgame or infinity wars 😭
It's either the biggest flop or okay at best at this point the more I think about this 😭
Hi! I hope you're doing well.
I'm currently working as a Frontend Developer and alongside my frontend work, I also want to focus on strengthening my REST API development skills.
As a personal project, I'm building a Mental Health Awareness API using production-oriented practices. However, I feel that many of the APIs I've built so far have been quite random and I'd like to work on projects that better reflect real-world backend systems.
If you could suggest some production-level REST API projects or share any guidance on what kinds of APIs are commonly built in the industry, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!
Hey Sagrika. Hope you are well. Unfortunately, I am not really familiar to which API is commonly used in the industry in particular because most companies used their own data and go from there. It also depends on your project specifically because Mental Health is broad. What is your ultimate goal specifically of using your API?
Here users can securely register, authenticate, manage their profile, track daily moods and write personal journal entries. using concepts such as RESTful API design, authentication, request validation, error handling and PostgreSQL database management, with future plans to add features like safety plans, emergency contacts, wellness tips and notifications. I wanted to build a personal REST API project that follows real-world backend architecture.
I think that is a good start. I don't think you need an existing API as far as I know. I hope you get to share your project on DEV!!
sure╰(°▽°)╯
Even if it's just a small win this week, it can become a big win in the long run. 🎯 So I think we should focus on the small wins right in front of us.
Agreed. Thanks Hyper!
Why?
Why do I never see what your win is in my feed and don't I receive notifications?!!!!
Notification is kind of broken idk. I had to be proactive on DEV just to see it manually lol
I agree that consistency matters when the reward is not immediate. I’m less comfortable with framing social life and rest mainly as things that should be sacrificed. That can easily turn burnout into evidence that someone is “working hard enough.” A sustainable routine may achieve more than constant grinding. How do you decide when persistence is discipline and when it is a sign that you should change direction?
Hey Ravi! Great question!
Persistence the way I see it is ensuring you are doing the thing consistently. Discipline is based on you and if you are willing.
If everyone has discipline, everyone can be persistence. That persistence continues if you have enough discipline to keep going. For example, right now I am doing my Salesforce Certification for the Administration. I need to consistently study not because I want to pass, but I need to get the certification for work since it is required. I have the discipline to keep going because I know the importance of it and I find ways to be more engaging, so that I won;t be bored, in which decrease my will to keep going. Discipline varies each day for me.
For changing direction, I would say if it doesn't work in the long run. This is tricky because you can't really apply to every context and it depends on if the environment around you changes as well. I would recommend setting a set time. For example, for Computer Science, look into when students tend to "give up" and see if you can get pass that. If you get pass that and you enjoyed it, keep going. If you get pass that and you don't enjoy ii, maybe reconsider. If you didn't pass it, we know the answer lol.
Hope this helps Ravi!
That does help, especially the certification example ;)
The hardest part isn't LeetCode... it's convincing yourself on day 47 that day 48 is still worth it 😂 Really enjoyed the perspective on choosing the burden.
Thanks a bunch! (Still doing leetcode to this day lol though I just started)
This was truly very motivating. I have had this issue where I would start something then look at what others are doing and I'd think maybe I'm doing this all wrong and what's the point if there isn't any visible success in sight maybe I'm just wasting my time and I should follow the crowd instead....and I'd end up starting multiple things finishing none of them and then feeling awful. But I guess the small successes matter and as long as you grow a little everyday it doesn't really matter how long it takes.
Thanks Fatima and yes, small wins DO matter because it helps us to become more motivated overtime. It does work and yes, it does take time. Thanks again :D
Reading this from outside the formula entirely. I'm a freelancer in Indonesia —
never did LeetCode, never interviewed, no recruiter has ever looked at my
profile. My clients are small businesses: uniform makers, printing shops, a car
rental. They don't ask about algorithms, they ask why the order form breaks
when two people submit at once.
So the burden looks different here. Not "skip parties to grind LeetCode." More
like: no salary, so a slow month is just a slow month, and the thing I'm
building skill in is stuff nobody writes articles about — WhatsApp order flows,
making a site load on bad connections, explaining to a client why the cheap
hosting is the actual problem.
Your point about everyone looking identical to recruiters — I think it holds
even harder down here, just inverted. Nobody's competing with me on this stuff
because nobody wants it. That's the whole advantage and also the whole problem.
Anyway, good post. Good luck with the Salesforce cert.
Thanks for sharing!
Makes total sense better to focus on getting the certification first and then share the full experience with proper context. Quality over quantity always wins with technical content. Looking forward to reading about it once you're through!
Thanks Jaafar :D
This is exactly the kind of perspective shift a lot of us need to hear, Francis. The "Choose your Burden" framing hits hard because it acknowledges the struggle without romanticizing it—it feels honest and grounded. I really appreciate how you tied in the Ahsoka and Clone Troopers scene; it perfectly illustrates that doing the harder, unconventional path is often what builds genuine resilience when the unexpected happens.
Building on your thoughts, I have two constructive angles I would like to add:
First, while sacrificing short-term comfort (like skipping social events) is sometimes necessary, I would gently suggest shifting the conversation toward sustainable burden rather than just "grinding harder." The tech journey is a marathon, not a 100-meter sprint. It is not about burning out in six months; it is about finding a consistent rhythm—say, 45 minutes of focused practice daily—that you can actually maintain for years. That steady pace often beats occasional all-nighters in the long run.
Second, your point about being "unique" resonated with me. Instead of just training harder than everyone else, I believe we should also train differently. Pair your LeetCode practice with something most candidates neglect—like writing detailed blogs about your problem-solving process (which you already do brilliantly) or deep-diving into a specific niche, such as your Salesforce certification track. That combination of technical fundamentals plus a visible, specialized portfolio is what makes a recruiter stop and take a second look at your profile.
My current chosen burden is consistently writing down my project decisions and lessons learned, even when nobody asks for it. It feels tedious with zero immediate reward, but I know it will save my future self (and my team) countless hours of confusion later.
Also, you are absolutely right—that Avengers trailer definitely adds some extra fuel to keep pushing forward! Thanks for sharing this thoughtful piece.
This really resonated with me. Every worthwhile goal comes with its own challenges, so the question isn't whether life will be difficult—it's which difficulty is worth embracing.
Choosing the burden that leads to growth is usually harder in the short term, but it's often the one that pays off in the long run. Thanks for sharing this perspective.
Thanks Hidayat! It's important to be unconformable in the process in order to grow.
I'm excited to see that Star Wars is used as context here in this community. I have found my people! Great write up, and it hearkens back to the fact that when we see people online having a great time, you are only ever seeing their highlight reel; they curated that for you to see.
I appreciate it Zachary! Thanks for reading :D
This post might be one of my favorite posts from you so far.
I also think that a lot of us struggle with wanting results so fast, me too 😅.
When nothing happens for a few weeks, it always make me easy to think I'm wasting time.
The "choose your burden" idea really stuck with me because it feels true, even outside of programming.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to reading your Salesforce articles too.
Good luck with your certifications.
Thanks Larry and it was great to meet you in the Interview yesterday (Saw your msg yesterday too)!
Focus you must 🙃
Indeed. Focus, did you? xd
As focused as a marksman
When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first afflicts their mind, exhausts their body, and wears them out.
Example? Please?
Learning to write clean tests. For months, your test suite feels like a waste of time — no bugs caught, no value visible. But when a refactor breaks something and the test catches it in 2 seconds instead of 2 hours of debugging, you realize the whole time you were being trained by Clone Troopers, not droids.
Ahh makes sense!
This is exactly what I needed! I've been debating between different approaches.
Glad it was helpful niuniu!
Just looking at the cover image scared me! Lol
lol. Can't find a better image from Mob Psycho 100 xd
I really wasn't ready for this Mob Psycho energy 😭 that's why I got scared xD
Okay!
I am motivated enough
Thanks @francistrdev !
Glad it helped Risabh!
The point about not following the formula verbatim hits hard. Most developers compete on the same credentials and LeetCode scores, which makes everyone look identical to recruiters. What actually differentiates you is how you work, what you insist on, what you refuse to compromise on. Those preferences compound over time into a professional identity that no generic resume can capture. I have been working on Opportunity Skill with this exact insight in mind. Your agent can turn your daily working patterns into a matching profile, so the right collaborators find you for who you actually are, not just what you list.