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I'm a Senior Developer and I Still Google Everything (And That's Perfectly Normal)

January 18, 2025
5 min read
#career#javascript#beginners#webdev

Introduction: The Confession

This article is my confession. It's probably yours too. And it's time we stopped pretending.

Part 1: Things I Googled This Week (I'm Not Kidding)

Let me open my browser history and expose myself. This is genuinely what I searched in the last 5 days:

Monday

  • "css flex align items centre not working" (I forgot to set display: flex with a height of 100dvh)
  • "typescript interface vs type" (for the 100th time)
  • "how to exit vim" (I'm a senior dev, I still get trapped in vim)

Tuesday

  • "react useEffect cleanup function" (I know this. I just... needed to check)
  • "git revert vs reset vs restore" (which one deletes the commit again?)
  • "javascript sort array of objects by date" (is it ascending or descending by default?)

Wednesday

  • "how to center a div" (the classic)
  • "nodejs read file" (is it fs.readFile or fs.readFileSync? I always forget)

Thursday

  • "docker compose up vs docker-compose up" (dash or no dash?)
  • "sql join types visual" (I need that Venn diagram every time)
  • "regex email validation" (never memorizing this, ever)

Friday

  • "javascript array methods cheat sheet" (because apparently I can't remember map vs forEach)
  • "css grid vs flexbox when to use" (still confused after 8 years)
  • "how to check if object is empty javascript" (Object.keys().length === 0, right?)

Part 2: The Lies We Tell in Job Interviews

In interviews, we say things like:

  • "I have extensive experience with [insert technology]"
  • "I'm very comfortable with [insert framework]"
  • "I rarely need to look things up"

Meanwhile, our browser history tells a different story.

Part 3: What "Senior Developer" Actually Means

Being a senior developer doesn't mean you know everything. It means:

  • You know HOW to find answers quickly
  • You understand the concepts behind the code
  • You can debug effectively
  • You know which questions to ask
  • You can learn new technologies faster

Part 4: The Stuff I Google Repeatedly (And Never Remember)

1. Git Commands

  • git revert vs reset vs restore
  • git cherry-pick
  • git rebase vs merge
  • git stash pop vs apply

2. CSS Flexbox vs Grid

  • When to use flexbox vs grid
  • CSS Grid template areas
  • Flexbox alignment properties
  • CSS Grid gap vs margin

Part 5: The Google Hall of Shame

Things I've googled that I should probably know by now:

  • "how to center a div" (at least 50 times)
  • "javascript array methods" (every week)
  • "css flexbox cheat sheet" (bookmarked)
  • "git commands reference" (also bookmarked)
  • "regex cheat sheet" (printed and taped to my monitor)

Part 6: Why Juniors Think We're Wizards

Juniors see us:

  • Writing code without apparent effort
  • Debugging complex issues quickly
  • Making architectural decisions confidently
  • Knowing which libraries to use

What they don't see:

  • The 15 Stack Overflow tabs open
  • The documentation we're constantly referencing
  • The trial and error happening behind the scenes
  • The years of accumulated "muscle memory" for googling

Part 7: The Truth About "Knowing" vs "Finding"

The real skill isn't memorizing everything. It's knowing:

  • What to search for
  • Which sources to trust
  • How to quickly evaluate solutions
  • When to stop searching and start building

Part 8: The Art of Googling (A Senior Skill)

There's actually skill in googling effectively:

  • Using the right keywords
  • Filtering out outdated results
  • Recognizing reliable sources
  • Understanding context quickly
  • Knowing when to dig deeper

Part 9: The Imposter Syndrome Talk

If you're reading this and thinking "I'm not a real developer because I Google everything," stop. You're not an imposter. You're normal.

Part 10: What I Wish I Knew as a Junior Developer

Things I wish someone had told me:

  • Everyone Googles everything
  • Senior developers aren't walking encyclopedias
  • The skill is in knowing HOW to find answers
  • It's okay to not know everything
  • Focus on understanding concepts, not memorizing syntax

Part 11: Things That Actually Make You Senior

What actually makes someone senior:

  • Problem-solving approach
  • Code review skills
  • Architecture decisions
  • Mentoring abilities
  • Debugging methodology

Part 12: A Day in the Life (Real Talk)

My actual day:

  • 9 AM: Google "react hooks best practices"
  • 10 AM: Google "typescript utility types"
  • 11 AM: Google "css grid layout examples"
  • 2 PM: Google "nodejs async await patterns"
  • 3 PM: Google "git merge conflict resolution"
  • 4 PM: Google "javascript array methods" (again)

Part 13: The Resources I Actually Use

My go-to resources (that I Google to find):

  • MDN Web Docs
  • React documentation
  • Stack Overflow
  • CSS-Tricks
  • TypeScript handbook

Part 14: When NOT Googling is Actually Bad

Sometimes NOT googling is the problem:

  • Reinventing the wheel
  • Using outdated patterns
  • Missing best practices
  • Ignoring security considerations

Part 15: My Advice to Junior Developers

If you're a junior developer:

  • Google everything. Seriously.
  • Don't feel bad about not knowing syntax
  • Focus on understanding concepts
  • Build things, even if you're googling every line
  • Ask questions. Lots of them.

Conclusion: The Liberation of Admitting You Don't Know

There's something liberating about admitting that we don't know everything. It removes the pressure to be perfect and allows us to focus on what really matters: building great software.

So the next time you're in a meeting and someone asks "Do you know how to implement [complex feature]?" and you think "I'll Google it," just say it out loud. You might be surprised how many people nod in agreement.

Your Turn: What Do You Google?

I've shared my Google shame. Now it's your turn. What do you find yourself googling repeatedly? Share it in the comments. Let's normalize the fact that we're all just really good at finding answers, not necessarily memorizing them.

Resources (That I Google Daily)

About the Author

I'm Faizul Hassan Rhine, a Senior Software Developer with 8 years of experience who still Googles "how to center a div" at least once a week. I write about the realities of software development, the things we don't talk about in job interviews, and why it's okay to not know everything.