> I've always failed to come up with a solution from scratch of my own and provide any value. I've always wondered how other smart people are able to come up with libraries, services and various solutions from scratch.
Nobody does. Everybody builds on stuff that existed before. Even Tim Berners-Lee's idea for the Web was based on lots of previous ideas.
> I've already wasted my entire teens and 20s, current 28 years old
Wasted? Your life is barely starting. My life as a software engineer didn't take off until I was 28, because I wasted too much time at university. And it didn't really start to take off until I was 38 when I started freelancing. I'm 48 now and doing better than ever. And wasting your teens isn't wasting; that's what they're for.
Your only problem seems to be that your entire life seems to revolve only around work. You work too hard and you obsess too much about it. Let it go. Work 40 hours a week, and maybe only after you take a long and well-deserved holiday. Explore your other interests. Develop a hobby. Go sing, bike, travel, dance, paint, read, or build something with your hands instead of your brain.
You're young. Your career is already way better than most people your age. Let some other interests into your life, and you may notice that you'll also continue to grow in your career.
Another thing to add to your excellent advice is that when you're young, failing is easier. You don't suffer as many negative consequences and they're less severe than later in life, people are more understanding (jr. devs are supposed to fail) and it's just generally much easier to bounce back.
Nobody does. Everybody builds on stuff that existed before. Even Tim Berners-Lee's idea for the Web was based on lots of previous ideas.
> I've already wasted my entire teens and 20s, current 28 years old
Wasted? Your life is barely starting. My life as a software engineer didn't take off until I was 28, because I wasted too much time at university. And it didn't really start to take off until I was 38 when I started freelancing. I'm 48 now and doing better than ever. And wasting your teens isn't wasting; that's what they're for.
Your only problem seems to be that your entire life seems to revolve only around work. You work too hard and you obsess too much about it. Let it go. Work 40 hours a week, and maybe only after you take a long and well-deserved holiday. Explore your other interests. Develop a hobby. Go sing, bike, travel, dance, paint, read, or build something with your hands instead of your brain.
You're young. Your career is already way better than most people your age. Let some other interests into your life, and you may notice that you'll also continue to grow in your career.