Ask HN: As a programmer do you have ups and downs and periods of intense doubt?
All the time. I feel like crippling anxiety, insecurity, mental anguish and deep self loathing is par for the course in this career. When it gets to the point where I literally hate myself for being alive, I start to consider dropping everything attached to a circuitboard and cleaning floors for a living instead. This happens about 2-3 times a week.