Ask HN: How to become a better software engineer? All my jobs are gluing stuff

Most jobs especially in webdev are like that. Most of it is just reheated slop, if the market was efficient the webdev market would shrink by 75%. I've done novel stuff but most of my jobs end up just pushing a star shape through a square and a triangle whilst making sure the whole legacy spaceship keeps floating.

There are truely novel webdev jobs out there, but they are a needle in a haystack. If you want something that mentally stimulates you as an developer find a job that doesnt involve web for higher chance of finding something that fits the bill.