You Are Better Than You Think You are

I hear a lot from developers at all skill levels something we call ‘imposter syndrome’. The definition of which is that you believe everyone else is better than you, or you are not as good as you think you are and have no business doing what you do.

This simply is not true for the most part. Yes there are people better and worse than you, but that will always be the case. So just ignore that fact. Look to learn from people that you feel are better than you, that’s my best advice on dealing with it.

As we progress through our careers and skill levels, the things that once seemed hard to us are now easy and therefore the impact of the problem they caused you is now forgotten. But if you think back to all the hours you put into a problem, you will realize just how far you have come from learning that solution.

You only feel that you are not good enough because you are now tackling harder problems, learn and understand that there will always be problems to solve and overcome, that is part of what we do. It has nothing to do with how good you are, it is part of the career you have chosen to pursue.

I believe in constant learning, I always look to learn something on a daily basis so I can consider my day well spent in preparing for the next big problem.

If a time comes when you start to feel insecure or question your abilities, just look back at your previous achievements and reflect on how you handled it. We all have different levels of learning and abilities, but that does not make any of use a hero or a failure, it is just part of life.

You are always better than you realize. You need to believe in what you are doing and push forward.

I’d love to hear from you, how do you deal with this problem?