Dealing with Imposter Syndrome – From a Developer’s Point of View

Dealing with Imposter Syndrome – From a Developer’s Point of View

Dr. Pauline Rose Clance was the first person to do research on the subject of Imposter Syndrome. Although she didn't know the term at the time, she had observed that many of her undergraduate patients shared a common concern. They didn't believe they deserved a spot at the university regardless of their high grades. Looking back, she realized that she had also felt that way while in college.

The term imposter syndrome goes by many names; Imposter Phenomenon, Imposter Experience, and finally Imposter Syndrome. Imposter syndrome is not unique to any person, race, age, or occupation. It is safe to say it is experienced by all, not all all like everyone will experience it, but you get the point.

Today, I'll be addressing this experience from the perspective of a developer, however, I'd like to reiterate that this is not unique to any profession. As a matter of fact, research and experience has shown that it is no respecter of professional cadre. Senior Developers and Managers, as well as Middle and Junior Developers, experience this.

I have personally felt this way as both a developer and a human being and I know for a fact that I am not alone in it. Despite having your achievements speak well for you about how good you are at a certain craft or activity, you cannot help but feel anyone can be as good or even better given the same opportunities.

This mindset in itself is the foundation for the feeling of Impostorism. Simply put, Imposter Syndrome is the experience of feeling like a fraud.

To help us better understand and identify this feeling, below is a list of characteristics associated with imposter syndrome:

  • You have a sense of being a fraud.
  • You feel like your achievements were lucky breaks.
  • You believe people compliment you or praise you out of kindness.
  • You're convinced you're not good enough.
  • You downplay your abilities believing anyone can do the same and better.

Introduction complete😅

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about Developer imposter Syndrome, or as Tijan Ayomide puts it, DIS. As he put it in his article on the subject, the problem with Developer Impostor Syndrome is that the experience of doing well at something does nothing to change your beliefs. He also mentioned that even though one might sail through a performance or push an update earlier than anyone, the thought still nags in our heads, "What gives me the right to be here?" The more you accomplish, the more you feel like a fraud. It's as though you cannot internalize your experiences of success. And I agree.

The issue with feeling this way is you never really live. One of the best moments in life is when we experience the joy of winning at something, anything. With DIS, that moment loses its flavour of excitement. You no longer experience the thrill and enjoyment you had when you began coding. Each piece of code and software deployed further drowns you in a sense of fraud until what you're left with is low spirits.

Yet, today, I'd like us to look at DIS from a different perspective.

From a Different Perspective

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Now, what I'm about to say might not be your usual cup of tea, be that as it may, I want you to open your mind for a moment.

Alright?

Good.

Now. What if your feelings of inadequacy, insufficiency, ineffectiveness, inability, and all the fancy names used to describe our feelings at its core, were valid? Think about that for a moment.

What if just like when your application catches an exception indicating that an anomaly exists within your program, DIS is informing you about an anomaly in your development process. Hm?

I mean think about it. When we get into heated arguments about a topic, concept, or idea we are familiar with, knowledgeable, and passionate about, IS (Imposter Syndrome) is nowhere to be found. In fact, it ceases to exist.

And why's that? It's because we've spent so much time, sometimes spanning years learning, researching, and understanding that particular idea, activity, or topic. We'd spent so much time on it that we inadvertently became a walking repository on all things relating to that very subject.

I believe we can tackle the feeling of inadequacy within us using a similar approach.

Of course, there are exceptions to this mindset, and it is actually possible that I am wrong on this. Maya Angelou and Albert Einstein, in their pursuit of excellence and mastery, admitted to feeling like an imposter from time to time.

Nonetheless, this approach is worth given a shot when attempting to tackle this behemoth of an experience. Just like with the great minds of old, we too can persist, pushing past our feelings to become an even better version of ourselves.

I want us to see DIS as our very own debugger. Our application started running when we were born, and now, our debugger is trying to point our attention to an anomaly in our development process.

All Professional Levels

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For junior developers, especially those who come from a different background, it is safe to say you will experience this at one point in your development. Regardless, I do believe focusing your time and energy on becoming the best developer you can be, not cutting corners, and staying the process will send DIS packing. Until eventually, just like when you attempt to convince a colleague that Ronaldo is better than Messi, you're able to stand behind your achievements will all confidence - Like how is that even an argument 😆

Haha...I digress.

The same can be said for Middle-Level Developers. Usually, those at this level begin to feel this way when stuck. They have dealt with DIS as a junior Developer and have now gotten to the next stage of their career. Now the question is "What do you have to learn to move ahead"

But then, many while trying to figure that out, are thrown into bigger responsibilities, and thus the cycle of feeling like a fraud begins.

For our senior-level guys, the experience isn't quite like that of a junior developer or middle-level developer. For a lot, simply being aware of their efforts and struggles doesn't drive away their feelings of impostorism.

For these guys, I have no theory as to why they feel that way...haha. I am merely aware that a lot of them do. Having said that, talking with colleagues and friends about the issue could be beneficial. Your colleagues are empowered knowing you share a similar experience and you're also able to share a deep concern.

Key Takeaways

In summary, DIS is not unique to any class of people, race, gender, or profession. Anyone could experience it. Great minds throughout history who have felt this way show us that DIS is not impossible to defeat, nor does it have a say over our destiny.

While I am confident that you must have extracted ways on how to deal with DIS, I have highlighted my key points below.

  1. Share your struggles with colleagues, friends, family, or mentors - you'd be surprised how many of them feel the same way.
  2. I want you to see DIS or IS as an indicator that you've skipped a step during your development process - be honest with yourself and do a critical analysis of what you might have left out.
  3. You need to understand that you are not alone in this. People all around the world and within your very circle equally experience this feeling. Knowing that alone should give you the confidence to keep going. You might not be able to shake it all off at a go, but eventually, it will loosen its grip over you.

In closing, I would like to encourage you to keep moving regardless of the feeling. The fact that you feel this way is a testament to you making progress in an area of your life. While I want you to focus on learning, growing, and evolving, I need you to understand that leaps would be made, and you need to be fine with that.

You won't always have to learn the whole language to get a job, neither would you need to understand a concept fully before engaging in any conversation.

Life is not always linear, and that's okay. Reality is not less impressive or beautiful because a moment was fast-tracked.

You're beautifully and wonderfully made, and you have the capacity for so much change and growth. Don't let any feeling hold you back. go forth into your place of authority, and kill it.

Fikemi out.