When Imposter Syndrome Gets the Best of You

Whether you are a coding newbie or you're an experienced developer, you might have thought to yourself...

I'm not that great of a developer, what am I doing here?

When you get into this pattern of thinking, this actually slows down your performance and you start to feel burnt out. This is when imposter syndrome is trying to take over, but don't worry. There is a way to fight back.

What is imposter syndrome?

For many of us, we experience it online or even during the job hunt. You see all these successful people on social media showing off their projects and then you start to feel behind. You come across your "dream job," read the description, and doubt the experiences that sharpened the skills you developed for THAT DREAM JOB and instead move on to find an "easier" job to apply to. It's the fear and the doubt that hold you back.

According to Merriam-Webster, imposter syndrome is the constant fear of being seen as a "fraud" along with persistent doubt of your skills and knowledge regardless of your achievements and success.

Even if you have the skills and expertise, you still doubt yourself. It's that doubt that's preventing you from moving forward.

How to fight back

To prevent imposter syndrome from getting the best of you, you need to pay attention to yourself and focus on your journey.

1. Keep a journal of your achievements and goals.

Do a reality check and write down the things that you have already accomplished! This will be a great way for you to stay motivated and reflect on your past achievements if you find yourself doubting your abilities and skills. People have been doing the challenge, "100 Days of Code," and that's been working well for many! You basically track what you learn over 100 days and share your findings with others to stay motivated!

2. Find a mentor or an accountability partner.

It's important to find someone that you can look up to, learn from and lean on when things get hard. It's good to talk to someone that can relate to you and validate the struggles you are facing. You cannot do this coding journey alone. There are so many seasoned developers on Twitter who are open to coffee chats and willing to help you out!

3. Understand that literally EVERYONE is different.

You need to accept the fact that everyone retains information differently. You cannot compare yourself to someone else because they are NOT you and you are NOT them. Don't assume that the "successful" people you see online have an "easier" life. People have lives outside of social media and have different struggles. What you see online is "filtered," and not reality. Everyone may be different, but we all have the same goal -- to be GREAT developers. So, let's all cheer each other on!

Concluding thoughts

Don't stop building projects. Building has helped me snap out of the imposter syndrome mindset. The more you build, the more you learn. My final note that I want you to embrace is to expect mistakes. No one is perfect. So, don't beat yourself up too much if you make a mistake; just learn from it and continue moving forward!

Thanks for reading my friend!

Izzy

Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/izaye_visuals