Imposter Alert?!
Currently closing out the 10th week of programming bootcamp at Flatiron School and the thought of technical interviews in a few weeks are looming. Something that’s presented to us within the first couple weeks of the bootcamp is imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. As I hope to emerge from the course with sufficient knowledge to land my first developer job, I can’t help but think to myself “am I good enough?”. With the programming world being so vast, I’m only skimming the surface after going through this 15-week intensive course. So I can’t help but think whether I’m adequate enough to make it after I graduate.
Three months ago, I made a big decision in my life to quit my 9–5 in Biotech to pursue something I was exposed to via friends and self-interest, programming. I wasn’t fully sold on myself becoming a developer since I had no background at all with coding but was interested enough to make the big leap. So there I was putting in a my two weeks notice and going through 80-hours of pre-course work. It sure wasn’t easy and a lot of the times I second guessed myself on whether or not I had actually made the right decision. But I noticed something along the way, I kept on comparing myself to someone who has already been established in the industry. Soon I realized that mindset wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Learning and understanding to be comfortable with being uncomfortable is the first step.
There’s no way that you’re ever going to learn everything about coding, there’s just too much out there. Flatiron makes that clear but you need to start somewhere. The thing about coding is that you’re always going to be faced with new problems so it’s fine to feel lost or confused. For me, self-doubt starts to creep in when I try to implement features that I’m not familiar with and it starts to take long than it “should”. It starts to stress me out as it has snowballed into “What do my peers think of me?” or “Will I be worthy in this industry?”. It starts to become a vicious cycle and the only way to break it is to realize it’s never going to end. That’s why I step back and remind myself I’ve been in this situation before. Which makes me realize that this new feature will take as long as it takes. It’s better to take more time and display quality work than to rush through it to try and look good in front of your managers and peers. I remind myself it’s ok to ask questions because it’s not expected that you should know everything and most likely someone out there has already had the same problem as you. As developers, we love sharing knowledge and being able to collaborate with one another.

As I roll into the final module, I’ve found myself adapting a growth mindset and becoming more aware of my strengths and weaknesses. Taking on a large pet project is a good way to expose yourself to new concepts and features. The pet project will provide the same doubts but you can work through them easier since you find joy in the topic. Something to think about when imposter syndrome comes creeping in:
- It’s OK you don’t know as much as a senior developer! It’s only natural.
- In order to build fluency and a better judgement you need time.
- Know that your strengths could be someone else’s weaknesses so don’t be afraid to collaborate!
- Everybody thinks and learns at a different rate so don’t stress if you don’t understand a new concept right away.
So what can we take away from this, you ask? Embrace the imposter syndrome! Show it whose boss! Developers should be learning new things all the time. Feeling like an imposter is a good indication that you’re challenging yourself and growing in a way that’s out of your norm. Talk to people who have been established within the industry to get a different perspective on what to expect. The more you know the better you’ll be at preparing yourself for what’s to come. So walk into those technical interviews with your head held high knowing that you have a solid foundation underneath you. Go in there knowing that you’re not going to know the answers to all of their questions. After I land that first job, guess what?, imposter syndrome will still be there. It’s never leaving and I hope it never does. It just means I’m in a place where I’m constantly learning. Just remember you’re not alone, go out there and ask for help!