How To Quit Being a Coding Impostor!!
Some days, I feel like a coding genius. I’m picking up concepts and tools easily, understanding complex problems and finding quick solutions. I am right where I need to be, doing what I am meant to be doing. Coding is my love language.
Other days, I feel like a fraud. Why did they let me in here? Did I trick these people into thinking I am smarter or more capable than I really am? What will happen when everyone finds out I don’t know what I’m doing?
Lots of us will bounce back and forth between these two extremes — from cool confidence one day to impostor syndrome the next. The fear of not measuring up is a common human experience, and it seems especially common among coders.
I am learning that feeling of anxiety is normal for this high-pressure and always-changing field, and simply knowing that is the reality can help. One of the best ways to prevent impostor syndrome from slowing you down is to recognize what it feels like so you can respond in productive ways instead of getting discouraged.
What does your impostor syndrome feel like?
For me, it feels like heart-racing anxiety, frustration, and fear that I am in over my head. It creeps into my mind when I run into a problem I can’t easily fix, or when I take more time on a project than others on my team. It is almost always caused by me comparing myself to someone else or to what I think I should be able to do.

What does your impostor syndrome tell you?
Mine tells me I’m wasting my time and money on this coding Bootcamp because I’m not smart enough to succeed. It tells me I’m in the wrong field and it is only a matter of time until I have to quit or get fired for not living up to expectations.
Why are those feelings so common in coding?
I have learned that these feelings of being an impostor are to be expected in this rapidly changing industry. None of us will ever totally master this field. It is broad, complex, and constantly evolving, and our skills and knowledge will always need work. Because of those demands, it is easy to get overwhelmed and feel unprepared. But that is the nature of our work — we have to be able to be flexible and always learning and adapting under pressure.

Why you should switch from self-comparison to self-reflection
When we compare ourselves to someone else we think has mastered the game, or compare ourselves to an imaginary idea of a perfect coder, we will never measure up. The reality is that those ideals don’t exist, so self-comparison will always be hurtful. No one has all the right knowledge and tools from day 1. Everyone has to keep learning in order to keep up with changing technology and demands for programming.
Instead of comparing ourselves to unrealistic standards, we should track our own progress as we learn and evolve along with our industry. Rather than using self-comparison, we can practice self-reflection to ask ourselves helpful questions. What problems am I able to solve today that I was unable to solve last month? What challenges did I overcome in this project that will help me with the next project? What positive feedback have I received that I need to remember? These questions can help you keep perspective when things get difficult.

By learning to recognize what impostor syndrome feels like, what it tells you about yourself, and why it is a natural feeling in our industry, you can keep your cool under pressure. It is easy to feel like a fraud when we compare ourselves to unreachable standards, but taking time to reflect on our progress can keep those feelings from becoming overwhelming.
