Am I a Developer yet?

#beginners #career #todayilearned

Today I hit a big landmark in my journey transitioning into Web Development: I received a call this morning from a recruiter regarding a Junior-level Front-End-based role. I've been studying Web Design, App Development, CMS, front-end, back-end (you name it, I've tried it) for almost 5 years now. Prior to my interest in all things web-related I was a line cook, food server, restaurant manager, customer service representative and homeschool mom. I've gotten great at managing time, creating schedules, handling money, and assisting customers. But did I ever think I'd be capable of eliminating bugs from software or creating responsive web sites? Not so much. My brother was the technical one growing up, playing PC games and taking apart computers. It was never 'supposed' to be for someone like me. However, in High School and College I had a lot of interest in Graphic Design and often dabbled with Illustrator and Photoshop. On most days, I feel VERY comfortable playing with code; it feels as if it's something I shouldn't have waited until my 30's to pursue. On the other days, I still see myself as an outsider.

Fortunately, before my landmark phone conversation this morning, I had read a great blog post which specifically addressed this psychological problem:

https://dev.to/juanfrank77/how-to-forget-about-imposter-syndrome-1d79

Do I feel I'll be offered the job? Not necessarily. However, it was a great experience to be forced to look back on the progress I have made and I'm excited to continue learning new skills. Those Bootcamps, code-alongs, projects, and code snippets really do add up over time! So am I a Developer? Of course! And here's my justification:

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE WHO YOU ARE

Imposter Syndrome is real, and we don't deserve to do this to ourselves. Of course you're still learning, everyone is. It's important to note that the learning never stops. You won't just become an expert one day and seize to ask any more questions. There'll always be something new to learn. Burnout is common and can also add to feelings of self-doubt. I try to reserve one whole day each week as a break from programming. It usually isn't a 'whole' day, and I can't help myself from working on codepen projects here and there...but the break from courses and documentation is great for rejuvenating both mind and body.

This was my first post. Too often, I refrain from socialization and the lack of communication has hindered my growth. One of my goals in further developing myself is to ask more questions, share more input, and connect with more people.

Thank you so much for reading!