Many people suffer from something called Imposter Syndrome, which is very common among developers & other careers where things are constantly changing & we have to be constantly learning.
Even professionals who have been doing it for decades can struggle with it. Even some famously brilliant people!
Reading a bit about this might help you.
But you aren't fake - you are new. We have all been there. I remember completing a 4 year CS degree & thinking I was pretty skilled ... only to learn that what you do in a job is very different from school. And you can even master one job then go work at a new company & be totally lost & out of your element.
Some of this feeling will fade with experience & time. Some of it won't. Don't think of your career as a developer as a path to mastery. You aren't climbing a mountain to some elite status of expert. Instead you will ride a wave of increasing knowledge , skill & confidence, then technology will change or your job or your life situation. You'll find yourself having to learn a new tech or language, or new way of using your current language or a new company process, or a new challenging problem....
See the pattern here? You will always be new at something, always learning.
Cut yourself a break & stop trying to measure up to some imaginary level & just enjoy the new challenges & welcome opportunities to be out of your element.
Thanks so much for your insightful reply, I'm glad to know that what I'm feeling isn't uncommon. Also, this blog post was originally titled "Developer Impostor Syndrome" until I changed it to what I thought was a snappier title haha.
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Many people suffer from something called Imposter Syndrome, which is very common among developers & other careers where things are constantly changing & we have to be constantly learning.
Even professionals who have been doing it for decades can struggle with it. Even some famously brilliant people!
Reading a bit about this might help you.
But you aren't fake - you are new. We have all been there. I remember completing a 4 year CS degree & thinking I was pretty skilled ... only to learn that what you do in a job is very different from school. And you can even master one job then go work at a new company & be totally lost & out of your element.
Some of this feeling will fade with experience & time. Some of it won't. Don't think of your career as a developer as a path to mastery. You aren't climbing a mountain to some elite status of expert. Instead you will ride a wave of increasing knowledge , skill & confidence, then technology will change or your job or your life situation. You'll find yourself having to learn a new tech or language, or new way of using your current language or a new company process, or a new challenging problem....
See the pattern here? You will always be new at something, always learning.
Cut yourself a break & stop trying to measure up to some imaginary level & just enjoy the new challenges & welcome opportunities to be out of your element.
It's never boring. :)
Thanks so much for your insightful reply, I'm glad to know that what I'm feeling isn't uncommon. Also, this blog post was originally titled "Developer Impostor Syndrome" until I changed it to what I thought was a snappier title haha.