7 uncomfortable truths about being a developer.
— Ankur💻🎧💪 (@TheAnkurTyagi) May 2, 2021
A Thread... pic.twitter.com/VD2s9tlnKm
7 uncomfortable truths about being a developer.
1. We have an identity crisis.
I used to be confused about whether I should introduce myself as a developer, software engineer, front-end engineer, back-end engineer, full-stack engineer, a software engineer in a test, or just a freelancer.
The tech market is the market.
It doesn't care about who you are, as a developer.
-Which degree you hold
-What boot camp you completed
-Which Udemy course you did
It's hard-hitting for some devs initially.
Your emotional & mental state as a dev has a direct impact on your work
2. Most of us are in debt.
Newcomer's things all financial worries could just go out the window, Unfortunately, that isn’t the case
Be it:
- home loan
- car loan
- education loan
- personal loans
You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.
3. We all have imposter syndrome
Absolutely everybody wants to win as a dev
All developer feels different inside (less confident, less able, etc.) from how they infer other people to feel.
Most of us who struggle with imposter syndrome worry a lot about what others think of us.
For all the newbies or who want to enter the tech world, I would say:
"Begin by dreaming"
"If another developer has done it, there’s a good chance you can do it too".
You get what you focus on.
If you are continually thinking of all the things that can go wrong, they will.
4. As a senior developer, you are a celebrity, whether you like it or not.
Every word you share will be analyzed,
Your every action will be reproduced,
You'll set a new standard,
What you'll say on social media.
Think of how you speak, how you act and behave & share next time.
5. Being a developer is fucking hard
After days of early excitement of
- First job
- First boot camp
- First Github PR merge
It's showtime, hell lot of frameworks that tech has will chase you.
At that point, there are only two things that will help.
- Patience & Your dreams.
6. Fellow developer success will generate massive self-doubt, whether you like it or not.
"The worst enemy for a developer is self-doubt."
- TheAnkurTyagi
Doubt kills more dreams of developers than failure ever will.
You are so much stronger than you realize.
7. People might mock you for going on an unconventional path.
Everyone will tell you, take the safe decision, walk down the safe path, choose the safe side but.
Developer's progress has always been driven by unconventional thinking.
Better to be wrong than be boring.
That's it for today & Thanks for reading.
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Top comments (47)
I spent most of my 20s burning myself out trying to prove myself better than everyone else around me and all it did was destroy my character until I reached a point where I wasn't comfortable with who I had become. I worshipped money and success above all else.
It finally occurred to me that the majority of people in the world are average and are incredibly happy to be so. There's always going to be developers smarter than myself. There's always going to be tasks I could have solved in a more elegant matter, but regardless of what happens, it is up to me to be happy with where I am at and grateful for the path I have chosen.
I find the "most of us are in debt" to be very US-centric! In Europe it's not so common to have consumer debt.
It's a case in India as well. Most of us bought flat on loans, Car loans, CC loans.
But is that specific to being a developer? Probably society is pushing people in general towards these unhealthy habits - the endless rat race of "more more more" ... doesn't have that much to do with being a developer.
Agreed, It's mostly applicable to all human, we almost forget how to live a good life with fewer resources & always fighting for more & more in this rat race.
Exactly! Enjoying the moment and sometimes being contented with what you have is so important. Don't listen too much to people who are telling you what to do, or that you "should" have this or "should" do that. Sure they can advise, and then you thank them politely, next you make your own decision.
I think your comment sums up what I wanted to say in reaction to the post.
Have I had moments of self doubt / impostor syndrome over the years? Sure. I guess I'm in the minority & fortunate that it's neither been daily or long lasting.
I was writing code as a kid. I was writing code (for a living) while at college. I've been writing in one language or another for 30+ years (sheesh that's scary). Can other people work faster, and write better code? Sure... but my bills have always been paid, and while they're busy writing code I've been the one talking to customers and/or Directors (or C-level) to explain things.
Self acceptance takes a little maturity, but that really is the key to a happy life (IMO).
In fact, many of the most successful people in the world have struggled with imposter syndrome. Though it is critical to understand that feeling like a fraud is not a requisite for success, many accomplished people struggle with it from time to time and achieve amazing things in spite of it. There is hope that you can overcome imposter syndrome.
Every time I go to a game I always have that fear of losing or a sense of failure. You always have that fear of losing but you always have that confidence of winning. You never want to come off the field thinking you could have done more or given more.
—Darren Lockyer
Great article and I think you nailed it on all 7 points there, have a ❤ and 🦄!
Minor typo in point 2 "Newcomer's things", I think it should be "Newcomers think that all financial worries will just go out the window".
As for how to introduce yourself, if it is a friend or family member I tend to go with "I build stuff for the web, I have no idea how computers work" so that I don't get asked how to set up someone's printer (as I have no idea!) 🤣🤣
Thank you. 💙
You are welcome....but you still haven't fixed the typo 🤣🤣
Since everyone has the imposter syndrome, be generous with praising your fellow developers' work.
Agreed
"At any given point in time, you are doing what you want to be doing the most" its an empowering thought. Well said, Sir.
Could be me but I don't recognize a whole lot among these 7 points, there's scarcely anything that resonates with me ... anybody else have that same feeling? We're all different folks, I get sceptical the moment I see posts titled like "Every dev should ..." or similarly generic statements
I agree with you.
I've known people that have expressed similar sentiments to the original poster, but I've just never been in those shoes.
That's exactly my point - these things are presented as universal truths ("7 truths about being a developer"), but everyone's situation is different, that's why I say most of this doesn't resonate with me ... to a certain extent I don't even think these issues are specific to developers (especially the point about the personal debts)
I respect your opinions but what I shared is not something just like that, I have seen this in my 11+ years of career & most of the developers have gone through or In fact, going on, Exceptional is always here, You can see other comments as well.
My main purpose to help fellow developers by sharing my experience.
I have been mentoring people for the last 4 years & came across so many mentees who feel all above points. hope this makes some sense.
It's all in the mind ... people are way too concerned about what others think of them, and feel that they need to bend over backwards and go out of their way just to please or to impress, and to conform to expectations ... most of it is "I have to do this or that because people say so, or expect me to" ... learn to ignore those pressures, chart your own course, and you'll be better off for it.
Hustle pwn, what's that... Lemme check on Google... Oh, is that glorification of overwork?
remembers at what time I get to sleep when I'm coding
Oh, help me...
Hello Ankur Tyagi,
thank you for your article.
I'm glad that more and more developers are communicating the emotional hardships the job could bring.
This at least helps prepare yourself mentally for these types of difficulties.
In my opinion, it also creates an environment where other developers can communicate without shame these kind of issues when they arise.
Welcome
I can't sleep in night if I haven't wrote any code or seeing one algorithm doing its work. I really feel uncomfortable if I don't touch my laptop keyboard any given day.
I don't know, I think I might be Ill. 🙄
Take a break Manvendra. Don't ignore breaks please.
Great post - the impostor syndrome and the having envy over other developer's success really hit home for me. I'm always happy when I see other devs succeeding and doing well but no matter how well I do my brain says it's not enough.
I use both of those to propel me forward...fuel for my career :)
True Simplicity is the Key.
Interesting article - esp. the comments about self-doubt. I've worked with hundreds of developers in different languages, environments and industries over the last 30 years. I can honestly say that in all that time, I have only met around a dozen whom I would consider truly talented developers. They all constantly questioned themselves, and those around them - and had strong opinions, weakly held. The proof of their talent was evident in how readily their designs coped with rapid change. The happy person doesn't see any need for evolution. The unhappy person strives to improve - and finds that true accomplishment can lead to deeper satisfaction and happiness.
I strongly agree with 4th point.
Yes, I thought that was very insightful as well.