The Imposter Syndrome. It’s so common of a term in software development that it’s not even necessary to define, but we’re still going to for the readers that may not have been exposed to the term. The imposter syndrome sums down to feeling like a fraud. You’re constantly doubting your abilities and you believe that you don’t deserve the position that you just received. If this sounds like you, don’t worry, everyone in software development goes through this phase.
The Various Syndromes Exhibited by Developers
If you haven’t started exhibiting the imposter syndrome, it’s most likely because you’re still too junior. Sounds counterintuitive, I know. You would think that junior developers would be exhibiting this syndrome instead of senior developers, but it’s the opposite.
Going through college, you start thinking that you’re getting it all. You strut around campus thinking you’re a big shot. After all, you know the all of the object-oriented principles. You know the difference between an abstract class and an interface. Heck, you even know what polymorphism is. You graduate and join the workforce. That’s when the first shock happens.
You open your first task and realize that you have absolutely no idea how to even setup your environment, let alone start tackling this task. You’re quickly brought down to the junior level mentality.
Sticking with the same company for a couple of years, you start to learn the ins-and-outs of the business. Nothing really surprises you any more. Moving up to the mid-level-developer, you start developing a new syndrome. I like to refer to this syndrome as the “God Complex.”
You’ve participated with Senior Developers but don’t have a full understanding of exactly what they do. You think that you can do it too, as long as someone just gave you the shot. Every task you tackle successfully increases your confidence. “There’s absolutely nothing that I can’t create at this point,” you tell yourself.
You’ve most likely moved to another company and continued your mid-level career for another year or two. Finally, you get that senior position. “I’ve made it,” you think out loud, “I’m a senior developer!” Repeatedly patting yourself on the back, you start tackling the big-boy tasks. And then it hits you. You feel like you know nothing.
The Developer Imposter Syndrome
How can this be? Someone made you a Senior Developer and you can’t even solve one task On this list. Are they testing you? Did they assign only the most complicated tasks to you? Snooping at the other developers’ tasks, you realize that they’re all difficult. How are the other developers killing it and why are you struggling so much?
You keep quiet for a few months. Maybe it’s just your studying habits. These developers are clearly on a different level. If you just had more knowledge about this specific framework, you’re certain that you would be killing it too. But there’s just not enough time in the day. Finally, and in complete defeat, you start asking for help.
That’s it. It’s the end of the line. The other developers will know you’re a fraud. Maybe you actually aren’t cut out for this senior level role. You’d probably be better off as a mid-level developer.
After a grueling 6 months, you can’t believe that they haven’t fired you yet. It’s worked out to your advantage, however, since you’re actually able to complete more and more of the tasks on your own. A year passes and you’re ready to move on. You start your new job and the imposter syndrome kicks in again.
When Does It End?
Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer. However, it does come down to one factor in my opinion: How frequently do you change jobs?
If you’re staying with one company, you’re probably not going to develop the type of imposter syndrome that’s listed here; we’re talking about people that are working at a single company for 10+ years. What occurs with these individuals is that they stop believing in their abilities. They would most likely thrive in a different environment, but they’re afraid to change. They know for a fact that they’re not going to be as good as the other developers that have change jobs more frequently.
On the other side, if you’re changing jobs super frequently as a senior developer, every 1 to 2 years, you’re going to go through the imposter syndrome each time for the first 3–5 jobs. You’ll then come to the realization that there’s a learning phase at each job and you’re going to be just fine. The companies that expect you to get in and start swinging are usually the companies that can’t afford you and you shouldn’t work for those companies anyway. All of those realizations come with experience and job-transitions.
Then there’s the developer that’s stuck in the middle. These senior developers change jobs every 3–5 years. That’s just long enough for them to forget about the imposter syndrome. I have friends that have been in software development for 10+ years and they still tell me that they feel like frauds. The only advice that I have for them is to change jobs a little more frequently until they get over it.
Post Imposter Syndrome
Once you get past the imposter syndrome, you’re ready to transition your role out of software development. I know, pretty sad. You’re mature enough to move into a management role. For most individuals, this is the path that they take, myself included.
You always think that you’re the only one. It helps to read that most are going through it too. Which phase of your career are you in? Are you experiencing the developer imposter syndrome yet?
Here’s another article you might enjoy: Definition of Done in Software Development.