Race
- 2 minsThe software industry is evolving daily. New technologies arise, old ones are rediscovered. One of the things though that you’ll hear about often in our industry is the “Impostor Syndrom”.
This syndrome is experienced by many people at some point in their careers. I’ve certainly experienced it (and still do). It’s almost “natural” that it comes about. We learn something new today and tomorrow is either gone or something else has replaced it. We start on a new project and the technologies involved are all new to us. We’re facing new territory and with it a new challenge. These are all scenarios that contribute towards us feeling inadequate for the job.
One of the early mistakes I made when I was starting out, was with how I was measuring my skills and evaluating my career. Early on, I would compare myself against others trying to see how far off I was from them (or how far ahead). The problem with this approach was that the comparison is not fair or valid. Comparing myself to a veteran of the industry or even someone who specialises in a specific technology is pointless. Comparing myself to anyone for that matter is pointless. Why? Because we all carry different mindsets and we all have different interests and motivations. More importantly, we all learn and grow in different ways.
Something that takes me a couple of hours to figure out, might take someone else a day or two. Does that mean I’m a much better developer? Not really. It’s all about context and the knowledge you carry with you in that given scenario. A situation might arise where the roles are reversed and then I’m the one taking ages whereas the other person has already solved the problem. Different mindsets, different context.
The one thing I always try to remember and tell people, especially people starting out, is that this not a race. It’s not a race that finishes within seconds or minutes. It is more like a marathon. In a marathon if you try and run as fast as the elite runners, you will simply crash within the first minutes. Your reason for participating is very different than theirs.
My advice? Find the reasons that interest you and make you happy participating in the software industry. Focus on those. Treat the journey just as you would a marathon. No rush. The only competition you face is your self. Past, present and future.
Personal blog of Makis Otman