When a missing closing tag almost made me quit tech.
That Voice That Almost Made Me Quit Tech
It was only my third week into my first full-time dev job.
I was staring at a React component that just wouldn’t render. I reviewed the code again and again.
Two hours later, a senior walked by, glanced at my screen, and said:
“You’re missing a closing tag.”
I smiled, but inside?
“They’re going to figure out I don’t belong here. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
That moment triggered a spiral of doubt that followed me for weeks.
If you’ve ever had similar thoughts — even with a job, degree, or projects under your belt — you’re not alone. That’s impostor syndrome. And in tech, it’s everywhere.
What Impostor Syndrome Looks Like in Tech
Impostor syndrome isn’t just occasional self-doubt.
It’s the belief that everything you’ve achieved is fake — and you’re just waiting to get exposed.
Common ways impostor syndrome shows up in everyday developer life.
Here’s how it shows up for many developers:
🧠 Feeling behind: New libraries drop faster than you can complete a course.
⚖️ Comparison trap: Other devs are building SaaS tools while you're still tweaking your portfolio site.
🔇 Downplaying wins: If something works, it's luck. If it fails, it's your fault.
🤐 Staying quiet: You don’t ask questions in meetings — even when you need help.
My Story: From Doubt to Confidence
🔥 The Breaking Point
Six months into the job, I was asked to fix a sluggish database query. After late nights and lots of testing, I found a solution that improved the speed by almost 40%.
My team was excited. I wasn’t.
“What if this was a one-time thing? What if I can’t do it again?”
That’s when I realized impostor syndrome was more than self-doubt — it was affecting how I worked and how I saw myself.
🌱 A Perspective Shift That Changed Everything
I opened up to a senior developer I really looked up to.
“Honestly? I’m worried I’m not good enough to be here.”
He smiled and said:
“I’ve been coding for over 10 years and I still Google how to center a div. You’re not expected to know everything. You just have to keep learning.”
That conversation changed how I saw success. Being a developer isn’t about perfection — it’s about progress.
5 Things That Helped Me Rebuild My Confidence
1. 📝 Start a Victory Log
I created a simple document where I tracked:
- 🐛 Bugs I fixed
- 💡 Concepts I understood
- 💬 Positive feedback from teammates
A simple log of your wins can remind you that you’re growing — even when it doesn’t feel like it.
💡 Tip: Revisit your log before performance reviews — or when self-doubt creeps in.
2. 🗣️ Say “I Don’t Know… Yet”
Instead of staying silent, I began saying:
“I’m not familiar with that — could you walk me through it?”
Turns out, people respected the honesty — and I learned more.
🧠 That one word — “yet” — makes a huge difference.
3. ⚙️ Focus on Progress, Not Perfection
I used to obsess over making my code elegant and “correct” the first time.
✅ Solving the problem
🚢 Shipping something that works
🔁 Refactoring later
🚀 Done is better than perfect. Every time.
4. 🧑🤝🧑 Find a Support Circle
I joined:
- Tech Discords
- Slack communities
- Followed devs on Twitter
- Asked for peer reviews
Community makes the tech journey way less lonely.
👥 You don’t have to do this alone — and you really shouldn’t.
5. 🧠 Reframe Your Self-Talk
I started catching the unhelpful thoughts running through my mind — and consciously rewriting them.
Old thought: “I just got lucky.”
New thought: “I put in the work. That win was mine.”
Old thought: “They’re so much better than me.”
New thought: “They’re just further along. I’m on my way.”
🧠 Your brain believes what you repeat. Speak to yourself like you’d speak to a friend who’s learning and growing.
Keeping It Real: It Never Fully Goes Away
Even now, years in, impostor syndrome still shows up — especially when:
- 🚀 Starting something new
- 🧑💻 Leading a project
- 🎤 Giving a talk or mentoring others
But now I recognize it faster — and I know how to respond.
Quick Tools That Help Me Stay Grounded
✅ The 2-Minute Reset
When impostor feelings hit:
- Pause
- Breathe
- Remember a recent win
- Say: “This is hard because it’s new — not because I’m incapable.”
📘 Try a Learning Log
At the end of the day, write down:
- One thing you learned
- One challenge you faced
- One small win (even if it’s just “I asked a question”)
🔍 Comparison Reality Check
When you catch yourself comparing:
⚠️ You’re seeing their highlight reel
Ask yourself:
“What advice would I give a junior dev feeling like this?”
To You (and Me)
If you’re struggling with impostor syndrome right now, please hear this:
You belong in tech.
You’re not a mistake.
You’re not a fluke.
You care — and that already puts you ahead.
🙌 Choose One Small Action Today
- Start your own Victory Log
- Ask a real question in your next meeting
- Message a dev you admire
- Bookmark this post for the hard days
💬 Let’s Keep Talking
Have you faced impostor syndrome in your tech journey?
Drop a comment — your story could help someone else feel less alone. 💬
👨💻 About the Author
Nirmit Kotadiya is a full-stack developer and writer who helps developers go from passive learning to confident building. He shares real-world coding tips, mindset shifts, and practical ideas to grow in tech — and in life.
Build things that make you proud.
Share ideas that make you better.
📬 Follow Nirmit for new blog posts
🐦 Twitter/X: @NirmitKotadiya
💼 LinkedIn: nirmitkotadiya
🐙 GitHub: nirmitkotadiya
✍️ Medium: nirmitkotadiya
💻 Dev.to: nirmitkotadiya
Top comments (1)
Thank you for sharing your journey with impostor syndrome — it truly resonates. As someone in the tech field, it’s so easy to feel like you're not measuring up, especially when the learning curve feels endless. Your perspective shift from self-doubt to focusing on progress instead of perfection is incredibly inspiring. I’ve started implementing some of the strategies you mentioned, like keeping a victory log and reminding myself that growth is a journey, not a destination.
It’s comforting to hear that even seasoned developers experience the same feelings of insecurity. It reminds me that struggling is just part of the process, and it doesn’t make me any less capable. Thanks again for this post — it’s a real boost to know that we’re all in this together.