Hey, you. Yes, you, staring at your screen, questioning all your life choices because your code won’t work.
Maybe you’ve been stuck on a bug for hours.
Maybe you just watched a YouTube tutorial and still don’t get it.
Maybe you saw someone’s “10x engineer” code and thought, “Wow, I suck.”
Welcome to Impostor Syndrome: Developer Edition.
The good news? You’re not alone.
The even better news? Feeling this way is actually a sign that you’re growing. Let’s talk about why.
Let’s talk about it.
1. Struggling Doesn’t Mean You Suck – It Means You’re Learning
Ever tried learning something new, like riding a bike?
You wobbled, you fell, you maybe even cried (no judgment). But did you say, “Welp, I guess I’m just not meant to ride bikes”? No!
Coding is the same.
The fact that you're struggling means you’re growing. The only developers who don’t struggle are the ones who aren’t pushing themselves.
So next time you feel stuck, reframe it:
🚀 You’re not failing—you’re leveling up.
2. Every Developer Googles (Yes, Even the Senior Ones)
Think experienced devs just know everything off the top of their head? Nope.
💡 They Google.
💡 They check Stack Overflow.
💡 They copy-paste their own old code.
The difference? They’ve just gotten better at finding solutions faster.
Skill isn’t about never needing help—it’s about knowing where to look.
Because even the best developers Google all the time. The difference? They’ve just gotten faster at finding solutions.
So next time you feel bad about looking something up, remember:
✅ Googling isn’t cheating—it’s a skill.
- You Don’t Have to Remember Everything (Seriously, Stop Trying)
Pop quiz! Without looking it up:
- What does .reduce() do?
- What’s the difference between call(), apply(), and bind()?
- Can you write a regex pattern from memory? No? Me neither.
And you don’t need to.
Coding isn’t about memorizing every little thing—it’s about problem-solving. If you know how to break things down and find answers, you’re already a great developer.
4. Debugging is a Superpower, Not a Sign of Failure
Raise your hand if you’ve ever:
👀 Spent hours debugging, only to find out it was a missing semicolon.
💀 Deleted all your code and rewritten it because “it just wasn’t working.”
🤡 Added console.log("here") everywhere like a crime scene investigator.
Congrats! You’re a real developer.
Debugging isn’t something to avoid—it’s a skill. Every time you debug, you’re becoming a better problem-solver.
Next time you’re stuck, instead of thinking:
❌ “Ugh, why am I so bad at this?”
Try thinking:
✅ “Look at me, improving my debugging skills in real-time.”
5. That “Smart” Developer You Admire? They Feel Like This Too.
You know that one dev who always seems to know everything? The one who writes code so clean it belongs in a museum?
They have doubts too.
Even the best developers feel like they’re not good enough sometimes. The difference?
They don’t let it stop them.
So, What’s the Takeaway?
✅ Struggling? That means you’re learning.
✅ Googling a lot? So does everyone.
✅ Feel like you don’t know enough? Welcome to tech.
✅ Thinking you’re not a “real” developer? You already are.
You’re not a bad developer.
You’re just a developer. And that’s more than enough. 🚀
💬 What’s the worst case of impostor syndrome you’ve ever had? Let’s talk in the comments—you’re not alone! 😊👇
Top comments (2)
Nice article :-) I have been programming for well over 15 years but still have those "Brick wall" moments.
I recently spent more than a week debugging an issue, it's a new AI-based audio processing product that has little to no research, so StackOverflow and even ChatGPT/Claude weren't much help.
Worst, the language is C# and hardware-related, I am a Linux Python/PHP/Golang person and haven't written in C# for years so having to re-learn C# and figure out the libraries all while having customers on my back is a pain!
However, just pushing through, researching, poking, and prodding over and over, repeat, fail, fail, fail, get somewhere, fail some more, question my life choices 😂 and fail more.
Eventually, after much trial and error, I figured it out. Days were wasted with no result, but eventually, I solved the issue.
As a dev, you just have to believe you can solve these problems, with over-confidence and a don't give-up attitude you can solve anything. Just keep learning :-)
Thank you for sharing your experience! It’s amazing how even with 15+ years of experience, there are still challenges that push us to our limits. Debugging an AI-based audio processing issue in an unfamiliar language with customer pressure sounds like a true test of patience and perseverance!
Your approach—pushing through failures, questioning life choices 😂, and ultimately solving the problem—is exactly what makes a great developer. It’s not about never struggling; it’s about believing in yourself and pushing forward despite the setbacks. Your story perfectly reinforces the idea that struggling doesn’t make someone a bad developer—it’s part of the journey. Thanks again for sharing this, and happy coding! 🚀