Impostor Syndrome and the Developer
Isaque Barbosa September 20, 2024 #Life #Psychology #Impostor #Syndrome #Mental #HealthIntroduction
Why did I decide to address this topic? Well, for as long as I can remember, I have always had a lot of difficulty exposing myself to the world, and part of this difficulty was because I didn’t think I was enough. I didn’t see value in what I could teach others, in what I could contribute. Similarly, I began to observe those around me and noticed that perhaps this syndrome was more common than I thought and that it might be important to talk about it and how it is very present in our environment.
What is Impostor Syndrome?
Impostor Syndrome is a psychological disorder in which a person cannot recognize their own achievements. The person sees themselves as insufficient, undeserving of their accomplishments and positions, and believes they will be exposed as a fraud at any moment.[1]
And where does the developer fit into this?
Throughout my experiences, both in academia and in the job market, I have always witnessed some level of this syndrome in the people around me. Moreover, I also place myself in the same category. I think the pressure from the market, the job requirements demanding more and more from us, and the amount of knowledge we need to acquire end up generating a lot of anxiety in us, and as a consequence, we develop this disorder.
One of the roots I observe is the attempt to meet all these demands, and unfortunately, we have very limited time. For some groups, the demand to be an outstanding individual comes from a very young age. LGBTQIAPN+ people, Black people, women, PWDs, neurodivergent individuals, among others, face a lot of pressure because, in addition to meeting market demands, they need to be more, deliver more, to ultimately be on the same level as others.
Obviously, this syndrome is not exclusive to those who work with software. This text is an observation of our bubble and, mainly, of my experience, my struggle. The very creation of this blog was a great difficulty and a struggle that I overcame, even though I was ashamed of not knowing exactly what to write about or if what I say has value or needs to have value, but here I am. And for others who also go through this, we are here together, we are capable, and no matter how difficult the journey is, the hardest part is the first step. Once the first step is taken, once the attempt is made, the rest is to keep going strong.