Being a developer can be freaking intimidating.
Maybe it’s just me, but I always feel like I should know more. And to be fair, I have learned quite a bit over the past 15 years, but somehow, that never really feels like enough.
Every time I talk with another dev, I instinctively assume they know more than me. Doesn’t matter what their title says, or how long they’ve been doing this, or even what stack they use. Our world is just too big. Everyone’s got their own frameworks, habits, libraries, best practices. And me? I always feel like I’m the one stuck with legacy code, outdated tools, and bad habits I still need to shake off.
Is That a Bad Mindset?
Well… it depends.
Let’s start with the downside. Constantly undervaluing yourself is, frankly, a pain. Impostor syndrome has been a part of my career for as long as I can remember. I’ve rarely felt like I was really contributing. Most of the time I just assumed I was the one trying to keep up, while everyone else actually knew what they were doing.
And that does take a toll.
It crushes your perspective. If you don’t see the value you bring, it’s really hard for others to see it too. It doesn’t mean you have to walk around with over-the-top confidence, but you need at least some inner voice that reminds you you're moving forward. That you're improving. That you're not stuck.
Because here’s the truth: when people start to understand your value, underselling yourself too much isn’t humbleness anymore — it’s self-sabotage.
But There’s a Flip Side
This mindset isn’t all bad.
In fact, a bit of humility is probably one of the best traits a developer can have. I’m not talking about being a doormat. I’m talking about being open. Open to other perspectives, new approaches, different stacks, weird solutions. Being humble keeps your mind elastic. And that’s priceless in a job like ours, where no one can know it all.
Being exposed to stuff I don’t know lights a fire in me. It pushes me to study more, dig deeper, understand things from the inside out. The drive to keep learning. That’s the real skill nobody talks about enough. I block out time almost daily to study something new, revisit something old, or just see what other devs are working on. That kind of curiosity has probably shaped me more than any tutorial or bootcamp ever could.
And here’s the best part: not knowing stuff is what pushes me to ask questions. To talk with people who are better than me. To build real connections. Bragging doesn’t build networks, shared struggles do.
Still Don’t Know Enough — And That’s Okay
Over time, I’ve tried to take this fear — this constant feeling of “not enough” — and flip it into something useful. Something that drives me instead of freezing me.
No, I don’t know enough. But I hope I never do. Because that hunger to improve, that sense of wonder and frustration and curiosity. That’s what keeps me in the game. That’s what makes me a better dev, a better teammate, and a better person.