Likewise. Not to go onto too much of tangent, but on a more personal note I've been generally struggling with this feeling a lot lately.
I've been a professional software developer for almost 10 years, and I _know_ I'm competent (and not an impostor) as demonstrated by my current position and ability to ship things.
However, lately after viewing developer blogs I become overwhelmed that I actually don't know enough and am not a "real" developer. I seem to have formed a notion of an ideal developer in my head and I compare myself against this imagined construct which leads to these feelings. I admire how these people have so much deep knowledge and can express themselves so clearly and concisely, then wonder why I am not like that.
I barely have the energy after work after taking care of my family to do anything further, and I know programming isn't everything but I do have a desire to learn more and improve myself.
I recognize this isn't healthy nor is it rational, but it's just a feeling I can't shake lately.
What you're describing is very common amongst developers. So common in fact, that I've written a post about this https://alic.dev/blog/comparisons
In short: recognizing your insecurities is the first step. The next step is figuring out what's important to you, shedding impossible to achieve and irrational ambitions, prioritizing your goals in life, and articulating concrete steps to further them.
Well, you're probably comparing yourself against the top 1% of developers. It's okay to not be the very best, being in the top 30% of this field already is very rewarding.
I happen to personally know the author, and I'm not really surprised he pulled this off. Using him as a baseline of who is a real developer his extremely unhealthy. Please don't :)
I've been a professional software developer for almost 10 years, and I _know_ I'm competent (and not an impostor) as demonstrated by my current position and ability to ship things.
However, lately after viewing developer blogs I become overwhelmed that I actually don't know enough and am not a "real" developer. I seem to have formed a notion of an ideal developer in my head and I compare myself against this imagined construct which leads to these feelings. I admire how these people have so much deep knowledge and can express themselves so clearly and concisely, then wonder why I am not like that.
I barely have the energy after work after taking care of my family to do anything further, and I know programming isn't everything but I do have a desire to learn more and improve myself.
I recognize this isn't healthy nor is it rational, but it's just a feeling I can't shake lately.