Imposter Syndrome-Driven Development

“Maybe I’m fooling everyone… I’m not good enough for this, and at this point, it is a question of time until everyone figures it out” these might be the words that cross your mind as your coworker compliments you for doing another fantastic job at delivering a new feature.
As you grow in your career, so does your uncertainty. You put in the extra hours, learn all the new technologies, and join all the initiatives you can, but at the end of the day, it never feels enough.
At this point, that feeling is leading your actions and decisions. It is the thing that is driving your career. Only one question persists:
Are you really an imposter?

Transcript

1. "Maybe I'm not enough" "I'm fooling everyone" "I'm not good enough for this" "Now that this task is done, what is next?" "I've just been lucky" "I am in way over my head here" "This person is way smarter than me, what am I doing here" "They will soon find out I'm a fraud" @danieljcafonso
2. Daniel Afonso @danieljcafonso Imposter Syndrome- Driven Development
3. %BOJFM
   "GPOTP
   @danieljcafonso www.danieljcafonso.com Developer Advocate Egghead.io Instructor Auth0 Ambassador
4. @danieljcafonso how are you able to learn so much to do a great talk like this one? It was nothing much! Honestly I don't think I did that well. You did amazing. I really wish I could something like that. Most of the days I feel I don't know enough and am just fooling my coworkers. ? ? ? ? ? At a conference
5. Getting hit with Imposter Syndrome @danieljcafonso
6. @danieljcafonso Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/ORDz1m1-q0I?utm_source=unsplash Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/vGgn0xLdy8s?utm_source=unsplash Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/sxQz2VfoFBE?utm_source=unsplash Where did it come from?
7. How Imposter Syndrome pushed my career? @danieljcafonso
8. @danieljcafonso Software Engineer Frontend focused Paved the way for growing into DevRel Senior Frontend Engineer First full remote job Architecture responsibility Team Management Developer Advocate First DevRel job NOW First big job Full Stack team of mostly senior developers Junior Software Engineer
9. @danieljcafonso Junior Software Engineer First big job Full Stack team of mostly senior developers "I'm a fraud" "This is too much no way I will ever know all of this" "I need to catch up fast" "I don't belong here" "Yup, this is when they fire me"
10. @danieljcafonso Frontend focused Paved the way for growing into DevRel "No way I will ever be a Dev Advocate" “Why do I deserve a pay increase, I’m just doing my job” “What they are allowing me to train some trainees? Now they are definitely going to catch me, why would they trust them to me” “This new thing just showed up. I need to learn it asap to show I’m worth being here” Software Engineer
11. @danieljcafonso Frontend focused Paved the way for growing into DevRel “Why should I write about things some else already did… who will care about me?” Software Engineer
12. @danieljcafonso Frontend focused Paved the way for growing into DevRel “No one is going to show up” Software Engineer “How much time until they start leaving?” "They just stayed until the end because it would look bad to get up and leave"
13. @danieljcafonso First full remote job Architecture responsibility Team Management “They hired me as a senior? Yup, the biggest mistake of their lives” “I’m starting this project? I’ll be fired on the first week” “They questioned my ways of working, maybe they are right. Maybe I don't really understand this” Senior Frontend Engineer “Management? I can’t even manage myself… how will I manage a team?”
14. @danieljcafonso First full remote job Architecture responsibility Team Management “They having me lead this project, no way this will be delivered in time” “Obviously It didn’t. I didn’t do my job properly” Senior Frontend Engineer
15. @danieljcafonso NOW First DevRel job “What, I’m the first dev advocate. They are crazy to hire me” “What am I doing? I don’t have any experience” Developer Advocate
16. @danieljcafonso “Wow, they gave me the opportunity to speak here, yup I’ll be eaten alive” Public Speaking "I'm going to suck" "I don’t know this properly" "They are going to yell at me when I open my mouth"
17. @danieljcafonso Public Speaking
18. @danieljcafonso "All of these people know so much. Why did they invited me" Public Speaking "I don't belong here"
19. @danieljcafonso Junior Software Engineer First big job
20. @danieljcafonso Junior Software Engineer First big job What can I improve in my work and processes? Constant need to help others "The more I know the less I feel like I know" Constant need to learn FOMO
21. When will disappear? @danieljcafonso
22. What comes next? @danieljcafonso
23. @danieljcafonso
24. @danieljcafonso Imposter
25. Daniel Afonso @danieljcafonso Imposter Syndrome- Driven Development