The Interview That Exposed Me
Senior position, final round. Interviewer: “How would you implement a LRU cache?”
Blank stare. Fumbled through an answer. Left convinced I’d bombed.
I got the job. They cared more about problem-solving than memorized algorithms.
For months after, I thought: “They made a mistake. Eventually, they’ll figure it out.”
That’s imposter syndrome.
What It Actually Is
Feeling that:
- You’re not as competent as others think
- You’ve fooled people into thinking you’re good
- You’ll be “found out” eventually
- Your success is luck, not skill
- Everyone else knows more than you
The irony: 70% of people experience this. It’s worse among high achievers because stakes are higher.
People who admit it: Maya Angelou, Tom Hanks, Albert Einstein. You’re in good company.
Why Developers Are Especially Prone
1. Field changes too fast: Every time you master something, new frameworks emerge. Everyone feels behind. Normal.
2. Visibility of what you don’t know: You see yourself Googling basic syntax, using Copilot, asking ChatGPT. Everyone does this. Senior engineers Google “center a div” too.
3. Comparing behind-the-scenes to highlight reels: You see others’ finished projects, polished code, weekend wins. You don’t see their 10 failed attempts, bugs they’re still fixing, tutorials they followed.
4. Dunning-Kruger in reverse: Incompetent people overestimate ability. Competent people underestimate ability. If you think you’re not good enough, you’re probably better than you think.
What Helps
1. Document Your Wins
Keep a “brag document.” Write down every shipped feature, bug fix, teammate help, learning, positive feedback.
When imposter syndrome hits, read this. Reminds you: You’ve done hard things.
2. Talk About It
“I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing sometimes.”
Response: “Dude, SAME.”
Imposter syndrome thrives in silence. Say it out loud.
3. Remember: Senior ≠ Knows Everything
Junior developers think: “Senior engineers know everything.”
Senior engineers know: “I know how to figure things out.”
Difference isn’t knowledge. It’s:
- Knowing where to find answers
- Asking good questions
- Breaking problems down
- Learning quickly
4. Everyone Googles Everything
I Google array methods, git commands, regex, flexbox, how to exit Vim. Senior engineers Google all of this plus architecture patterns, database optimization, everything else.
Googling = how we work.
5. Reframe Failure as Learning
Old: “I failed. I’m not good enough.” New: “I learned what doesn’t work. Now I’m smarter.”
Every senior engineer has: Broken production, deleted the database, shipped bugs, felt confused, felt stupid.
They kept going.
6. Focus on Growth, Not Comparison
Stop comparing to: Twitter’s 10x engineer, teammate who learned at 12, startup weekend hero.
Start comparing to: You 6 months ago, you last year, you when you started.
Are you better? You’re growing. That’s what matters.
7. Teach What You Know
Write a blog post. Give a talk. Help a junior developer.
You’ll realize: “Wait, I actually understand this.”
Teaching reveals how much you know.
What NOT to Do
Don’t pretend you know everything: “I haven’t used GraphQL, but I’d love to learn.”
Don’t downplay achievements: Accept compliments. You earned them.
Don’t wait until you “feel ready”: You’ll never feel 100% ready. Apply for the job. Give the talk. Ship the project. Confidence comes AFTER doing the thing.
The Paradox
Bad developers think they’re great (Dunning-Kruger). Good developers think they’re bad (Imposter Syndrome).
If you feel like an imposter, you’re probably competent.
Imposter syndrome sucks. But you’re not alone. You’re not a fraud.
You’re a developer who is still learning, makes mistakes, Googles things, feels confused sometimes.
That’s being human.
Keep going. You belong here. You’re good enough.
Someday, you’ll help someone else who feels the way you do now.