A new challenge...
I am starting a personal challenge to defy myself in my software engineering career
Impostor syndrome
I have suffered from the impostor syndrome for way too long. But honestly, who hasn’t? That doesn’t make me unique in any way. I guess, though, it makes me relatable.
I graduated back in 2009 from Computer Engineering, and I have never felt I knew enough. Never.
For a long time, I have been unable to share my insights into software engineering due to the impostor syndrome, and I think it is time to end this.
I have encountered other developers who have openly shared how I am not as good as them, mocking me for my lack of knowledge. I guess in their minds, I needed to prove myself to them.
Unfortunately, all that negativity impacted my career and my love for programming. I never programmed to prove myself to my colleagues; instead, I programmed because I enjoyed it.
However, I want to remove those negative experiences and start sharing my journey to finally overcome this Impostor Syndrome, replacing it with a more purposeful framing.
The new me
The new me is a person who:
Is not afraid of failing in programming.
Is not scared of not knowing it all.
Is eager to encounter new challenges and share about them.
Is willing to learn new libraries, frameworks, and technologies.
Is curious about what’s new.
Is not afraid of sharing.
So, the new me is an open book who wants to reframe my mindset and embrace change.
An open challenge
I am challenging myself.
I want to use Substack as an experimental platform to share my software engineering insights, frustrations, discoveries, and more.
Expect a combination of personal touch in my newsletter, as it won’t be just pure programming or technical jargon.
I will write mainly about Python and JavaScript, but I don’t want to commit to any of those languages because I know the journey may change it all.
There’s a chance you won’t like everything I post here, and that’s fine. I don’t expect you to. I am not writing to anyone in particular, and I wish to be as candid as possible.
I will try to minimize the usage of AI (or rather LLMs) as much as possible to correct or give shape to my posts here on Substack. I want to remain as truthful to my voice and tone as possible.
My initial idea is to share one post per week here and slowly build it up.
Staying accountable
I know myself, and I know that I will be tempted to abandon my challenge. I will struggle along the way and doubt myself.
I want to set up a clear, achievable goal that is not too scary to initiate and sustain.
The explicit goal is:
Write one post a week about software engineering for an entire year, for a total of 52 posts.
Will you join me on this ride? Eager to see you!