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Re: #7, there's sort of a catch-22 with that, and not just with software, with any creative endeavor. If you struggle, bash your head against the problem, put

Re: #7, there's sort of a catch-22 with that, and not just with software, with any creative endeavor. If you struggle, bash your head against the problem, put in a lot of hours, and eventually produce something that works you may feel like you don't really understand what you're doing, that you only managed to produce something by brute force and luck (which may sometimes actually be true). On the other hand, if you breeze through something and knock out a solution with little effort it may seem like you're not actually doing anything at all. It's easy to undervalue knowledge and the difficulty of acquiring it. Just as it's easy to undervalue merely putting in the time and effort even when skills are underdeveloped. What ultimately matters is whether or not you were able to build something worthwhile that wouldn't have existed without your effort. Re: #10, also use good commit messages. I find this harder with smaller commit increments such as with using git. Lately I've tried to avoid using "change" or "fix" as the first words in my commit messages.

HeyLaughingBoy 13y ago
I find that it goes away with experience. Over time we learn that the true value in our output isn't to ourselves, it's to the users. I see users of a simple file parsing utility that took me an hour to write gushing over the amount of time it saves them every day and it just makes me feel good to be able to help someone with such little effort.
- InclinedPlane 13y ago
  Not everyone is the same, for some it doesn't go away as easily. I've heard plenty of stories from talented artists, makers, and devs of falling into that mentality. It can be difficult to kick for the reasons I laid out. When it's hard it feels like you're a fraud, when it's easy it feels like you're cheating. It's not true, but people should be aware that these sorts of feelings are pretty common. I'm reminded of the scene in Office Space where people are brought in an asked to describe what they do. That sort of thing is harder than one may think, it can be difficult to fully sum up how one works and in what ways one's skillset and expertise is valuable. For several years I had a job that was very difficult for me to describe to others succinctly. Mostly because it was hard to explain what I did if you didn't know many other details of the development process within the organization, some of them highly technical. To use an analogy, it's a bit like asking why Beethoven is good music (without falling back on popularity). To express such things succinctly can be quite difficult, more so if you're put on the spot. Most people don't spend hours and hours thinking about how to justify the value of their own work, because that sort of thing can seem egotistical, more so if they already suffer from imposter syndrome. And without doing that when they put themselves on the spot they'll fall into the same trap of not having a good answer.

HeyLaughingBoy 13y ago

I find that it goes away with experience. Over time we learn that the true value in our output isn't to ourselves, it's to the users. I see users of a simple file parsing utility that took me an hour to write gushing over the amount of time it saves them every day and it just makes me feel good to be able to help someone with such little effort.

InclinedPlane 13y ago
Not everyone is the same, for some it doesn't go away as easily. I've heard plenty of stories from talented artists, makers, and devs of falling into that mentality. It can be difficult to kick for the reasons I laid out. When it's hard it feels like you're a fraud, when it's easy it feels like you're cheating. It's not true, but people should be aware that these sorts of feelings are pretty common. I'm reminded of the scene in Office Space where people are brought in an asked to describe what they do. That sort of thing is harder than one may think, it can be difficult to fully sum up how one works and in what ways one's skillset and expertise is valuable. For several years I had a job that was very difficult for me to describe to others succinctly. Mostly because it was hard to explain what I did if you didn't know many other details of the development process within the organization, some of them highly technical. To use an analogy, it's a bit like asking why Beethoven is good music (without falling back on popularity). To express such things succinctly can be quite difficult, more so if you're put on the spot. Most people don't spend hours and hours thinking about how to justify the value of their own work, because that sort of thing can seem egotistical, more so if they already suffer from imposter syndrome. And without doing that when they put themselves on the spot they'll fall into the same trap of not having a good answer.