Stop Calling Software Developers Smart

Let's defeat imposter syndrome together! Software development is amazing and we shouldn't be afraid that we aren't smart enough to pursue it.

Also check out...

Check out my courses on LinkedIn Learning!

Support me on Patreon!

Check out my Python Basics course on Highbrow!

Check out behind-the-scenes and more tech tips on my Instagram!

Free HACKATHON MODE playlist:

MY FAVORITE THINGS:
Uber Invite Code: kathrynh1277ue
Postmates Invite Code: 7373F

Want to BINGE?? Check out these playlists...

[ElanaTee]

This is great. When people say similar things to me I try to tell them what I honestly think: yes, programming is very challenging, but I do believe that everyone can learn how to code and excel at it. Programming has a lot to do with persistence and curiosity, not intelligence!

[matth]

This is why I didn't go into software right after high school, I thought I wasn't good enough at math. Then after getting a worthless business degree and hating my life. I'm going back to school for coding and it's not even hard and everyone assumes i'm a genius like you said lol.

[thomasyarger]

This is the same mindset that's in cyber security at the moment. It feels almost like an elitist society. Most people don't openly share knowledge or exchange ideas. Makes it hard to have discussions with some people.

[Kovaelin]

Wasn't aware this was a thing. I've always associated software development with patience. The hours spent troubleshooting is why I diverged away from coding. Not that other jobs don't require patience. I often feel "impostor syndrome" even in the science - I personally think it comes from the fact that everything I know could easily be gained by someone else, but I'm often surprised how my approaches to problems can vary greatly from others.

[dysheekieYT]

This is spot on. Sometimes I do feel like an imposter — not really at my current job, but when I look at requirements for other software development jobs in the area and see the huge list of acronyms that I wasn’t even aware existed - I feel like “what am I even doing here...”. I had an interview at one place where the devs were so full of themselves. One of their questions was “who is your favorite programmer in history”. Jeeze... I have a favorite movie/band/videogame but haven’t put a lot of thought into historical programmers.

[windowsforvista]

Definitely agree! There were so many people at my university with huge egos were the ones who couldn't actually do anything. It was so annoying. The only thing is that people should still be proud of how difficult software engineering is, and not play it down!

[HatedAlways]

I always get this. "Wow! You must be smart! 😉" Not necessarily. Anyone can learn to code IMO. Either way, I know some idiots in this field. I never buy into the "smart" label.

[christinea]

Thanks for sharing your frustration on this common happening. I'm still working on training myself specifically in coding, but: back when I was working as an engineer in another field... or even before that, I got that "you must be smart" conversation starter a lot. I only knew one thing to say to that, which was probably not the best: "well, I don't know... I eff up all the time, but I try to get stuff done." Then I'd start worrying that I won't be able to please them by measuring up to their expectations and just end up shutting up. But I don't know... I think my first response was alright for me because I was just being honest. I really did try to get stuff done, and I wasn't happy with a lot of the stuff I had completed. If anyone has a good answer, I'm all eyes, so reply away!

[wolfymaster]

Used to get that reaction, and I found it is was correlated with the type of people I was talking to. People who are close-minded and lack and understanding of the world around them more often than not will have that reaction - but folks who pay attention and are involved with economic development, investing, and paying attention to what is going on are pretty much like, "so what?". I haven't had a "you must be smart" reaction in several years after moving out of a small town.

[Oompa]

This is the premise of the whole book 'Mindset' by Carol S. Dweck. It's a great read, particularly for parents or teachers, on the right way to give praise.

[andrewtechful]

I think smartness should not necessarily be determined based on your title but the things you can do with it. I personally look at coding as a form of art. We never call Artists smart, instead we usually call them "amazing" or "great" because we've probably seen them make a really good drawing or produce a very catchy song before. I think the same applies for software engineers. Nobody starts off as a wizard but depending on your determination and curiosity, you can build things over time and really earn being called smart.

[hectoralvarado]

I'm trying to learn how to be a software developer and keep getting regected cos i'm not an engineer. And I believe that my background it's valuable as much as a engineer, still some people looks down on me. Also there is a misogynist tought that smart woman are not beatiful so woman on technology has to be ugly, I think it's all part of the same discrimination of the "Smart people" (smart is the new sexy right? ) so we got standards of how smart people should look, act, study, be... and it's just sad, knowing that 90% of the success as developers comes from mistakes, and learning from them. I Think. Great reflexion.

[n.g.]

May I ask what you do specifically and what languages you use on a daily basis?

[wahidbawa]

I agree with you, all of us have our stupid moments and when we experience those moments we become unwilling to work towards fixing a problem. That would be like if Einstein just gave up on his theory of relativity because there was nothing there to prove it at the time.

[DarshanSenTheComposer]

I was wondering that, if you are a software developer, then you must have gone through one of those job interviews where they ask you for algorithms to solve some problems. I've seen some YT videos of people demonstrating what a real J.I. looks like. I've tried a lot, but those problems seem to be too tough to be solved in that amount of time. It feels like they make it seem too easy. Doesn't that mean that one needs to be smart to get a job like that?

[AJAYSHARMA-gbqw]

Hello madamji I am from India and want to learn compitetive programming..
Can give us seminar....

[cylonfaba]

Everyone can code at some level, yes, but not necessarily at a more complex level. For example, a banking or government system is more complex than a website. And for safety-critical systems I would not hire just anyone. And yes, you need to understand math if you want to code advanced systems because you need to have the required logical thinking (which you have if you know math). Some of my friends have taken basic programming courses and failed. Many drop out of programming education/courses because there is something they do not understand about programming. I am not sure if people fail because they do not know enough, are not interested enough or what. You can be smart at many things and I think programmers usually are smart people. Then there are braggers of course, and some/most of them talk more and know less. I learned this in the university, those who bragged about their skills or complained about other students' code usually did not know how to code/solve problems. Personally I have met more "Really?" reactions than "Wow, you are smart!" and I think that is because I am an ok-looking female.

[ntnvlgsvlgs]

I think you need to use it to your advantage, meaning let them think you are smart for being a software developer if that works to your advantage. Btw, do you offer any sort or teaching services, like to ask specific questions?

[lasredchris]

Have you read "ego is the enemy"?

[Andrewzero]

I think there is a good being made here. I mean don't get me wrong, I feel smart whenever I'm learning some new programming topic or If I get over some technical hurdle. And you feel good about yourself, but you're not different from anyone who dedicates a lot of time to a certain discipline.

I mean, this even happens with science, engineering, and math. It's a STEM thing XD

But really, the fact that we are programmers just means that we have a lot more motivation for figuring things out and solving problems. Does that make us smarter? 🤷‍♂️
There's a lot of people that are smart for things I am dumb to, because I don't focus on those topics. I'm only one human, I gotta focus on master 1 craft at least.

Also, as a way to bring this idea across a little better. Imagine this. Being able to solve a Rubix cube doesn't necessarily mean your smart, but more so that you dedicated a lot of time to trying to solve it. Which probably included googling it (which is what I did in middle school). Which is something ANYONE can do.