You shouldn't always be coding

February 24, 2024

There's a certain flavor of imposter syndrome that makes you think you should always be coding or learning about code.

Even in your time off, you should certainly be building your skills, right? How can you justify the time spent on other things?

Imposter syndrome & not the best-itis want you to believe that every waking moment should be dedicated to building your career.

That's a sure path to burnout. Not only that - it's a sure path to a boring life with regrets.

You need to take time to pursue your interests, follow hobbies, switch your brain into different modes, and LIVE! There's no point in doing software development if you feel you have to give up your life to learn it & constantly keep learning new things.

This is unconventional advice. At some point, you know enough. Trust yourself & believe that it's okay to not constantly be optimizing your knowledge for the next step in your career.

Here's an important point: The developers with varied interests, diverse skills, & wide-ranging knowledge are often more compelling candidates & able to make more valuable contributions.

It's not simply about how much computer science you know. Becoming a well-rounded human matters to finding meaning in your career.


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