Yesterday (Feb 4), my database Professor mentions about the "Dunning-Kruger Effect" early on in our first day. He mentioned that it is a recurring ...
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Intriguing post, Francis. I felt a real pang of recognition reading this, especially the way you described the tension between Dunning-Kruger and imposter syndrome. It honestly mirrors my own inner dialogue at times: moments of doubt, followed by moments where I realize I may have been overestimating myself earlier. It’s oddly reassuring to see that written out so clearly.
As for your question at the end, the way I’ve started to reconcile the two is by treating them for what they are: moments. Moments of doubt, and moments of overconfidence, not permanent truths about who I am or where I stand.
When I stopped treating those thoughts as verdicts and started seeing them as temporary states, it got easier to keep moving without constantly judging myself in my head. Of course, there are days when I feel completely lost, and others where I feel like I can take on anything. But zooming out helps, I’m just one small part of a much bigger system, and my responsibility is simply to show up and do my best in the work in front of me, regardless of how the previous day went.
Thanks for opening up this conversation. I think a lot of developers feel this tension but rarely see it articulated this honestly.
Thanks Aryan! Yea having these irrational thoughts are a pain. It's a good idea to treat them as temporary states as you mentioned since it eventually goes away.
I'm glad that you took the time to reflect and share! Thanks for reading!
Knowing both psychological biases is helpful, but still any "objective" assessment of our skills as a developer is relative to the world around us: coworkers, certifications, whatever. Being the smartest developer in a team or getting so smart that AI can't answer your questions still doesn't mean you've reached perfection. On the other hand, hacker culture used to strive for perfection which doesn't make sense for most tasks in today's business world where it's more important to be good enough or specialise with T-shaped expertise.
Hey Ingo! Hope you are well.
Great points! Knowing the two and understand helps you in self-reflection.
In my experience, there are developers who collect certifications as if they are filling up a PokeDex, but lack the knowledge of their expertise. I could assume that there is a difference between Book Smart Vs. Street Smart, but it is something I notice.
Yes, being the Smartest Developer doesn't mean you reach your "Max EXP". There is also more to learn and new things come out.
Thanks for your thoughts! Hope you are well on your journey as a Web Developer!
Imposter syndrome is a touchy subject but a good rule of thumb I'd say is.
Hey Daniel. Hope you are well.
Bingo. You hit the spot! I think it is more about you and if you are willing to learn and know that you have more to learn than what you think. It does negate the whole Kruger thing as you mentioned.
There is also the emotion factor that plays into it. You can be humble, but also talk negatively about yourself that you are not good enough. It's more of measuring out what is rational and irrational when it comes to it.
Thanks for your post! Seems like you made progress so far on Dev.to! Keep it up!
👍🏾 thanks. Your additions on the emotions too complete the point very well
This hits very close to home. I’ve felt both at the same time — confident one week, doubting everything the next.
What helped me was shifting from “Am I good enough?” to “Am I improving compared to yesterday?”
Clear feedback, real projects, and honest self-reflection beat both ego and self-doubt.
You’re right — the danger isn’t having either mindset, it’s not being aware of them. Awareness is already a big step forward.
Hey Bhavin!
You are correct. Having Awareness is key to know where you are at. It is a good idea to think about if you are improving compare to yesterday or anywhere in the past.
It's also to keep in mind of the difference between comparing yourself with yourself in the past Versus comparing yourself to others. I mentioned this because you talked about "Clear feedback" since feedback and come from a range of developers. We have to know if the feedback we receive is helpful or if the feedback they give us is just insults.
Thanks for your thoughts on this topic! Hope your journey is going well!
This is such a sharp analysis of the 'Developer’s Paradox.' You hit the nail on the head: both Dunning-Kruger and Imposter Syndrome are essentially just 'calibration errors' in our self-perception. To answer your riddle, I think we find the truth in feedback loops. Code reviews, pair programming, and shipping to production are the 'Avengers of Humanity' you mentioned. Reality is a great stabilizer—the compiler doesn’t care about our ego or our insecurities; it only cares if the logic works. Thanks for sharing this; it's a vital reminder for anyone, especially those just starting out!
Hey Shamb! Hope you are well.
Finding truths in the feedback loops is great! I do see the problem with it the more I think about it because you can be in the wrong group of developers and you are receiving feedback that may not help you.
Though you are correct about compilers. They do not care about your ego, they only care if it works.
I guess you have to be in the right people and be in the right setting in order to get where you needed to be. Otherwise, being in the wrong group of developers may not help you in the long run.
Thanks for your thoughts on this topic! Hope your journey goes well!
For me, it's Imposter Syndrome all the time.
Mostly for me as well. But after hearing about this effect, it makes me second guess about my ability and knowledge as a Dev. Thanks for reading btw!
Honestly, for me it’s mostly impostor syndrome.
Yea it is usually common among Developers, especially newcomers as well. Hopefully you are doing alright! Great content you have so far btw :D
Technology is shifting so fast that it is impossible to become an expert in every aspect of our field. But that is what makes the field so exciting to be a part of. I sometimes feel a sense of FOMO and imposter syndrome as I feel there are just too many tools out there to learn and try.
Having a personal/professional growth plan with a set of priorities and goals is key to not losing yourself in this sea of possibilities.
You mention self-reflection as a solution, I think that is necessary especially today to slow down sometimes to make sure you are moving in the direction that is aligned with where you want to be.
Hey Julien! Hope you are well!
Yes, tech is changing ALOT. An example of when ChatGPT came out, everything changed. New bar of getting into the Job, layoffs, etc.
Having a plan is a great idea in general. It helps you keep yourself on track and knowing what you need to improve since you are writing it down. I came to Dev.to to do exactly that: Do Monthly Dev Reports about what I discover, accomplish, and goals for next month as I did for January here.
Thanks for your thoughts on the topic! Hope your journey goes to fruition!
Nice! Love the Monthly Dev Reports! Keep it up :)
Lol! It is not the case for most people. The imposter syndrome when you start a new job :)
I think for most, especially new Devs, that where Imposter Syndrome emerges. But yea, I do agree that Imposter Syndrome do take place on a new Job! Thanks for reading!
No problem! That is true.