Learning to Code but Feel Not Good Enough? 10 Signs of Imposter Syndrome

When I started learning to code, I spent months thinking everyone else was faster, smarter, and somehow more “meant” for this than me.
I literally googled things like “why do I feel like I’m not good enough to be a programmer?” – maybe that’s how you found this article too.

But let me tell you – it’s normal.
And yes, it eventually goes away.

What you’ll get from this article:

✅ Learn what imposter syndrome really is (and why it hits beginner coders so hard)
✅ Recognize 10 common signs you might be struggling with it
✅ Get tips and real-life examples to help you stop feeling “not good enough”

What is imposter syndrome (for beginner coders)

In short: it’s that annoying feeling that you’re not as competent as people think you are – even when you have proof you actually are.
It happens to students, junior devs… and yes, sometimes even senior engineers.

My little story

I started my coding journey over 5 years ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday.
It was exciting, but nothing can erase those moments of tears and panic when I heard some weird technical term, a random library name, or a tool I didn’t know… and my brain screamed:

“You should know this already!”

But here’s the truth:
Nobody is born with programming knowledge.
Before you learn – you just don’t know. And that’s OK.

You can’t learn to code overnight.
And you will never know everything about tech. (It’s literally impossible.)

But when you’re just starting out, your brain keeps playing tricks on you.
You think: “If others know this, I must know it too.”

No, no, and no. Stop thinking like that.

Look at me – today I’m an experienced software engineer and a university lecturer teaching programming… and I still don’t know everything.
And I honestly don’t care.

If I don’t use something in my daily work, I don’t stress about learning it right now.
It’s just another tool I can pick up later when it’s actually needed.

🚀 Let’s Get to the Good Part

So, if you’re learning to code and feeling like you’re not good enough – you’re in the right place.

Let’s go through 10 signs you might have imposter syndrome so you can finally name what’s happening in your head.

1. You downplay your achievements – even when others praise you

You finish your first project, someone tells you “wow, that’s great!” –
and you answer: “eh, it was nothing.”

I did exactly this with my first personal website.
I thought it was ugly, “not ready for the world,” and I literally hid it.
Today I can’t even find it anymore – it’s probably deleted forever.

But here’s the thing: that project was not bad.
It was just proof that I was a beginner – and beginners are not experts (yet!).
That’s the whole point of learning to code: you start small, get better with every line of code, and that’s how progress happens.

If everything came easy, we’d never improve.
We’d just stop, stay in the same place, and never grow.

👉 Remember: Being proud of your early work doesn’t mean you think it’s perfect –
it means you honor how far you’ve come.

2. You feel like a fraud – waiting to be “found out.”

This one is intense.
You get into an interview, a bootcamp, or even your very first job… and instead of feeling proud, you think:

“Soon they’ll find out I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“They’ll discover I’m not good enough and tell me to leave.”

That was me in my first interviews and even in my first jobs.
I would sit there quietly, nodding, while in my head I was just waiting for someone to expose me as a “fake.”

The truth?
I wasn’t a fraud.
I was just a beginner.

But instead of supporting myself, I kept digging a hole under my own feet –
convincing myself I didn’t belong.

Learning to respect yourself as a beginner is actually a skill –
and a very valuable one.

You can’t compare a junior to a senior developer and expect the same results.
Everyone was a beginner once.
Your job is to focus on growth, not comparison.

👉 Remember: Being new doesn’t mean being fake.
You earned your place – even if your brain keeps telling you otherwise.

3. You think your success is just luck – not skill

This is so common.
People often say things like: “Oh, you were lucky to get into that school”
or “Wow, lucky you got that job.”

But let’s be honest – this is not about luck, it’s about skills.
No one hires a programmer for any other reason –
and you can be sure about that.

I’ve been through so many interviews and had several jobs as a software engineer,
and I can guarantee you this:

Luck is just a tiny piece –
maybe you saw the job posting at the right moment –
but you got hired because you have the skills they need.

4. You compare yourself to others constantly – and feel behind

Comparing yourself when you just started learning to code
with experienced seniors makes no sense –
but it happened to me too, so I completely get it.

It’s a mistake, and the sooner we realize it, the better.
It’s just the wrong comparison.

They were in our shoes one day too.
Of course now they’re better – and one day, we will be too.

Start Coding in 10 Simple Steps 🚀

Grab our free PDF roadmap and take the first bite of code today.

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5. You set unrealistically high standards – then feel bad if you don’t reach them

We all love to plan big.
New Year’s resolutions, huge study goals, “I’ll finish this whole coding course in a month!”

But let’s be real – how much of that can we actually handle?

When I started learning to code, I watched a YouTube video
where a guy said he became a programmer in two months.
I wanted that too – but it took me much longer, and I felt bad about it.

But honestly… how do I even know he was telling the full story?
People on the internet say all sorts of things,
and we can’t verify if their journey is exactly what they claim.

Learning to code is a process and programming takes time.
You need hours of practice to actually improve.
It’s a well-known scientific fact that it takes around 10,000 hours
to become an expert at anything –
so do the math and you’ll see it’s way more than just a few weeks.

But here’s the good news:
You don’t have to be an expert to become a junior developer and get your first job.
That guy probably wasn’t a “super expert” after two months either –
he was probably just a beginner developer with enough basics to start.

6. You struggle to accept compliments – and brush them off quickly

Some people are naturally humble – and that’s okay.
But don’t downplay your own achievements.

You can keep a poker face when someone compliments your work,
but deep inside you’re allowed to feel proud.

In fact, go celebrate it.
Go out to a restaurant or see a movie –
make it a little celebration that someone at work noticed your effort.

I remember getting praised for fixing a bug
that kept the whole team awake for days.
At first, I wanted to say “oh, it was nothing”,
but then I just smiled and let myself enjoy the win.

7. You fear failure more than you enjoy success – mistakes feel huge

When I was just starting out,
I was terrified to make my first pull request.

I would spend hours polishing my code,
because I was scared someone would leave a bad comment
or send it back for changes.

But that was a mistake.

Code reviews are there for a reason –
so that someone else can look at your solution with fresh eyes
and catch things you might have missed.

And honestly?
Even senior developers make silly mistakes.
I remember catching a console.log("eeeeeee")
left in the code by a very experienced teammate.

See? Even they debug like pros with console.log. 😄

8. You overprepare or overwork – just to prove yourself

It’s normal for a beginner learning to code
to feel “not good enough” and work day and night,
sometimes even skipping sleep just to get better.

I did it too – and I know it felt like part of the journey.
But is it really necessary?

I also know that every time I forced myself to take a break,
it actually helped.
I’d suddenly get new ideas or solutions to try –
not while sitting in front of the computer,
but when I was falling asleep or taking a shower. 😂

So yeah… take breaks!
They’re not a waste of time –
they’re part of the process of learning to code.

9. You avoid new opportunities – afraid you’re not “good enough.”

You know that moment when you see a cool, well-paid job offer
but you’re scared to apply because you feel “not ready”?

Yeah, I’ve been there too.

But when I realized I was just looking for excuses,
I started applying everywhere.

Because here’s the truth: tech job interviews are tough,
and you actually need to practice them.

If you wait until you “feel ready,”
you’ll never get ready for the interview process –
and you won’t get hired.

So stop postponing. Start now.

10. You don’t feel like you belong – even when you’ve earned your place

Sometimes a new job, new school, or new group of people can make you feel like an outsider.

You got accepted, but you still feel different –
you don’t know yet who you’ll like, who you can trust,
what questions are OK to ask and which ones will sound silly.

Here’s my advice: act like you belong.

You worked for this moment –
all the late nights, stress, and hours of learning got you here.
You deserve to enjoy it.

And trust me – after some time, you’ll see that it’s not as scary as it looks at first.
In Poland, we even have a saying: “The devil is not as scary as people paint him.” 😉

Conclusion

If you’re learning to code and feel like you’re not good enough – you’re not alone.
Almost every beginner developer goes through imposter syndrome at some point.

What matters is that you keep going.
Celebrate small wins, take breaks when you need to,
and remind yourself that nobody is born a programmer.

You’ve already done the hardest part – you started.
And that’s huge.

So next time you feel like a fraud, compare yourself too much,
or think your success is just luck – come back to this list.
You’ll see that these feelings are normal,
but they don’t define you as a developer.

Keep learning, keep coding, and trust the process – one bite at a time.

💡 Bonus:

Not sure if coding is even right for you?

Check out my article 10 Signs You’d Be Great at Coding –

you might discover you already have what it takes (even if you didn’t realize it yet!).

❓ FAQ: Imposter Syndrome for Beginner Coders