I don't have a degree in CS. I've been in the field for 3 years at a professional level, and I've definitely improved my skills substantially. But I still get that lingering feeling of imposter syndrome. Any positive thoughts or tips to rid of that feeling? I perform well at my job but still feel like an outsider in the industry sometimes 😔

No degree either. But I know how to do my job and do it well. The disadvantage of learning myself is I picked up a lot of bad habits. Most of which I fixed over the years. But I never feel bad for not having a paper to prove what I know. If another dev is trying to use that against you it is nothing but a cheap shot because they don't have a legitimate argument to disprove your abilities. They are usually threatened by you and not a real threat themself.

Let me know if you figure it out. 10 years in, can't shake it. Every time I come close, something sets me back.

You are not an outsider. If having a degree will help you, get it part time. It's not that hard. I did it when it was harder. I took a subway and 2 buses after work. I got home at 11 pm 4 nights a week for 2 years but I wanted the degree and I got it.

Your company will probably pay for it. Even if you are 60 or older you can still get a degree of you want to.

A degree gives you a dedicated time to learn basics of your craft. Craftsmanship is all on the job. The problem with cs is there's no way to know everything so there's plenty to keep you humble if your personality leans that way.

I have a degree and no shortage of imposter syndrome. I have found those that are self taught and in the industry for more than a few years are in general excellent developers since they're good at leaning on their own.

A friend of mine has a doctorate in the field and recently said, "I can't believe x company hired me". It's not just you.

If I see a job that has a hard requirement of a degree, I won't consider it since it means those in charge don't know the industry. I also assume any developer that touts a degree is new to the field or a terrible developer.

You guys are the best! Really needed this. Devrant saves the day once again 😊

I'm 14 years in to this same exact thing.

Dude, I never finished high school, neither went to university. I studied for 2 years java/Android a C development. 2 years later (i was 30 by then) I did a master in video games for a year and half. Now I work as a game developer in a very nice place. It's not about the degree you get braking your ass or for how long. It's about how hard you break it and how eager are you for doing it. Keep the faith! (and the ass breaking)

Same here! I'm about 8 years into my career with no degree. It always feels like some dirty little secret that I am hiding from my colleagues. In some ways I feel like my insecurity around my lack of creds has pushed me to work even harder to improve my skills, like I need to be twice as good as everyone else to get the same level of respect. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, since it drives me to continuously improve.

You're definitely not alone though! Hopefully after enough time passes, devs like us will be able to cut ourselves some slack, and realize we DO deserve to be here even without a degree!

I have no degree aswell. experience counts more in my opinion.

I've been engineering software since I was a child (thanks parents!)

I've been doing it professionally for 12 years.

I'm currently in a "Senior Software Architect" role, where I am expected to assist and mentor other developers.

I have no degree.

It's all about having the chops, the drive to prove yourself, and just enough ego to conquer anything in your path, while not so much ego that you piss everyone off around you.

I never have feelings of inadequacy.

In this industry, a degree is great, but experience trumps all. (At least that's been the case in my career.)

It never goes away but I kind of like the challenge it brings. I have no cs degree either and wrote no code to speak of until 40 years of age. I am 51 now and still loving it. There will always be naysayers. Oh but I did have an awesome mentor for a while. He was half my age but taught mr so much about writing clean code.

I have no degree either but you shouldn't feel like an imposter if you're good at what you are doing there is no problem. Just keep improving your skills like any developer with or without a degree.

many companies offer certifications in their products (Microsoft, IBM, Adobe, Oracle, etc...) they not only look nice on a resume but it's good to know how the product was indented to be utilized.
I'm currently trying to get my employer to pay for some of the MCSD sharepoint cert because no one in our department really understands it yet is our intranet :/

@shittywebdev I have a degree and it only gives you a general foundation... the business knowledge you've built up and the products you've used can only really be learned with hands on experience
it doesn't hurt to research best practices and vendor recommendations tho...

@sk8pickel: same here man.

It's great that many companies give you a chance to prove yourself even without a degree

I have three degrees, including one in IT and a software engineering MS...I have worked for big name companies in the past 3 years as a software developer....I still feel like an imposter at least every other day

So grateful for the positive responses and encouragement here. I always knew I was part of a true community and not just an industry. Thank you all so much!