I wanted to be a programmer. I coded, I failed, I repeated. That’s the story of my life as a developer. But through all the struggles, I learned one thing, failure isn’t the end. It’s just part of the process.
The Start
Like many others, I had an interest in STEM and figured software development was the obvious career path. I thought learning to code would automatically lead to greatness. But reality hit hard — I struggled, I failed classes, and at times, I questioned if I was even cut out for this.
Coding became a chore. I didn’t enjoy it anymore, but I was too deep into my major to quit. Besides, this was all I knew. So I pushed forward and graduated, barely scraping by.
The Journey
Graduating felt like a fresh start. I thought, At least I can get a job in tech, work on cool projects, and finally prove myself.
But life had other plans.
- I applied for jobs and landed one in tech, but I wasn’t coding.
- I realized I had a massive amount of debt, so I picked up a second job.
- Then a third job.
- Then… I got scammed.
- Then… I got COVID.
All of this happened within the first two years after college. I was juggling three jobs, and only one of them was in tech — where I wasn’t even coding. It felt like I was stuck.
The Wins
I wanted better for myself, so I stepped out of my comfort zone.
I joined a community called Grammerhub on discord and relearned how to code.
- I worked on improving my skills and breaking into the industry properly.
- I earned an Azure certification — a huge win.
- I studied for another certification… and failed.
- I took it again… and failed, but with a better score.
- I tried a third time — and finally passed.
Even with these wins, imposter syndrome kicked in. Am I even good enough to be a developer? Do I really belong here?
But when I looked back, I saw just how far I had come. I had failed, struggled, and doubted myself — but I had also grown. And then, the biggest win happened: I landed a new job where I actually get to code.
The Lesson
Through all of this, I realized one simple truth: failure is part of the process.
As developers, we break things, debug, and try again. Learning to embrace failure — not fear it — is the key to growth. Every setback is just another lesson that makes us better.
So if you’re struggling as a developer, just know: failure isn’t the end. It’s proof that you’re learning.
Have you faced similar struggles in your coding journey? Let’s talk in the comments!