There, I said it! It feels strange to actually express this realisation, after having so many internal feelings about it for quite a while — but it actually feels really good to put this statement out there for anyone else that feels weirdly guilty about it.

For some background, I actually studied Accounting and Finance for my undergraduate degree and then decided to do a Computer Science conversion Masters with the University of Bath online. I went into this degree very anxious about learning how to code because I had always thought it looked so complex and intimidating. Fast forward two years and a bunch of coding assignments later… and my opinion is pretty much the same.

Whilst studying CS, I have always felt this constant pressure that I need to get good at coding, and also enjoy doing it — because that’s basically what this career path is all about right? Being this ultra superhuman that can code so fast and so efficiently and handle every problem that comes their way. And I have felt disappointed in myself every time I have not succeeded in a programming assignment and hated every minute of it.

My classmates seemed to pick everything up really quickly, which made me feel even more like an imposter on the degree program.

I really tried to get good at coding, I took extra courses alongside my assignments to try and build up my knowledge. I studied data structures and algorithms in depth to solidify the fundamentals. But I still never really got it, nothing seemed to click. And my classmates seemed to pick everything up really quickly, which made me feel even more like an imposter on the degree program.

The truth is (and what I have been trying to tell myself for a while now) is that you don’t have to love and/or be good at coding to be a part of the tech world. I absolutely love writing, storytelling, and analysis — and these are also very important skills within the tech field, just as much as programming. You also shouldn’t force yourself to try and like something just to feel worthy within your career. Especially on something that has literally made me cry.

So for all you people out there studying a technical degree of any kind, and feeling some weird pressure and/or guilt about not being any good at what is deemed the “core skill” of that field… just know that you’re not alone and that you are most certainly not less intelligent or worthy of being in that field. There are most definitely other and more unique skills that you can bring to the table, that hold so much value within the field. To name just a few roles within tech that don’t require coding as a skill: Product Managers, UX Designers, and Project/Program Managers.

I would be very interested to hear if anyone else has had an experience similar to mine — let me know in the comments below!

Feel free to reach out with any questions by connecting with me on LinkedIn.