Why feeling uncomfortable is the key to success
When
I started learning web development, and especially since getting my
first job, feeling uncomfortable has become a bit of a recurring theme.
I’m
going to be honest, at first, it was a real struggle. Every time I
would find myself in an uncomfortable situation, I would start second
guessing myself — Is web development really for me? Maybe I’m just not
intelligent enough? Will I ever be any good? Will I ever learn enough to
actually get a job and get paid for this?
I’m sure many of you can relate.
If you want something in life that you have never had, you will have to do something that you have never done
Maybe
you have been learning to code for a while but still don’t feel
confident enough to apply for any developer jobs. You might not feel you
are ready yet. You might fear rejection. Whatever the reason, that lack
of self confidence will make you feel uncomfortable. And you’re not
alone. We would all feel the same in that situation.
However,
it’s the people who suck it up, apply for every job they can, contact
companies asking for work, and face potential rejection after rejection
who will win.
Hell,
you might not be ready yet and you might not land your dream job
straight away. But, by putting yourself out there — by stepping out of
your comfort zone — you win. You win! You get the interview practice,
the experience and you get vital feedback on where you need to improve.
At
the end of the day, would you rather be someone who has been learning
to code for 18 months, but hasn’t even started applying for jobs,
because you don’t feel comfortable or ready yet?
Or
would you rather be the person who’s been learning to code for 6
months, and starts applying for jobs? You might feel uncomfortable and
maybe it takes you another 6 months to land a job, but 12 months after
first opening a text editor and you are working in your dream career?
Believe me, this can happen.
The uncomfortable feeling wont stop or get any easier once you get a job
I
hate JavaScript. (Well, maybe hate is a strong word, but I’m not its
biggest fan). Why? — Because it’s hard. I find it difficult.
I’m
a fairly confident developer, but sometimes I find myself faced with a
task or project, and the temptation is to reach for a technology that I
feel comfortable with, rather than building with something new and
challenging.
I
might know that React will produce a better end product, but my initial
reaction is that I don’t want to be in that uncomfortable situation
where I don’t know what I’m doing and I have to reach for the
documentation every 30 seconds.
However,
by taking this approach, I do myself a disservice. I’m hindering my own
learning, development and progression. I’m ultimately inhibiting my own
success.
A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.
What
I have to tell myself in these situations is that whilst I might be
uncomfortable. This is actually an opportunity. An opportunity to try
new things, learn a new skill or further my career.
So…What’s the key to continued success?
Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable — Embrace it
When an opportunity presents itself you have to take it. You have to step out of your comfort zone.
At
the end of the day, this is what web development is. A complex,
constantly evolving industry where you can never know everything and you
will repeatedly be faced with situations where you are made to feel
uncomfortable doing something you haven’t done before. That’s the price
of progression.
As a Web Developer, and in life in general, feeling uncomfortable is just something you have to get used to.
You
cannot let the ‘fear’ of feeling uncomfortable dictate your life. If
you do, it will limit what you are able to do and how much you are able
to achieve.
Being
in your comfort zone is synonymous with repetition. While repetition is
easy, it’s also boring and un-motivating. If, however, you are striving
for something more, want to get out of a rut, if you are searching for
success, then you need to get out of your comfort zone. Doing that is
what separates happy, passionate, successful people from those that are
comfortable and bored.
Once
you learn to embrace the fear you will be astounded by the progress
that you will make, both within your web development career and also
personally.
Success is not just about what you have done, it’s about what you inspire others to do.
Recently I watched a Ted talk, by @luvvie titled ‘Get comfortable with being uncomfortable’. I highly recommend it!
Now this talk isn’t about tech or web development, but last night, while I was reading this article, the parallel between the talk and web development hit me.
One
of the most important things for success in life, and web development,
is pushing your boundaries and limits. What’s also important is that
when you do step out of your comfort zone and do what make’s you feel
uncomfortable, this in turn inspires similar change and inspiration for
others to do the same.
This
embodies what the whole freeCodeCamp community is about. By being part
of a community, sharing your story and your successes, you inspire
others to do the same.
You
might have struggled to complete the Front-end certificate. You might
have had periods where you felt uncomfortable and wanted to quit. But by
pushing through, by becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable, and
reaching that milestone, not only do you achieve you own success, you
also motivate others that are struggling or feeling like giving up.
This
is why it’s important to give back to the community. Share your
projects, share your success, encourage fellow campers in the forums or
on social media. Your success is freeCodeCamp’s success.
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