The perfect career path
Tags: career, growth, impostersyndrome
Published: 2019-10-13 20:53:38

---
title: The perfect career path
published: true
description: It's not about what you do, it's about what you feel
tags: career, growth, imposter syndrome
canonical_url: https://damiencosset.com/posts/perfect-career-path/
cover_image: https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/sjxgl3b6yi4genwnyy2d.png
---


# Introduction

*Irony on*

Hello, this is a blog post that will explain the many different ways that my career is actually better than yours. I will try to use the most condescendent tone possible, to make sure you understand I am just a better human being than you, in any way, shape or form possible. Therefore, I can't accept any opinions that is slightly different than mine, and I will get really angry if you express one of those opinions.

*Irony off*

# The *perfect* career

As developers, we are blessed with amazing opportunities to change people's lives, to grow and to learn amazing things. We are also in a society that makes information and knowledge very easy to access. We are always in contact with blog posts, social media gurus, podcasts... Every single one of those medium delivers a message, selling a way of life, a way to get better, how-to advices...

It's easy, with all those informations to believe that to have the right to be called a developer, or a software engineer or whatever title, you need to make sure you check all the boxes:

- Have a blog.
- Contribute to open source.
- Have 346 different side-projects, at the same time.
- Spend 3 hours and 27 minutes a day listening to podcasts.
- Spend 4 hours of your free time learning new technologies and staying up to speed with your industry.
- Speak to at least 8 conferences a year, which needs to be in at least 4 different continents, or 3 different planets, pick the one that's the most confortable to you.
- Spend 48 minutes on social media every day interacting with your audience.
- Have at least 14 of your side-projects generating an income.
- Read 3 books every 12 hours. One of those books must be from an old white man that coded on some cardboard stuff 500 years ago. Another one must be about money and explain to you how to get rich quick.
- You created 27 startups in 3 years. 52 of them failed.
- Exercise 92 minutes a day. Preferably when you wake up at 5AM.
- Not working for someone else, only losers do that.


![Old white man](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/v2yyvpoondz72ay678dz.jpg)
*Some old white man. You should have read all his books by now...*


**Congratulations, you made it as a developer!**

# The uniqueness of your path

It's easy to become overwhelmed by all of the informations and advice you read or hear. It's easy to feel inadequate, and to push yourself hard to try to become *that* person. But don't worry.

All of this is **bullshit**.

The perfect career exists, but it's the one you decide for yourself. It's going to be different for every single person. You don't want to blog? Don't do it. Don't feel like contributing to open source? Forget it then.

You want to do your job for 7-8 hours a day, do it well, and not touch anything computer-related for the rest of the day? Sounds like a good plan.

The perfect career is the one that is in line with your values. Do not compare you career to anyone else's. We are all different, and our goals will always differ. And you can't compare the chapter 2 of your story to a chapter 23 of another developer's story.

Chasing mastery? Don't trouble yourself, you won't achieve it. Mastery is a nice ideal we all dream of. It's a beautiful thing in the horizon that gives us a compass. You'll get close, but that's it, and that's okay.

I, personally, have a blog. It happens that I don't write for a few weeks. Because I don't want to, or life gets in the way. I used to feel bad, I don't anymore. I don't speak at conferences, I don't intend to. I don't contribute to open source. I don't have that desire. I don't have any side projects going on right now. I work for someone else, and I'm very happy with that someone else.

My path is unique, so is yours. It doesn't make it any less awesome.

## Relax, enjoy the ride

The beauty is in the journey. Be proud of what *you* do. Align your career with your values. Deploy on Friday, or don't. Whatever. Just don't be a dick about it. Learn only Javascript, or PHP. Or anything else. Whatever. Just don't be an ass about it.

Life too short to worry about things like these. :heart: