I'm at an extremely beginner level in terms to the likes of you or mayuko and I hate to be super discouraging. But, I think it's extremely bad practice to copy and paste code. I am sure that it's more efficient but seriously, at the core of it, programming revolves around problem solving, logical thinking and just over all creativity. Imposter Syndrome, Burning yourself out and just overall lack of interest or passion overall is the biggest threat to someone's programming career.
@@jxkc.3941 Hi, you’re actually right! It’s a running joke in software engineering that we often copy code from stack overflow but technically that is not good practice. Even my current manager encourages us to type out what we find on stackoverflow or any other documentations instead of just copy and pasting to make sure the integration is correct, edge cases are taken care of, and remove any flakiness of the code. It’s great that you’re using good practice and I encourage any one starting out coding to do the same, along with watching my videos!
@@jxkc.3941 blindy copying is wrong. One should NEVER EVER use code that one doesn't understand. Depending on what type of projects you're working on, however, it is rather practical to assume that the best skill a developer can have is to know "what to google". Things like uploading files for example, that's just a default task and for the love of my life I just can't keep it in my head. I hate this task. But it takes me close to no time to implement using copy/paste. Given that - no matter the language - the chance of us using frameworks is rather large. And "How to XYZ with FooFramework" is such a freakishly common thing to google. All that's left for the programmer to do is to implement the best (read: secure) option and that's it. No need to re-invent the wheel, however, there's also no need to use a wheel with a flat tire ;) And it does take a certain level of skill to spot the issues a tire might have :)
@@jxkc.3941 When you have clients and deadlines, you quickly learn to not reinvent the wheel. Some things are just timesinks and not worth the time it takes to do it yourself. With that said, don't copy code you don't understand, that's a great way to shoot yourself in the foot when it inevitably comes back to bite you.
@@jxkc.3941 It has pros and cons. In some cases, it actually takes more skill to find the right piece of code, understand it properly (because understanding other people's code is harder), and implement it into your code, and could allow you to do something in 1 hour that would've taken 5. I often have the opposite problem, where I often try to code everything myself because I'm too lazy to go out looking for the right code, but I know that it could save me a lot of time.
Thank you for being vulnerable with your audience! As a baby coder (2 years) who experiences depression, anxiety, and impostor syndrome I look up to a lot of content creators in tech (especially women POC) and have an idealistic perception of them. You repeated a lot of the same thoughts I have which makes me feel better because I am not alone ❤️
Mayuko, my soul sister. I never commented on your videos, but I watch your videos regularly. You just literally spelled out everything I feel. I quit my 14 year career in tech 1.5 years ago because I was tired of it. I still haven't figured out what to do next, but I know I have taken the right decision even though the stress of not having an identity which people want you to have, is real. I feel stressed about it, worry about it, cry about it, but then feel that sense of calmness in me when I realize that I'm not part of that hamster wheel anymore. You are not alone. I don't know how much my pov helps you, but hearing you talking about your life really helps me. I will continue to watch your videos and be inspired.
Your videos are always a source of comfort for me as a female software engineer, and I appreciate you being open about your insecurities working in tech because it's very real for me too.
To combat imposter syndrome, what works for me is to dive deep into something completely different and abandon all notion of of the former "occupation". For example, I used to be a designer and now I pivoted fully to Cyber Security + coding. I realize now that none of the labels really matter in the context of a long duration of time, so I no longer worry about it. I also realize that every skill, job, and THING THAT YOU DO is just a facet of your identity--just a facet. Also, at no point in any time throughout these processes do you owe anything to anyone--even yourself. What I mean by that last statement is you can go and TRY things, claim you're a snowboarder one day, a pottery maker the next, and maybe a singer next moment, with no strings attached to any of the things you try. You don't owe anything to anyone--including yourself. You are whatever you what you want to be--at any moment in time. You are what you repeatedly do. Right now, you're at a fascinating time in your life--you have the resources AND time to explore anything and everything. So congratulations, you're growing up :')
I love when youtuers show like a normal person with highs and downs, I dont feel that something is wrong with me because I dont know every aspect of technology out there.
It's insane that someone like Mayuko, who has years of experience at truly solid engineering teams, would feel this way. You already have awesome insight and combined with your thoughtfulness and sensitivity makes for a really refreshing viewpoint on what it means to be a software engineer in the contemporary Western software industry. I'm about 6 years into my software career now and at this point I'm thoroughly fed up with the culture that's been propagated from Silicon Valley. The tech industry has been very successful at convincing young engineers that we have to be passionate about coding itself rather than what the code does. Maybe part of the impostor syndrome comes from that you are no longer focusing on writing business logic. There's an implicit idea that's shoved down our throats unwittingly that engineers have to focus on software that provides use-value for businesses, so what use is an engineer who only provides "value" for themselves or others not directly involved in the global economy? It's crazy when you consider how much of our systems are built on open source software...
Nah girl you're hella legit! You've worked at insanely reputable companies. You've coded, you've navigated the tech space, and you've built features and apps. Your perspective is incredibly insightful and meaningful for people who are in tech, going into it, leaving it, or even balancing it with other full-time endeavors. Your corner of the internet has shined so much light on the deeper and various dimensions that people in tech have. Thank you~
I took a hiatus from tech and my Comp Sci degree to be a SAHM and homeschool my 3 kids for 10 years. Now they're older and I'm going back to finish school in cybersecurity. I've got this huge gap on my resume and really no professional tech experience and it. is. SCARY. I'm working on getting a bunch of certs and finish my degree and hoping to be done in a year. Thank you for sharing your fears and vulnerabilities. You make me feel better and not alone.
Forgetting things is not about your brain failing, it's about keeping in mind what's matters to you now. The more you learn the more things you forget. It's natural way a brain operates. And you are a smarty.
Honestly, I'm glad you don't make code tutorials and would rather talk about *life* while coding. It brings a lot of awareness and comfort to me, so thank you!
i gotta personally say that i find your recent vids so valuable mayuko!! your career focused ones have helped me so much in my first year doing fulltime SWE, and your freaking amazing video quality inspires me to work on my own ❤❤ also so many of your more personal vids are so relatable and helped me validate my own feelings this past year
I really enjoy the content that you create! I really appreciate you opening the conversation on things that aren't often talked about in the tech industry. As a fellow Asian American woman in CS, I resonate a lot with what you say, and learn a lot from your candid discussions. Thank you for helping make this space more inclusive.
I really love the cozy aesthetic you give to your videos. To me, it doesn't really matter what the content is about. As long as you are doing what you love, and show this awesome vibe, I'm in! So, keep being cool, Mayuko! Greetings from México 🇲🇽
I started working a month ago as a junior full stack web developer and holly, my impostor syndrom is so huge that I even go work on saturdays to try to "upgrade" faster and feel less of an impostor
Engineering in general is somehow pretty competitive even if I find that the people *in* the field don't actually want to be. Especially true for Software Engineering, I find, where everyone is constantly comparing themselves to others, and worrying that they are lacking technical prowess. Which is weird since a majority seems to feel that way. It's like a charade that's perpetuated by everyone in a circular fashion, against mostly everyone's will. And it's quite toxic in reality. I think it is a shame because writing code can be such a creative endeavour.
I agree. And because it is so competitive, I see my peers really suffering(mental health wise). Also, me being a perfectionist, it is actually so exhausting trying to constantly stand out or prove that you're better than the rest. I just wish it wasn't this way, but I guess there's nothing we can do about it.
I've been a software engineer for over 8 years and, TBH, I'm pretty tired of the culture at this point. I don't think we necessarily change the world for the better and I don't find hacker culture endearing anymore. Hoping to follow in your footsteps some day soon.
Hello Mayuko, i can't believe I've only just found your channel ❤. I've watched a few videos now and you're so spot on. I've been a software developer fo 14 years and I really feel it's time to move on. Thanks for being vulnerable, i can truly relate.
I w3nt through those phases several times where I quit my job, did something completely different, gained a lot of different experiences like event photography, website development, graphics design, scrum, programming webapps, 3d animations, electronics, etc etc. Now I'm back at fulltime backend development and feel much more rounded and using all these skills where and as needed. Creating nice graphics to explain abstract and difficult to grasp concepts and putting that in presentations or documentation, structuring information into excelsheets or backlogs, setup contracts with agile timeboxing in mind, use my own photos as backdrop to enliven teams calls. More often than not, being able to step beyond your bounds is very helpful in many work situations, so bringing skills not directly related could be the difference between a project completely failing and a succesful project. If your experiences shift and you grow in different directions, it's perfectly fine to make that shift in the content you create too. It's more about your personal perspective, that's what makes it unique and interesting. And making a career switch is becoming more and more common. And if you're done creating content, who knows, maybe you'll develop yourself into an online content creator coach ☺️
You’re not a fraud!! But I feel where you’re coming from and honestly I’m so happy you’re one of the few people breaking barriers and doing stuff beyond just coding tutorials. You’re providing a great insight into the realities of the industry and just life in general! These types of videos especially have been so helpful to me personally and have helped navigate my own life. SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO 🙏🏽
As someone who recently found your content, I appreciate the honesty and vulnerability in the video. As someone who came to software development not having a computer science degree, I often get imposter syndrome feelings, and it adds plenty of anxiety to my life. Still, it is comforting to know that even someone like yourself experiences those feelings. As of late, I've found your content very helpful to keep me focused and lessen some of that feeling of being an imposter, and even if you're not actively coding, you still have plenty to offer your viewers since there is more to working in technology and software than pure coding. Keep up the awesome content.
Coders and software engineers were always my favourite people to work with because of their unwavering work ethic. I've also seen so many of them burn out right before my eyes though, which also makes the whole field really terrifying. Thank you for sharing your experience, you have a really great future ahead of you!
I mean most of the questions people have about the tech industry are about the hurdles of getting an entry-level job in tech or what it's like in the first couple of years. And that experience doesn't really change over time, so your experiences are still very much valid since you've gone through all those hurdles already.
It's great to see different takes on a particular field-- and in tech especially. I think other aspects in the tech industry are not as talked about and given particular focus, mostly because the spotlight is on coding, so I appreciate you opening up and telling us, your audience, how you feel. Our self-worth should not be measured by a certain skill, we are an amalgamation and coming together of different skills, ideas, and experiences -- and it's great that you are experiencing those and enriching yourself which will give you a better and holistic perspective not only in tech but in life in general. Keep doing what you've been doing because it's been really great!
From the few videos I've watched on your channel, I can see you have placed a lot of importance on your career. However, your identity goes far beyond what you do for work! Your identity, as you mentioned in your video, is not only as a software engineer, but as a content creator, Japanese and American, wife, child of immigrants, dog owner, and I'm sure many more. I think what makes one's life whole is to embark on a journey to balance out the different roles in a manner than brings out a loving and kind individual. And I can see that in you. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for being sincere on your channel. That in itself is something that is inspiring.
There are lot of coding tutorials out there, but these insightful videos taking about the personal experiences are gems. Like you said Coding is a tool, problem solving is a skill which can be applied at lot of other areas.
This is something I'm facing as a manager that's moved away from IC work and I totally feel this imposter syndrome too. I even did an interview recently where I had to do a coding testing; for a manager position and it really threw me for a loop. You're completely right in thinking that you can get back into it and be just as relevant as you want to be, so don't invalidate yourself. I think you have great insight on soft skills and let's be honest, most software engineers need help on this. At the end of the day, do what you're passionate about and enjoy!
@@keeplearning4L The thing is my team and I decided this e.g. one meeting heavy day (with breaks in between) only in the week and the rest we have dedicated focus days. Also clarify me if i'm wrong when you say 'endless' it gives me impression you may mean 'pointless' and not appropriately timeboxed? Its annoying as well for me getting into invaluable meetings that waste my time i.e. im not needed there or its redundant info or could've been a slack message. We've agreed we can leave a meeting if we identify we aren't a necessity to be there.
True, tech isnt just coding. We work with designers, product owners, product managers, tech leads, marketing, cx and they all contribute to the success of a product you build :)
I've always taken coding satisfaction in solving the problem at hand. The joy of being part of building a "better mousetrap" will always give me the thrill. You should never be expected to draw satisfaction of coding if there's no problem to solve. You do you @mayuko.
As someone who is just starting out in tech, listening to you talk about it from that perspective brought me so much relief and inspired me to be much more than "just" a software engineer. Thank you SO much, this was a really insightful and hopeful video to me, I really appreciate it!
THANK you for not pretending - 99 % of tech youtubers, especially programmers, are just so convinced of their coding skills it's almost annoying because the preach their ONE point of view and knowledge like it's THE ultimate wisdom.
I am not even a software engineer but i have still watched your videos and followed your channel since your first ever 'day in the life' video. Your videos provide good insights and advice which is transferable to other fields. I would personally still follow your channel even if you don't code or do tech videos. We are all more than just engineers. Have a great day!
For software engineers, other people's viewpoints are always interesting - but ultimately viewpoints from other software engineers will be too similar to my own to be notably helpful. Personally I've found that people who have more life/tech industry experience - as opposed to raw technical experience or ability - are the ones who have the most enlightening perspective. So honestly, the fact you haven't been in the coding weeds recently is what gives you greater licence to give the kind of advice you give here.
Reminds me on the struggle science communicators have when they are no longer active researchers. In my opinion people don‘t really care if you are still active in your profession, if you are a communicator
At work, we are changing to Low-Code, it's mentally refreshing. (A coding background is very useful, you still deal with similar stuff) Coding I now do as a hobby and I can freely choose what to learn, build.
I totally relate to this video. I left my 20 year systems analyst career also in search of first a logical break and time to give myself a chance to analyze and readjust my life. Whether it's going back to IT or following a new venture, I didn't know. All I knew at the time was I needed this for me. I had imposter syndrome while I was still working and now thinking of going back I'm also experiencing imposter syndrome. Are my skills still valuable, am I good enough, do I even like IT anymore, etc., etc. But all in all I do NOT for one minute regret the time I have taken off. I'm thankful I have a supportive husband and children that make me see I'm enough regardless of my career. All the best!
It is okay Mayuko, sometimes we need to step back just to see or relax ourselves. We truly believe in you that you can always do it. Sometimes, I also feel that sometimes as a 2nd year college student my knowledge is not enough as a CS Student, but I always step back and think to assess what should I need to do, to avoid doubting myself or other stuff. So we believe in you. You are always the Princess of Software Engineering
You're so honest compared to some other youtubers who are simply scumbags. They talk a lot about this field having very little knowledge while you feel guilty because you haven't coded in a year.
Your ingenuity and outlook on the tech world is what keeps me subscribed. It’s extremely refreshing to see you talk through underlying issues and thoughts that we experience on a day to day. Yes coding is cool to talk about but there’s so much more beyond that tool to a career that you touch on very well. Thanks for sharing with us, cheers!
This one really felt close since I’ve been going through something similar, quitting my stable job in a middle of a pandemic to pursue my illustration skills and content creation as well. Even tho I’m not a part of the tech industry I can empathize with what you are talking about here and these feelings are valid and really necessary to talk about 🙂
I relate so much with the debugging part. Tbh you don’t even have to be in tech, and learning to debug is still gonna be tremendously useful when you’re using any software at all.
You are not a fraud. You have proven yourself as a developer and now you are following your passion. You've accomplished more than most of the people trolling youtube who'll never evolve beyond code-along tutorials. If they leave bitter comments, its due to their own inadequacies, nothing more. You are legit and your wealth of experience, knowledge, and insights are valuable. Follow your dreams and make the content you want to make. The tech world needs perspectives beyond the boring tutorial mill.
Hi, Mayuko. Thanks a lot for having the courage to disclose what you're going through with your feelings. As someone who's been in the IT industry for some (long) time, I completely understand how you feel. Don't let feelings of inadequacy or fears about the future stop you from doing what you think is valuable. Keep on doing what you think fulfills your purpose, and things will be all right. :)
You are not what you do! You are still valid because, you are! Your knowledge and wisdom are super important to others, so even if you don’t do something in the future doesn’t negate what you’ve done in the past. We want to hear your voice and your heart!
Glad I'm not the only one that has these mini-existential crises 😅. The concept of a "default" path (study hard -> go to good school -> get a good job -> 2.5 kids and family -> work hard -> retire) is gone and that's given us wayy too much room in our brains to be anxious about how things "should" be. Definitely still a work in progress!
Thank you for sharing your candid and vulnerable thoughts with us. It really resonated with me. I remember watching your videos prior to making the career switch to software development and being inspired and feeling represented. As you said, while there are a lot of great tech tutorial channels out there, I think your channel especially provided a much-needed representation and a different view of tech!
Hi Mayuko, thanks for making these more "soft skilled" videos and being vulnerable it definitely helps us younger software engineers knowing we aren't the only ones that feel like this. Especially those of us that don't work in the valley and just work a regular 9-5 at regular company. I've worked for a start up and I mean true startup (3rd employee) and that was the most stressful and chaotic 3 years of my life. And now I'm still in Tech but a Business Intelligence role creating and building a center of excellence for business intelligence. I feel the exact same way you do about being an authority or "legit" software engineer though since I'm not directly coding or coding as a career anymore. I love coding it was really my passion but like you sometimes I feel lost as it was a bit part of my identity.
I've only been following you for the last year since the lockdown but you've quickly become my go to for tech career stuff as a computer science student and the twitch streams are honestly the greatest help for my study on the off chance I can catch them (damn timezones).
i'm a programmer for 6 months now in a large company and i honestly felt the same, like i don't feel good enough. and doubting myself if i belong in this field.
It’s like surfing , you start with a small surfboard and as you get older you surf a longboard. You still surfing but enjoying more with less effort. 🇲🇽🇯🇵🇺🇸🌊🏄🏽♂️😎😎😎
Tbh this sounds like when someone gets out of the military. You almost become part of a different society doing one thing and then when you're not doing that thing it's just constant thoughts of "What am I really?". You're not alone in this weird feeling of figuring what else you want out of life.
I really like the transparency, Mayuko. Keep being you, and asking yourself questions. Life is awesome and it's worth living it truly. Cheers from Transylvania! Have a nice day. :D
Mayuko, I can kind of relate to you. I am a project manager, but haven't really worked as a project manager in over 5 years. I keep my skills current, but don't really work in the field. I do use those skills to manage what I do now, but I am no longer managing teams/projects. As I listened to you talk, I think you revealed how to move forward with your channel. All the other skills you picked up as a software developer, how do they translate to the other work you are considering? How did you grow those skills? I think that would make interesting content. For some context, I came across your channel when looking for home office ideas after we went into extended work from home due to the pandemic. I believe the first one of you videos I watched was a walkthrough of your home office setup. I don't think simply because you don't code, you can no longer have an opinion on the tech industry. I think you have much more to offer then just code chat. At the end of the day, you need to be happy with the path you walk. I wish you the best on your journey.
I'm curious to know more about your thoughts on women engineers leaving their tech jobs overtime. As a software engineer myself who's been in the industry for quite some time now I feel the need to keep getting to the next level and not hitting pause (because I don't want to stay behind my peers and I'm also super used to working and not giving too much thought about my personal life) however I know that at some point I would also like to have a family. What are your thoughts on women in tech maintaining and excelling in their career and having a family at the same time? I feel like this topic is not discussed very often. Love your YT channel btw and I think it's normal not to code as much as you used to since you love creating content ❤️
oooof this whole comment strikes such a chord with me. I definitely do have some thoughts about this (and also so many questions too). I'll definitely make a video once the thoughts have melded into something I'm excited to make. But for now, I'm currently challenging all these assumptions/hurdles that women have to face in the industry, esp as it pertains to women leaving. I'm in question-mode: is it true that I can have both a career, and a family? Can I keep going at the same pace as my male peers, and do I have to? Do I even want to? What does balance look like for me?
I'm in college and this is exactly what I'm going through right now, my mind has been foggy since march 2020, haven't studied as hard and consistently as I wanted to for months, but the fact that I'm aware of it is comforting, like having an out of body experience and seeing yourself do things not the way you want to but still knowing what and how you should accomplish stuff...
I'm always looking forward to watching your videos coz in some way I feel I'm in the same boat as you are. I left software engineering in silicon valley about 5 years ago and used to work for Intuit in the valley. Since the last 5 years, i have gone through so much of life...got married, left US and came to India to pursue business. Still not sure about leaving software engineering and a good life in the US. Your videos somehow remind me that I'm not the only person to second guessu decision and it's okay to be like this. Glad that I stumbled upon your channel. Keep up the great work here on RUclips. PS: love the hoodie color 😀
Hi Mayuko - The content that you are creating is adding so much value. It takes a lot of courage to open yourself up and be vulnerable to yourself, your loved ones and the public and what you talk about is important. These conversations about topics like Imposter Syndrome, Mental Health etc effect everyone and being able to normalise the challenges that come with the journey is reassuring for those who are going through a similar experience. It's also important to re-define what it means to be productive and successful and that behaviours that come at the cost of our mental, physical and spiritual health is just not worth it and is often a misleading concept in the first place. You are Awesome and I respect you as an authority in tech and much more x :-)
Tech needs more humanity, vulnerability, and openness to share like this. Just focusing on someone’s skill and talent pushes us away to act genuine with other people.
Lately, I have been experiencing very similar to your last 5 life videos. Thank you for making those. You are one of those few people who talked about tech like this. Really appreciate it and I'm glad that I'm not alone.
I subscribed (and supported) because of this sort of content. As Sarah said in last night's live, and the facilitators in my current bootcamp emphasize daily, the soft-skills hold just as much (if not more) weight in a lot of hiring. There are many resources for code walkthroughs and documentation but few put that world in context to what we're doing as well as you do. Keep on.
Your point of view is very relevant for those of us who are just now entering the Software Engineering space. I honestly enjoy watching these honest videos and seeing everything from your point of view.
Mayuko, I guess you've already learned the foundation of computer science and programming, and that foundation will not go away. Your honesty on not feeling like making a video about coding is what you should follow. No one will think about you as a fraud or fake. You've already proven what you have learned and have done. And I'm sure you'll be able to write code again if you need to and if you want to. When I had to write code professionally in two languages I've only started seriously learning from age 51 (literally those are C# and C++) I was really scared but I survived the project anyway. I'm going to be 56 very soon but having a chance of learning C++ at such a later stage of my life actually opened me a lot of new opportunities, including being able to write a software radio receiver. So keep it up! :)
I can relate so much! I currently work as a software engineer. there are parts of my job I love, and parts that I don't really care for, but one of my fears that come up every time I consider switching to a new career is about losing some legitimacy by moving away from strictly technical roles. Thanks so much for sharing your experience, I feel less alone :)
I relate a lot with you. I have gone through many phases as software engineer and lately I have been feeling it more as a chore and a responsibility rather than a passion or something I love to do. But this has also made me more aware of other hobbies and things I like in life.
Hi, Thank you for sharing your story. It's really nice to listen to another's journey that is completely unique, yet feel like a familiar story. I just stumbled across your channel, and this video along with the "Hustle Culture" video are the only two videos I've watched from you. With that said, both of the videos reeled me in from their title alone because I saw something so relatable to my own story. For context, I'm traditionally trained in industrial design, and I've worked in the Silicon Valley since 2015 with a one-year "gap year". Starting with the "Hustle Culture" video, you hit the same notes that I've run through my mind countless times about the hustle culture - of this group that lives, breathes, and eats design - and how I don't feel a part of that, nor do I want to be. Then this video is again, just a perfectly relatable topic as well on my feelings after leaving the industrial design field, to a more generic, catch-all design role on a creative production team.
Thank you for this video. I've been in the same place in BIM and architectural design due to several external factors but also beause of the the same dreaded impostor syndrome and really planning how to slowly get out of the rut. This video helped a lot, believe it or not.
I appreciate your honesty here. I took a huge hit to my self esteem after losing a job six months ago, and I have been struggling with impostor syndrome, too. Now I have been dipping my feet back in and getting back in the swing of coding again. You will always be a SE because of your experience. No one can take that away from you.
There are people who have never coded professionally at all and have coding RUclips channels, so I wouldn't worry about that at all. You are still totally qualified to talk about the topic.
You make great content about mental health and usual human problems, which make me feel alive and remember that I am a real person. I am working as a software engineer for a little while but even for this small time I’ve already burned out and got frustrated from job. Creators like you give me the strength to continue. Please keep going!
Its been very interesting to watch your channel evolve. I'll admit I watched your channel originally because you were so open about the work you did in your industry and I found it very refreshing about your honesty and openness. Even though you don't do the same thing anymore I don't as long as you as a person hasn't changed which is why I like ya. You're still very open honest and willing to share stuff you know. I love that about ya and that's why I still watch your videos. I know you may be struggling with your content creator journey but I'll keep being here as long as your core personality and general sharing nature doesn't change. I think you're great ^-^.
Love the honesty!!! I am self taught so all my time was coding, then when I got a job I was still coding in my spare time to keep learning but now my brain just can’t handle finishing 9 hours at work to 3 hours on my own. Been getting back to recording and writing music which was my passion before coding and it has given me a better balance and made me happier 🙂
Thanks for sharing your feelings mayuko. To be frank some times your videos does add some value in my life, I am grateful for that. Please keep up your good work.
4:10 as an immigrant, I went through multiple rejections and identify crises, which were quite devastating. All the anxieties and stress are huge and hard to deal with. Maybe Mayuko’s parents might have experienced those. And wanna say simply congratulations to them and hope you could win your anxieties over. We’re together guys!
I gave up software development about 5 years ago after a mental health crisis. I’ve tried to go back once or twice but every time I try I’m confronted by just how little I’ve retained and don’t know where to start. It’s like having writer’s block but also you forgot how to write. Thanks for another awesome video :)
For someone who is thinking of transitioning into Tech, do you have any recommendation about burn out and mental health in the Tech field in general? Thanks.
I changed jobs about a year ago to something a lot less challenging, and I feel this video so much. Even though I "code" every day, I'm not really challenged day to day, so I feel like I haven't coded in a year. Imposter syndrome is such a pain.
Oh boy do I feel this. I’ve been writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for a decade, but I didn’t feel like I could call myself a frontend developer until VERY recently thanks to imposter syndrome. Like, I’d be in the middle of a talk about creative uses of the REST API in WordPress and I’d still do this crazy dance around the term “frontend developer” like “I’m a designer who does frontend development” because somehow that felt like a more honest assessment of the situation? (It wasn’t.) I had this ridiculous idea that somehow, owning that knowledge and identifying as a frontend developer would be insulting to some mythical ACTUAL frontend developer who very clearly was not me because I don’t know React or Vue or whatever the next big thing is. I feel a communication barrier between me and my more traditionally “technical” peers - I don’t have as much jargon up my sleeve. But I see things they don’t catch, especially the connections between different systems that seem completely unrelated. Art teaches you to be on the lookout for those associations and gives you an eye for detail (looking at you, missing semicolon). Get me in front of VSCode, though, and coding is just another medium for me to work in, as fluid and limitless as mixing paint. When people first meet me in a professional context, they often see me as a designer, and it takes significant effort and time to get them to realize I am also a frontend developer. And that identity is NOT in spite of my identity as a designer. Those overlapping identities are precisely what makes me valuable. The differences I feel that fuel imposter syndrome are not detriments. You own your identity, and continuing to identify as a software engineer as you give your knowledge back - even if you aren’t actively coding this moment - is absolutely normal and reasonable. Think of all the technical leaders and managers and teachers and retirees that stay in tech, but don’t commit code on a day to day basis. You deserve the same level of respect.
You have control of your life. That’s a great life lesson for anyone. This channel is more than just coding stuffs and that’s why you’re the only SE I follow.
I mean, if copy and paste don’t count, I think I also haven’t coded in a year too
I'm at an extremely beginner level in terms to the likes of you or mayuko and I hate to be super discouraging. But, I think it's extremely bad practice to copy and paste code. I am sure that it's more efficient but seriously, at the core of it, programming revolves around problem solving, logical thinking and just over all creativity. Imposter Syndrome, Burning yourself out and just overall lack of interest or passion overall is the biggest threat to someone's programming career.
@@jxkc.3941 Hi, you’re actually right! It’s a running joke in software engineering that we often copy code from stack overflow but technically that is not good practice. Even my current manager encourages us to type out what we find on stackoverflow or any other documentations instead of just copy and pasting to make sure the integration is correct, edge cases are taken care of, and remove any flakiness of the code. It’s great that you’re using good practice and I encourage any one starting out coding to do the same, along with watching my videos!
@@jxkc.3941 blindy copying is wrong. One should NEVER EVER use code that one doesn't understand. Depending on what type of projects you're working on, however, it is rather practical to assume that the best skill a developer can have is to know "what to google". Things like uploading files for example, that's just a default task and for the love of my life I just can't keep it in my head. I hate this task. But it takes me close to no time to implement using copy/paste.
Given that - no matter the language - the chance of us using frameworks is rather large. And "How to XYZ with FooFramework" is such a freakishly common thing to google. All that's left for the programmer to do is to implement the best (read: secure) option and that's it.
No need to re-invent the wheel, however, there's also no need to use a wheel with a flat tire ;) And it does take a certain level of skill to spot the issues a tire might have :)
@@jxkc.3941 When you have clients and deadlines, you quickly learn to not reinvent the wheel. Some things are just timesinks and not worth the time it takes to do it yourself. With that said, don't copy code you don't understand, that's a great way to shoot yourself in the foot when it inevitably comes back to bite you.
@@jxkc.3941 It has pros and cons. In some cases, it actually takes more skill to find the right piece of code, understand it properly (because understanding other people's code is harder), and implement it into your code, and could allow you to do something in 1 hour that would've taken 5. I often have the opposite problem, where I often try to code everything myself because I'm too lazy to go out looking for the right code, but I know that it could save me a lot of time.
life is so much more than coding and engineering.
Like what ?
@@pratikrana7038 Like living
I reside in the c++ dungeon
I reside in the Elixir dungeon
U r an excellent communicator
Thank you for being vulnerable with your audience! As a baby coder (2 years) who experiences depression, anxiety, and impostor syndrome I look up to a lot of content creators in tech (especially women POC) and have an idealistic perception of them. You repeated a lot of the same thoughts I have which makes me feel better because I am not alone ❤️
Mayuko, my soul sister. I never commented on your videos, but I watch your videos regularly. You just literally spelled out everything I feel. I quit my 14 year career in tech 1.5 years ago because I was tired of it. I still haven't figured out what to do next, but I know I have taken the right decision even though the stress of not having an identity which people want you to have, is real. I feel stressed about it, worry about it, cry about it, but then feel that sense of calmness in me when I realize that I'm not part of that hamster wheel anymore. You are not alone. I don't know how much my pov helps you, but hearing you talking about your life really helps me. I will continue to watch your videos and be inspired.
Thank you 💖Sending you energy wherever you are in the world, friend. We'll figure it out.
I wish I could do the same.
Your videos are always a source of comfort for me as a female software engineer, and I appreciate you being open about your insecurities working in tech because it's very real for me too.
To combat imposter syndrome, what works for me is to dive deep into something completely different and abandon all notion of of the former "occupation". For example, I used to be a designer and now I pivoted fully to Cyber Security + coding. I realize now that none of the labels really matter in the context of a long duration of time, so I no longer worry about it. I also realize that every skill, job, and THING THAT YOU DO is just a facet of your identity--just a facet. Also, at no point in any time throughout these processes do you owe anything to anyone--even yourself. What I mean by that last statement is you can go and TRY things, claim you're a snowboarder one day, a pottery maker the next, and maybe a singer next moment, with no strings attached to any of the things you try.
You don't owe anything to anyone--including yourself.
You are whatever you what you want to be--at any moment in time.
You are what you repeatedly do.
Right now, you're at a fascinating time in your life--you have the resources AND time to explore anything and everything.
So congratulations, you're growing up :')
I love when youtuers show like a normal person with highs and downs, I dont feel that something is wrong with me because I dont know every aspect of technology out there.
It's insane that someone like Mayuko, who has years of experience at truly solid engineering teams, would feel this way. You already have awesome insight and combined with your thoughtfulness and sensitivity makes for a really refreshing viewpoint on what it means to be a software engineer in the contemporary Western software industry. I'm about 6 years into my software career now and at this point I'm thoroughly fed up with the culture that's been propagated from Silicon Valley. The tech industry has been very successful at convincing young engineers that we have to be passionate about coding itself rather than what the code does.
Maybe part of the impostor syndrome comes from that you are no longer focusing on writing business logic. There's an implicit idea that's shoved down our throats unwittingly that engineers have to focus on software that provides use-value for businesses, so what use is an engineer who only provides "value" for themselves or others not directly involved in the global economy? It's crazy when you consider how much of our systems are built on open source software...
Nah girl you're hella legit! You've worked at insanely reputable companies. You've coded, you've navigated the tech space, and you've built features and apps. Your perspective is incredibly insightful and meaningful for people who are in tech, going into it, leaving it, or even balancing it with other full-time endeavors. Your corner of the internet has shined so much light on the deeper and various dimensions that people in tech have. Thank you~
😭😭😭😭 Chloeeeee thank youuuuu
I'm the opposite, I have delusions of grandeur as a software engineer, and the bad part is 99.9% of that confidence is unwarranted.....
I took a hiatus from tech and my Comp Sci degree to be a SAHM and homeschool my 3 kids for 10 years. Now they're older and I'm going back to finish school in cybersecurity. I've got this huge gap on my resume and really no professional tech experience and it. is. SCARY. I'm working on getting a bunch of certs and finish my degree and hoping to be done in a year. Thank you for sharing your fears and vulnerabilities. You make me feel better and not alone.
Forgetting things is not about your brain failing, it's about keeping in mind what's matters to you now.
The more you learn the more things you forget. It's natural way a brain operates.
And you are a smarty.
I subbed because of this kind of content. Don't need to hustle, just be yourself.
Exactly
thanks for being here, fam 💖
Honestly, I'm glad you don't make code tutorials and would rather talk about *life* while coding. It brings a lot of awareness and comfort to me, so thank you!
i gotta personally say that i find your recent vids so valuable mayuko!! your career focused ones have helped me so much in my first year doing fulltime SWE, and your freaking amazing video quality inspires me to work on my own ❤❤ also so many of your more personal vids are so relatable and helped me validate my own feelings this past year
I really enjoy the content that you create! I really appreciate you opening the conversation on things that aren't often talked about in the tech industry. As a fellow Asian American woman in CS, I resonate a lot with what you say, and learn a lot from your candid discussions. Thank you for helping make this space more inclusive.
Engineering has a low perseverance threshold. Shit is hard. She’s so well spoken! It’s a vibe.
Facts 🇭🇹
I really love the cozy aesthetic you give to your videos. To me, it doesn't really matter what the content is about. As long as you are doing what you love, and show this awesome vibe, I'm in! So, keep being cool, Mayuko! Greetings from México 🇲🇽
I started working a month ago as a junior full stack web developer and holly, my impostor syndrom is so huge that I even go work on saturdays to try to "upgrade" faster and feel less of an impostor
Please give yourself a break! You’ll be more productive after allowing your brain to rest and focus on other important parts of your life
Engineering in general is somehow pretty competitive even if I find that the people *in* the field don't actually want to be. Especially true for Software Engineering, I find, where everyone is constantly comparing themselves to others, and worrying that they are lacking technical prowess. Which is weird since a majority seems to feel that way. It's like a charade that's perpetuated by everyone in a circular fashion, against mostly everyone's will. And it's quite toxic in reality. I think it is a shame because writing code can be such a creative endeavour.
I agree. And because it is so competitive, I see my peers really suffering(mental health wise). Also, me being a perfectionist, it is actually so exhausting trying to constantly stand out or prove that you're better than the rest. I just wish it wasn't this way, but I guess there's nothing we can do about it.
I've been a software engineer for over 8 years and, TBH, I'm pretty tired of the culture at this point. I don't think we necessarily change the world for the better and I don't find hacker culture endearing anymore. Hoping to follow in your footsteps some day soon.
Hello Mayuko, i can't believe I've only just found your channel ❤. I've watched a few videos now and you're so spot on.
I've been a software developer fo 14 years and I really feel it's time to move on.
Thanks for being vulnerable, i can truly relate.
I w3nt through those phases several times where I quit my job, did something completely different, gained a lot of different experiences like event photography, website development, graphics design, scrum, programming webapps, 3d animations, electronics, etc etc.
Now I'm back at fulltime backend development and feel much more rounded and using all these skills where and as needed. Creating nice graphics to explain abstract and difficult to grasp concepts and putting that in presentations or documentation, structuring information into excelsheets or backlogs, setup contracts with agile timeboxing in mind, use my own photos as backdrop to enliven teams calls.
More often than not, being able to step beyond your bounds is very helpful in many work situations, so bringing skills not directly related could be the difference between a project completely failing and a succesful project.
If your experiences shift and you grow in different directions, it's perfectly fine to make that shift in the content you create too. It's more about your personal perspective, that's what makes it unique and interesting. And making a career switch is becoming more and more common.
And if you're done creating content, who knows, maybe you'll develop yourself into an online content creator coach ☺️
You’re not a fraud!! But I feel where you’re coming from and honestly I’m so happy you’re one of the few people breaking barriers and doing stuff beyond just coding tutorials. You’re providing a great insight into the realities of the industry and just life in general! These types of videos especially have been so helpful to me personally and have helped navigate my own life. SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO 🙏🏽
As someone who recently found your content, I appreciate the honesty and vulnerability in the video. As someone who came to software development not having a computer science degree, I often get imposter syndrome feelings, and it adds plenty of anxiety to my life. Still, it is comforting to know that even someone like yourself experiences those feelings. As of late, I've found your content very helpful to keep me focused and lessen some of that feeling of being an imposter, and even if you're not actively coding, you still have plenty to offer your viewers since there is more to working in technology and software than pure coding. Keep up the awesome content.
Coders and software engineers were always my favourite people to work with because of their unwavering work ethic. I've also seen so many of them burn out right before my eyes though, which also makes the whole field really terrifying. Thank you for sharing your experience, you have a really great future ahead of you!
"Coding is just a tool" - Well said!
And thank you for this inspiring video, we need more people talking about those topics openly.
I mean most of the questions people have about the tech industry are about the hurdles of getting an entry-level job in tech or what it's like in the first couple of years. And that experience doesn't really change over time, so your experiences are still very much valid since you've gone through all those hurdles already.
It's great to see different takes on a particular field-- and in tech especially. I think other aspects in the tech industry are not as talked about and given particular focus, mostly because the spotlight is on coding, so I appreciate you opening up and telling us, your audience, how you feel. Our self-worth should not be measured by a certain skill, we are an amalgamation and coming together of different skills, ideas, and experiences -- and it's great that you are experiencing those and enriching yourself which will give you a better and holistic perspective not only in tech but in life in general. Keep doing what you've been doing because it's been really great!
Mayuko's video == Therapy Session 😌🌈
I have a mountain to say, but simply I share your confidence and that's really what fruits grow out of the doubts we experience. I'm with you.
From the few videos I've watched on your channel, I can see you have placed a lot of importance on your career. However, your identity goes far beyond what you do for work! Your identity, as you mentioned in your video, is not only as a software engineer, but as a content creator, Japanese and American, wife, child of immigrants, dog owner, and I'm sure many more.
I think what makes one's life whole is to embark on a journey to balance out the different roles in a manner than brings out a loving and kind individual. And I can see that in you.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for being sincere on your channel. That in itself is something that is inspiring.
Almost 7 years in tech industry & I felt the same as you. Slowly getting back to coding. Just take your time.
There are lot of coding tutorials out there, but these insightful videos taking about the personal experiences are gems.
Like you said Coding is a tool, problem solving is a skill which can be applied at lot of other areas.
This is something I'm facing as a manager that's moved away from IC work and I totally feel this imposter syndrome too. I even did an interview recently where I had to do a coding testing; for a manager position and it really threw me for a loop. You're completely right in thinking that you can get back into it and be just as relevant as you want to be, so don't invalidate yourself. I think you have great insight on soft skills and let's be honest, most software engineers need help on this. At the end of the day, do what you're passionate about and enjoy!
I’m coding professionally but I’m in meetings 80% of the day so I don’t really code anymore either 😭
There's a point in every developer's life that they become someone who professionally goes to meetings and then code in their spare time.
@@natassiatavares4568 definitely not in every but that is sure very common thing to happen in a software engineering career
I have those days too, but my team and I have agreed on focus days as well. I think we just need to find that balance :)
@@jhinjher i think the thing is: no one likes endless meetings all day
@@keeplearning4L
The thing is my team and I decided this e.g. one meeting heavy day (with breaks in between) only in the week and the rest we have dedicated focus days.
Also clarify me if i'm wrong when you say 'endless' it gives me impression you may mean 'pointless' and not appropriately timeboxed?
Its annoying as well for me getting into invaluable meetings that waste my time i.e. im not needed there or its redundant info or could've been a slack message. We've agreed we can leave a meeting if we identify we aren't a necessity to be there.
True, tech isnt just coding. We work with designers, product owners, product managers, tech leads, marketing, cx and they all contribute to the success of a product you build :)
I've always taken coding satisfaction in solving the problem at hand. The joy of being part of building a "better mousetrap" will always give me the thrill. You should never be expected to draw satisfaction of coding if there's no problem to solve. You do you @mayuko.
As someone who is just starting out in tech, listening to you talk about it from that perspective brought me so much relief and inspired me to be much more than "just" a software engineer. Thank you SO much, this was a really insightful and hopeful video to me, I really appreciate it!
THANK you for not pretending - 99 % of tech youtubers, especially programmers, are just so convinced of their coding skills it's almost annoying because the preach their ONE point of view and knowledge like it's THE ultimate wisdom.
It's hard for you to upload this Mayuko and being vulnerable too. We will still follow you. Learned a lot from this video. Keep it up! :)
Remember your Wisdom from the industry is always valuable to your viewers.
I am not even a software engineer but i have still watched your videos and followed your channel since your first ever 'day in the life' video. Your videos provide good insights and advice which is transferable to other fields. I would personally still follow your channel even if you don't code or do tech videos. We are all more than just engineers. Have a great day!
For software engineers, other people's viewpoints are always interesting - but ultimately viewpoints from other software engineers will be too similar to my own to be notably helpful. Personally I've found that people who have more life/tech industry experience - as opposed to raw technical experience or ability - are the ones who have the most enlightening perspective. So honestly, the fact you haven't been in the coding weeds recently is what gives you greater licence to give the kind of advice you give here.
Reminds me on the struggle science communicators have when they are no longer active researchers. In my opinion people don‘t really care if you are still active in your profession, if you are a communicator
At work, we are changing to Low-Code, it's mentally refreshing. (A coding background is very useful, you still deal with similar stuff)
Coding I now do as a hobby and I can freely choose what to learn, build.
What's that exactly and where do you work? (if you don't mind me asking)
@@muskan3697 Mendix is the low code platform. And I work at a company where software is not the main focus. SAP backend.
@@OttoVanluchene Ugh, SAP
@@TomNook. I only need SAP to retrieve data with services. 😁
I totally relate to this video. I left my 20 year systems analyst career also in search of first a logical break and time to give myself a chance to analyze and readjust my life. Whether it's going back to IT or following a new venture, I didn't know. All I knew at the time was I needed this for me. I had imposter syndrome while I was still working and now thinking of going back I'm also experiencing imposter syndrome. Are my skills still valuable, am I good enough, do I even like IT anymore, etc., etc. But all in all I do NOT for one minute regret the time I have taken off. I'm thankful I have a supportive husband and children that make me see I'm enough regardless of my career. All the best!
It is okay Mayuko, sometimes we need to step back just to see or relax ourselves. We truly believe in you that you can always do it. Sometimes, I also feel that sometimes as a 2nd year college student my knowledge is not enough as a CS Student, but I always step back and think to assess what should I need to do, to avoid doubting myself or other stuff. So we believe in you. You are always the Princess of Software Engineering
You're so honest compared to some other youtubers who are simply scumbags. They talk a lot about this field having very little knowledge while you feel guilty because you haven't coded in a year.
Your ingenuity and outlook on the tech world is what keeps me subscribed. It’s extremely refreshing to see you talk through underlying issues and thoughts that we experience on a day to day. Yes coding is cool to talk about but there’s so much more beyond that tool to a career that you touch on very well. Thanks for sharing with us, cheers!
This one really felt close since I’ve been going through something similar, quitting my stable job in a middle of a pandemic to pursue my illustration skills and content creation as well. Even tho I’m not a part of the tech industry I can empathize with what you are talking about here and these feelings are valid and really necessary to talk about 🙂
I relate so much with the debugging part. Tbh you don’t even have to be in tech, and learning to debug is still gonna be tremendously useful when you’re using any software at all.
You are not a fraud. You have proven yourself as a developer and now you are following your passion. You've accomplished more than most of the people trolling youtube who'll never evolve beyond code-along tutorials. If they leave bitter comments, its due to their own inadequacies, nothing more. You are legit and your wealth of experience, knowledge, and insights are valuable. Follow your dreams and make the content you want to make. The tech world needs perspectives beyond the boring tutorial mill.
Hi, Mayuko. Thanks a lot for having the courage to disclose what you're going through with your feelings. As someone who's been in the IT industry for some (long) time, I completely understand how you feel. Don't let feelings of inadequacy or fears about the future stop you from doing what you think is valuable. Keep on doing what you think fulfills your purpose, and things will be all right. :)
You are not what you do! You are still valid because, you are! Your knowledge and wisdom are super important to others, so even if you don’t do something in the future doesn’t negate what you’ve done in the past. We want to hear your voice and your heart!
Glad I'm not the only one that has these mini-existential crises 😅. The concept of a "default" path (study hard -> go to good school -> get a good job -> 2.5 kids and family -> work hard -> retire) is gone and that's given us wayy too much room in our brains to be anxious about how things "should" be. Definitely still a work in progress!
As a student this is pretty relatable, of course I'll stick around. Looking forward to more introspective videos like this one.
Thank you for sharing your candid and vulnerable thoughts with us. It really resonated with me. I remember watching your videos prior to making the career switch to software development and being inspired and feeling represented. As you said, while there are a lot of great tech tutorial channels out there, I think your channel especially provided a much-needed representation and a different view of tech!
Hi Mayuko, thanks for making these more "soft skilled" videos and being vulnerable it definitely helps us younger software engineers knowing we aren't the only ones that feel like this. Especially those of us that don't work in the valley and just work a regular 9-5 at regular company. I've worked for a start up and I mean true startup (3rd employee) and that was the most stressful and chaotic 3 years of my life. And now I'm still in Tech but a Business Intelligence role creating and building a center of excellence for business intelligence. I feel the exact same way you do about being an authority or "legit" software engineer though since I'm not directly coding or coding as a career anymore. I love coding it was really my passion but like you sometimes I feel lost as it was a bit part of my identity.
I've only been following you for the last year since the lockdown but you've quickly become my go to for tech career stuff as a computer science student and the twitch streams are honestly the greatest help for my study on the off chance I can catch them (damn timezones).
i'm a programmer for 6 months now in a large company and i honestly felt the same, like i don't feel good enough. and doubting myself if i belong in this field.
That is so fun how you rationalize it 😁 We love your thoughts !!
It’s like surfing , you start with a small surfboard and as you get older you surf a longboard. You still surfing but enjoying more with less effort. 🇲🇽🇯🇵🇺🇸🌊🏄🏽♂️😎😎😎
Tbh this sounds like when someone gets out of the military. You almost become part of a different society doing one thing and then when you're not doing that thing it's just constant thoughts of "What am I really?".
You're not alone in this weird feeling of figuring what else you want out of life.
I really like the transparency, Mayuko. Keep being you, and asking yourself questions. Life is awesome and it's worth living it truly. Cheers from Transylvania! Have a nice day. :D
Mayuko, I can kind of relate to you. I am a project manager, but haven't really worked as a project manager in over 5 years. I keep my skills current, but don't really work in the field. I do use those skills to manage what I do now, but I am no longer managing teams/projects. As I listened to you talk, I think you revealed how to move forward with your channel. All the other skills you picked up as a software developer, how do they translate to the other work you are considering? How did you grow those skills? I think that would make interesting content.
For some context, I came across your channel when looking for home office ideas after we went into extended work from home due to the pandemic. I believe the first one of you videos I watched was a walkthrough of your home office setup. I don't think simply because you don't code, you can no longer have an opinion on the tech industry. I think you have much more to offer then just code chat.
At the end of the day, you need to be happy with the path you walk. I wish you the best on your journey.
Thank you for your transparency! Keep doing you, your content and insight is super valuable!! Keep up the great work!
I'm curious to know more about your thoughts on women engineers leaving their tech jobs overtime. As a software engineer myself who's been in the industry for quite some time now I feel the need to keep getting to the next level and not hitting pause (because I don't want to stay behind my peers and I'm also super used to working and not giving too much thought about my personal life) however I know that at some point I would also like to have a family. What are your thoughts on women in tech maintaining and excelling in their career and having a family at the same time? I feel like this topic is not discussed very often. Love your YT channel btw and I think it's normal not to code as much as you used to since you love creating content ❤️
oooof this whole comment strikes such a chord with me. I definitely do have some thoughts about this (and also so many questions too). I'll definitely make a video once the thoughts have melded into something I'm excited to make. But for now, I'm currently challenging all these assumptions/hurdles that women have to face in the industry, esp as it pertains to women leaving. I'm in question-mode: is it true that I can have both a career, and a family? Can I keep going at the same pace as my male peers, and do I have to? Do I even want to? What does balance look like for me?
@@hellomayuko I’m happy to see that the questions I ask myself are mutual. Can’t wait to see the video! 😄
I want that sweater! it's dope!
I think you can buy it from her!
@@ms1295 Thanks so much! Tbh, I can't believe I didn't think of that :)
I'm in college and this is exactly what I'm going through right now, my mind has been foggy since march 2020, haven't studied as hard and consistently as I wanted to for months, but the fact that I'm aware of it is comforting, like having an out of body experience and seeing yourself do things not the way you want to but still knowing what and how you should accomplish stuff...
I'm always looking forward to watching your videos coz in some way I feel I'm in the same boat as you are. I left software engineering in silicon valley about 5 years ago and used to work for Intuit in the valley. Since the last 5 years, i have gone through so much of life...got married, left US and came to India to pursue business. Still not sure about leaving software engineering and a good life in the US. Your videos somehow remind me that I'm not the only person to second guessu decision and it's okay to be like this. Glad that I stumbled upon your channel. Keep up the great work here on RUclips.
PS: love the hoodie color 😀
Hi Mayuko - The content that you are creating is adding so much value. It takes a lot of courage to open yourself up and be vulnerable to yourself, your loved ones and the public and what you talk about is important. These conversations about topics like Imposter Syndrome, Mental Health etc effect everyone and being able to normalise the challenges that come with the journey is reassuring for those who are going through a similar experience. It's also important to re-define what it means to be productive and successful and that behaviours that come at the cost of our mental, physical and spiritual health is just not worth it and is often a misleading concept in the first place. You are Awesome and I respect you as an authority in tech and much more x :-)
Tech needs more humanity, vulnerability, and openness to share like this. Just focusing on someone’s skill and talent pushes us away to act genuine with other people.
Thank you so much for your authenticity. I definitely resonate.
Lately, I have been experiencing very similar to your last 5 life videos.
Thank you for making those. You are one of those few people who talked about tech like this.
Really appreciate it and I'm glad that I'm not alone.
I subscribed (and supported) because of this sort of content. As Sarah said in last night's live, and the facilitators in my current bootcamp emphasize daily, the soft-skills hold just as much (if not more) weight in a lot of hiring. There are many resources for code walkthroughs and documentation but few put that world in context to what we're doing as well as you do. Keep on.
Whatever role you may have now or in the future, we'd still love you, Mayuko! ❤
Your point of view is very relevant for those of us who are just now entering the Software Engineering space. I honestly enjoy watching these honest videos and seeing everything from your point of view.
I'm in IT, but I hate coding. I just watch you for your great personality. Keep doing you, you're awesome.
Mayuko, I guess you've already learned the foundation of computer science and programming, and that foundation will not go away. Your honesty on not feeling like making a video about coding is what you should follow. No one will think about you as a fraud or fake. You've already proven what you have learned and have done. And I'm sure you'll be able to write code again if you need to and if you want to.
When I had to write code professionally in two languages I've only started seriously learning from age 51 (literally those are C# and C++) I was really scared but I survived the project anyway. I'm going to be 56 very soon but having a chance of learning C++ at such a later stage of my life actually opened me a lot of new opportunities, including being able to write a software radio receiver.
So keep it up! :)
Thanks, Kenji-san 🥰
I can relate so much! I currently work as a software engineer. there are parts of my job I love, and parts that I don't really care for, but one of my fears that come up every time I consider switching to a new career is about losing some legitimacy by moving away from strictly technical roles.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, I feel less alone :)
I relate a lot with you. I have gone through many phases as software engineer and lately I have been feeling it more as a chore and a responsibility rather than a passion or something I love to do. But this has also made me more aware of other hobbies and things I like in life.
Hi, Thank you for sharing your story. It's really nice to listen to another's journey that is completely unique, yet feel like a familiar story. I just stumbled across your channel, and this video along with the "Hustle Culture" video are the only two videos I've watched from you. With that said, both of the videos reeled me in from their title alone because I saw something so relatable to my own story. For context, I'm traditionally trained in industrial design, and I've worked in the Silicon Valley since 2015 with a one-year "gap year". Starting with the "Hustle Culture" video, you hit the same notes that I've run through my mind countless times about the hustle culture - of this group that lives, breathes, and eats design - and how I don't feel a part of that, nor do I want to be. Then this video is again, just a perfectly relatable topic as well on my feelings after leaving the industrial design field, to a more generic, catch-all design role on a creative production team.
The honesty in your videos is always appreciated. And what you bring to this platform is pretty unique!
Thank you for this video. I've been in the same place in BIM and architectural design due to several external factors but also beause of the the same dreaded impostor syndrome and really planning how to slowly get out of the rut. This video helped a lot, believe it or not.
I appreciate your honesty here. I took a huge hit to my self esteem after losing a job six months ago, and I have been struggling with impostor syndrome, too. Now I have been dipping my feet back in and getting back in the swing of coding again. You will always be a SE because of your experience. No one can take that away from you.
There are people who have never coded professionally at all and have coding RUclips channels, so I wouldn't worry about that at all. You are still totally qualified to talk about the topic.
You make great content about mental health and usual human problems, which make me feel alive and remember that I am a real person. I am working as a software engineer for a little while but even for this small time I’ve already burned out and got frustrated from job. Creators like you give me the strength to continue. Please keep going!
Just be yourself! Thank you for sharing those videos and your feelings. I like your current content which helps me from stressful life and work.
Its been very interesting to watch your channel evolve. I'll admit I watched your channel originally because you were so open about the work you did in your industry and I found it very refreshing about your honesty and openness. Even though you don't do the same thing anymore I don't as long as you as a person hasn't changed which is why I like ya. You're still very open honest and willing to share stuff you know. I love that about ya and that's why I still watch your videos. I know you may be struggling with your content creator journey but I'll keep being here as long as your core personality and general sharing nature doesn't change. I think you're great ^-^.
Love the honesty!!! I am self taught so all my time was coding, then when I got a job I was still coding in my spare time to keep learning but now my brain just can’t handle finishing 9 hours at work to 3 hours on my own. Been getting back to recording and writing music which was my passion before coding and it has given me a better balance and made me happier 🙂
Thanks for sharing your feelings mayuko. To be frank some times your videos does add some value in my life, I am grateful for that. Please keep up your good work.
4:10 as an immigrant, I went through multiple rejections and identify crises, which were quite devastating. All the anxieties and stress are huge and hard to deal with. Maybe Mayuko’s parents might have experienced those. And wanna say simply congratulations to them and hope you could win your anxieties over. We’re together guys!
Thank you so much for making these types of videos Mayuko. It is sooo nice knowing others feel the same way.
Thank you for being *you*
I like that you distinguished work from identity
I gave up software development about 5 years ago after a mental health crisis. I’ve tried to go back once or twice but every time I try I’m confronted by just how little I’ve retained and don’t know where to start. It’s like having writer’s block but also you forgot how to write.
Thanks for another awesome video :)
For someone who is thinking of transitioning into Tech, do you have any recommendation about burn out and mental health in the Tech field in general? Thanks.
I changed jobs about a year ago to something a lot less challenging, and I feel this video so much. Even though I "code" every day, I'm not really challenged day to day, so I feel like I haven't coded in a year. Imposter syndrome is such a pain.
Unrelated, but i just love the aesthetics of your room. Wish i had that sense of color coordination.
Oh boy do I feel this. I’ve been writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for a decade, but I didn’t feel like I could call myself a frontend developer until VERY recently thanks to imposter syndrome. Like, I’d be in the middle of a talk about creative uses of the REST API in WordPress and I’d still do this crazy dance around the term “frontend developer” like “I’m a designer who does frontend development” because somehow that felt like a more honest assessment of the situation? (It wasn’t.) I had this ridiculous idea that somehow, owning that knowledge and identifying as a frontend developer would be insulting to some mythical ACTUAL frontend developer who very clearly was not me because I don’t know React or Vue or whatever the next big thing is.
I feel a communication barrier between me and my more traditionally “technical” peers - I don’t have as much jargon up my sleeve. But I see things they don’t catch, especially the connections between different systems that seem completely unrelated. Art teaches you to be on the lookout for those associations and gives you an eye for detail (looking at you, missing semicolon). Get me in front of VSCode, though, and coding is just another medium for me to work in, as fluid and limitless as mixing paint. When people first meet me in a professional context, they often see me as a designer, and it takes significant effort and time to get them to realize I am also a frontend developer. And that identity is NOT in spite of my identity as a designer. Those overlapping identities are precisely what makes me valuable. The differences I feel that fuel imposter syndrome are not detriments.
You own your identity, and continuing to identify as a software engineer as you give your knowledge back - even if you aren’t actively coding this moment - is absolutely normal and reasonable. Think of all the technical leaders and managers and teachers and retirees that stay in tech, but don’t commit code on a day to day basis. You deserve the same level of respect.
You have control of your life. That’s a great life lesson for anyone. This channel is more than just coding stuffs and that’s why you’re the only SE I follow.