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I'm a woman
I'm now considered to be "middle aged"
I've been a nurse all my life
I don't know how to code
I am not young and trendy, and I certainly have no desire whatsoever to be an "influencer". I will not be asking anyone to "like and subscribe"!
What on earth is someone like me doing dabbling in web design?!?!
This is something I've been asking myself the past couple of months as I pondered whether I'd ever be taken seriously enough as a web designer in my own right.
As I navigate this new territory of web design, feelings of imposter syndrome often loom large, threatening to overshadow my passion and enthusiasm for this creative field.
In sharing my story, I hope to shed light on the common struggles faced by people like me and explore strategies for overcoming self-doubt.
Feeling Out of Place in a Male-Dominated Field
As a woman stepping into the seemingly male-dominated realm of web design, it's natural to question whether I really belong here. Ask anyone what a web designer, or anyone in the IT field looks like, I would be fairly sure the image people conjure up would be of a young man in their twenties. It can at times for me, amplify feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.
However, I do try not to let these perceptions define my journey. My unique perspective as a woman and a nurse brings different insights to the table, enriching the field of web design in ways that go beyond coding expertise.
Doubting My Technical Competence
One of the biggest hurdles I've faced in transitioning to web design is my lack of coding knowledge. Unlike many in the field, I don't have experience writing lines of code, and to be honest, the idea of learning to code feels overwhelming and intimidating. At times, I've questioned whether I can truly succeed in web design without this fundamental skill.
However, upon researching and exploring the field further, I've come to realise that not all web designers are proficient coders—and that's okay. In fact, it's becoming increasingly common for web designers to focus on other aspects of the design process, such as user experience, visual aesthetics, and content creation, while leaving the coding to developers or using user-friendly platforms and tools that don't require extensive coding knowledge.
Understanding that coding isn't a prerequisite for success in web design has been a reassuring revelation. Instead of fixating on what I don't know, I've begun to leverage my strengths in areas like creativity, problem-solving, and attention to detail.
In essence, while coding may remain a foreign language to me, I've come to realise that it doesn't define my worth or limit my potential in the field of web design.
Imposter Syndrome Amplified by Age
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks" springs to mind here! As a middle-aged woman trying out something new, I've grappled with feelings of insecurity related to my age. There's a prevailing notion that learning new skills or entering a competitive field is reserved for the young, and it's easy to succumb to the belief that I'm somehow too old to start anew.
I try not to let age define or dictate the trajectory of my life. Who knows where this venture will take me, but if I don't try, I'll never know. My journey is a testament to the power of lifelong learning and personal reinvention, and I'm determined to embrace each new challenge with resilience and optimism.
So, I've talked a little about imposter syndrome and self-doubt from my own perspective going into web design. It's a complete change from nursing, and maybe that's what I like about it. Whilst I love my career as a nurse, it's nice to switch off and do something entirely different with the free time I have.
If you're like me, wanting to try something new, my advice would be to give it a go, whatever that something is, and whatever may come of it, you'll never wonder "what if?".