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How do you deal a better programmer than you having same or less experience?

2 points by swcoders ↗ HN
Hi All,

Recently I met someone who have less experience(no too much difference) than mine but he is better programmer than me. I admire his skill and he is good programmer. But somehow it really hurts me. I used to think that I am very good by looking my past work. I got depressed also not of him but because I am not that much good or better. How do you deal with all this. You may have come across these feelings.

Some advice is very appreciated. Thanks for your help.

4 comments

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enkiv2
Learn from him?

Having your ego wounded by someone having superior skills really has nothing to do with programming and everything to do with insecurity and a lack of empathy on your part. You have the ability to have a concrete and pragmatic gain by surrounding yourself with people who are more skilled than you are, and you gain nothing from avoiding that other than the delusion that you are more skilled than you really are.

PaulHoule
Software development involves a wide range of skills. Some people are better at one thing, other people people are better at other things.

I knew a guy who knew C++ pretty well and would write network optimization algorithms, stuff that I don't really do. This guy unfortunately had a a temper when people didn't agree with him and I would not let him around serious OO (many C++ people are serious but not about OO), distributed systems, and UIs.

plant42
There will always be someone who does something better than you, regardless of whether it is related to programming or not. Some people have more of an aptitude for a particular skill than you but that doesn't mean you're a failure, nor is it something to get depressed about. Rather than dwell on the knowledge that someone is better than you at something you enjoy, use it inspire & motivate yourself to improving your own ability.
veddox
You'll always find people who are better than you in any area you care to look. It's just part of life - it can hurt, especially if it's in a field you try very hard to be good at - but we need to learn to live with it.

My advice: stop comparing yourself to others. Rather, focus on how far you personally have already come and how far you can still go.