You're not an impostor, you just started from a different line

If you have ever felt like an impostor during an English interview, this article might be what you need to read. I am Daniel, a 27-year-old Brazilian who began working as a developer in early 2018. In 2021, I secured my first job outside of Brazil.

During my first meeting with a European team, I laughed along with everyone else, even though I did not understand the joke. I felt like a fraud, but I did not know why. I had been coding since 2011, working as a Developer Advocate, earning Microsoft MVP status, and building a community of thousands of developers. However, in that moment, I felt like a script kiddie from a technical course in Brazil, trying to join the elite of software development in the EU/US market.

This feeling is not just psychological; it is also about the unequal access to resources. The starting line for developers from underdeveloped countries is different from those in the Global North. English, the language of the internet and software development, was created in the US and Western Europe. The early technical content was primarily written in English, making it challenging for those from non-English-speaking countries to compete on a level playing field.

According to the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, Brazil is ranked 75th out of 123 countries, with a proficiency score of 482. While this is an improvement, we still fall within the low proficiency band. Within Brazil, the gap between the most and least proficient capitals is as high as 169 points. This means that a developer from the North of Brazil, with a score of 408, faces a significantly different starting line compared to one from the Federal District or Rio Grande do Sul, with scores of 541.

During my time at He4rt Developers, I have heard countless similar stories. Developers with years of experience in coding but too afraid to apply for jobs abroad due to their English skills. Developers who have landed a job but struggle with the fear of turning on the microphone during calls. Even developers who understand the technical aspects of a meeting perfectly but freeze during small talk before it begins. These are all qualified individuals who lack access, not skill.

The inequality that makes us feel like impostors also trains a unique skill that the market outside does not recognize: making the most with very little. Many developers, like myself, learned to code independently, using limited resources like a computer with minimal RAM. We learned English by breaking things, looking at errors, and trying again, much like coding. Our learning journey happened on platforms like Twitch, where we practiced every day, even when we felt unprepared.

In conclusion, the impostor syndrome experienced by developers from underdeveloped countries is not just a psychological issue. It is a real inequality in access that needs to be addressed. We are not crazy, and our starting line was indeed different. By acknowledging and addressing this disparity, we can support a more inclusive and diverse community in software development.