The majority of discussions on achieving success in the tech industry begins and end with skills.
Which language should you learn?
What is the most popular framework?
How many projects should you build?
Although knowing how to code is crucial, there’s a lesser-known reality that many people don’t discuss enough:
Many people acquire coding skills. Very few acquire the ability to persevere.
In actuality, intelligence, speed, or even talent are not what distinguish those who enter the tech industry from those who succeed there. It is resilience.
The Myth of Technical Skills
“If you can code well enough, you’ll succeed” is a simple narrative that tech often promotes.
However, the reality of daily life is rather different.
You will:
Spend hours troubleshooting something that ought to have worked
Be rejected despite your qualifications
Feel like an imposter at new growth stages
Work amid ambiguous expectations and changing requirements
Be required to acquire new skills while delivering results
You can get through the door with coding. Once you’re in, resilience keeps you standing
Why Resilience Matters More Than Code
- Technology Is a Constantly Changing Target
Languages change with time.
Frameworks grow outdated.
Tools come up and go down.
The necessity for adaptation remains constant.
When tools change, resilient professionals don’t freak out.
They have faith in their capacity to reframe, reconstruct, and relearn.
Syntax is taught through coding.
Survival is taught via resilience.
- Failure Is Part of the Workflow
Failure is a common occurrence in the tech industry. It’s typical.
Code breaks
Deployments failures
Shifting deadlines
Systems failures
Decision reversals
Every setback feels personal when there is no resilience.
Resilience turns setbacks into facts rather than identity.
- Growth Requires Emotional Resilience
Growth in technology is not linear.
You may:
Feel “behind” despite putting in a lot of effort.
Go from confidence to perplexity overnight.
Begin as a beginner again after years of experience.
Being resilient enables you to maintain your curiosity rather than give up.
- Burnout Is Real and Occurs Frequently
Many gifted engineers quit the tech industry due to a lack of boundaries, support networks, and emotional fortitude rather than a lack of skill.
Resilience helps you:
Recuperate from fatigue
Ask for assistance without feeling guilty
Establish boundaries without feeling guilty
Pause without giving up
- Leadership Is Developed by Resilience
As you grow, your work becomes less about coding and more about:
Decision-making
Communication
Accountability
Mentoring
Pressure Management
In the tech industry, emotional maturity is more important for leadership than technical mastery.
What Resilience Looks Like in Tech
Resilience isn’t loud.
It doesn’t necessarily have a striking appearance.
It manifests as:
Showing up again after a poor sprint
Asking questions rather than acting
Learning from criticism rather than rejecting it
Remaining grounded while developing quickly
Prioritising progress over perfection
Is it Possible to Learn Resilience?
Yes. However, it is built, not downloaded.
Here’s how:
- Normalise Struggle
Failure is not the same as struggle.
It is a step in the process.
- Separate Identity from Output
Your last bug, rejection, or missed deadline is not you.
- Establish Support Networks
Mentors, peers, communities. In tech, no one grows alone.
- Practice Reflection
Inquire:
What did I learn from this?
What should I do differently next time?
- Guard Your Mental Wellbeing
Rest is not a sign of weakness.
Setting limits does not equate to being lazy.
It takes expertise to be sustainable.
Coding Opens Doors. Resilience Keeps Them Open
Invest in your technical skills but don’t overlook the internal ones if you are building a career in technology.
Because:
After the tutorials are over…
When the projects become complicated…
When the pressure rises…
It’s resilience that keeps you going.
Tech rewards those who can learn, fail, recover, bounce back, and keep going.
And the silent ability that enables all the others is RESILIENCE.
Share your ideas or experiences in the space provided for comments below. Someone else could find inspiration in your story.
About the Author
Totally agree. Coding skills are important, but without resilience, those skills don’t go far.
Couldn’t agree more. Coding is a tool, but resilience is what allows you to truly thrive in tech!
Resilience helps you recover faster and learn from your mistakes
Resilience
Perciverance
Way to the top ✅
Such an important message
Resilience helps you recover faster and learn from your mistakes.
Resilience has been my biggest asset
I’m all for this idea
In tech, it’s the ability to keep going after setbacks that leads to growth
Very thoughtful
Nice read👏👏