Creating Content: The Highs, the Lows, and the Real Story
A few years ago, I started sharing what I was learning about frontend development on Instagram. My account grew fast,at one point, I had over 12,000 followers (and yes, that number is dropping these days). Over time, my content shifted from just frontend tips to broader software engineering topics. Along the way, I learned a lot about the ups and downs of being a content creator.
Let’s start with the good stuff. The recognition you get is real. Companies reach out for partnerships, people send messages thanking you for your posts, and sometimes even bigger influencers notice your work. That’s an amazing feeling! It’s also a huge confidence boost. When you see your content helping others, it chips away at impostor syndrome and makes you feel like you really belong in the tech community.
But there’s another side. Putting yourself out there is scary. There’s always that voice in your head: “What will people think? What will my coworkers say if they see this?” The fear of judgment never fully goes away. And then there’s the pressure to keep coming up with new ideas: posts, videos, stories. It can be exhausting, especially if you get caught up in the numbers. Watching your follower count drop or obsessing over likes and views can suck the joy out of creating.
The routine can get tiring, too. If you’re focused on being a creator, it’s easy to let it take over your free time. Some days, you just don’t feel like posting, but you do it anyway because you don’t want to “disappear.”
For me, content creation has been a mix of incredible opportunities and real challenges. I’ve met amazing people, learned a ton, and grown more confident. But I’ve also had to learn to set boundaries, ignore the numbers, and remember why I started in the first place: to share, to connect, and to help others.
If you’re thinking about creating content, go for it, but do it for you, not just for the numbers. The rest is just a bonus.