Breaking the Myths Around Tech

I’ve always been someone who likes to see evidence of my work. The kind of person who would understand an architect saying, “I designed that house.” Something physical. Something visible. Something you can point to and say, I was part of that. That instinct shaped me long before tech ever entered the picture.

I’ve always loved design. Not formally. Not academically. Just naturally. I taught myself Canva because I had to design flyers while I was in network marketing. I learnt layout, spacing, and colour balance because I wrote an ebook and needed a book cover.

So I kept arranging images and colours until things felt right. What’s interesting is this: despite all of that, I never once considered web development or web design as a path for me.

Not because I lacked interest. Not because I lacked ability. But because of myths—quiet ones—that were already doing their work.

The funny thing about myths in tech is that most of them don’t shout. They whisper.

They don’t say “you can’t”.

They say, “This isn’t for you.”

The Myth That Creation Has to Be Physical

One of the earliest beliefs I absorbed was that real work produces something you can touch.

Buildings. Products. Objects.

Tech felt abstract. Invisible. Detached. I didn’t yet understand that digital work leaves evidence too—just not in concrete or steel.

A good interface is felt. A smooth system is noticed by the absence of friction. A well-built app is something people rely on daily without thinking about it.

But back then, I didn’t see screens as proof. So tech stayed in a different mental box.

The Myth That Design and Logic Don’t Belong Together

Another myth quietly did its damage: that design belongs to “creative” people, while tech belongs to “logical” ones.

As if you have to choose.

I loved colours, layouts, and visuals—so tech felt like the wrong world. I didn’t yet know that frontend development, UX, and product engineering live exactly at that intersection.

I also believed—without consciously saying it—that if you weren’t learning from the right place, your skills didn’t count. Self-taught felt unofficial. Informal. Temporary.

But people used my designs. Readers judged my ebook by its cover. The work already had impact—I just hadn’t named it yet.

The Myth That Smart People Learn Fast

When I finally brushed against tech, another myth surfaced: that intelligence shows up as speed.

If you’re smart, you’ll “get it” quickly. If you struggle, maybe you’re not built for this.

That belief does real harm.

Some people learn by repetition. Some by building. Some by making mistakes slowly and thoroughly.

Tech doesn’t reward speed as much as it rewards persistence—but we don’t say that enough.

The Myth That Developers Don’t Google

I also thought “real developers” just know things. They don’t search. They don’t forget syntax. They don’t reread documentation. That illusion alone intimidates people out of the field.

Everyone Googles. Everyone checks. The skill isn’t memory—it’s problem-solving.

The Myth That You Must Be Good at Math

I never loved mathematics—but I also never struggled with logic.

Still, the idea lingered that tech equals math-heavy brilliance. That if numbers weren’t your thing, tech probably wasn’t either. Yes, some fields like machine learning, graphics, or cryptography require strong maths. But most software engineering roles don’t.

Most software work isn’t about advanced maths. It’s about reasoning, structuring, and translating ideas into systems. That myth blocks far more people than it should.

The Myth That Tools Define Relevance

At some point, I also absorbed the idea that staying relevant means constantly chasing the newest framework. That if you fall behind the trend cycle, you fall behind entirely. But most real-world systems run on older tools. Foundations matter more than fashion. Understanding fundamentals lasts longer than knowing what’s hot this year.

The Myth That Passion Should Replace Pay

There’s also a dangerous story in tech that says passion should be enough. That wanting stability, income, or security somehow makes you less pure. But passion doesn’t pay rent. And needing money doesn’t make your interest shallow. You can love building things and still want your work to support your life.

The Myth That Everyone Starts Equal

One of the most harmful beliefs I encountered later was the idea that anyone can make it if they just try hard enough. That tech is a pure meritocracy. It isn’t.

Access matters. Time matters. Immigration status matters. Economic safety matters. Hard work is real—but pretending barriers don’t exist only protects systems that benefit from silence.

The Most Dangerous Myth of All

The worst myth I ever encountered was this one: if you fail in tech, it’s your fault.

It ignores layoffs. Market crashes. Bad timing. Poor management. Structural exclusion.

And it turns systemic issues into personal shame. People don’t leave tech because they’re incapable. They leave because they internalise failures that were never purely theirs.

The Myth I Never Believed

Out of all the myths in the world—especially in tech—gender limitation was never the one that shaped my thinking. Not because it doesn’t exist. But because it was never the axis of my doubt.

My hesitation wasn’t “Can a woman do this?” It was, “Does this space even see work like mine as real?”

And that question is quieter—but just as powerful.

What I Know Now

Looking back, I didn’t avoid tech because I wasn’t suited for it.

I avoided it because myths quietly told me:

• What counted as real work

• Who tech was for

• How learning was supposed to look

Design and development were always aligned with how my mind works—building, structuring, leaving evidence behind. I just arrived late because no one told me the door was already open.

And that’s why naming tech myths matters—not to complain, but to clear the fog for the people coming behind us.

Sometimes the limitation isn’t ability. It’s the stories we never realised we were believing.