Building in public (BiP) is often sold as a simple marketing hack for your career. But for those of us in the trenches of infrastructure and development, it feels more like a tactical risk. It’s the act of exposing your work-in-progress to a world that often demands perfection.
For a long time, I hesitated. But as I transition from Support into DevOps, I’ve realized that my transparency is actually my greatest asset. Here is why.
The Perfectionist’s Trap: The Fear of “Bad Content”
The biggest hurdle isn’t technical; it’s the fear of being judged as mediocre. When you share a snippet of your Homelab configuration or a troubleshooting log, you are laying bare your current ceiling of knowledge.
We worry that a Senior Architect will stumble upon our post and think, “This is basic,” or “His YAML structure is amateur.” We fear that by documenting the learning process, we are accidentally documenting our incompetence instead of our growth.
But the truth is: the only truly “bad” content is no content. The ability to explain a “basic” concept clearly is a sign of future seniority. People don’t just hire you for what you know today; they hire you for how fast you can learn and how well you can communicate that journey.
The “10x Engineer” Illusion vs. The Honest Build
It is hard to feel legitimate when LinkedIn and YouTube are flooded with “10x Developers” who seem to deploy global-scale clusters in their sleep. They project absolute confidence, showing flawless results. It makes you feel like you’re falling behind.
But let’s be real: that confidence is often just a filter. Behind those polished videos are hours of failed attempts, deleted clusters, and frantic Googling that they chose to edit out.
I have decided to take a different path. I choose to show the truth of my level. I’m not interested in maintaining a facade of perfection. By showing the messy parts, the “basic” questions, and the honest mistakes, I am building something much more valuable than a brand: I am building trust.
Why My Support Instinct Demands Transparency
Coming from a Support background, I’ve learned that the person who admits they are learning is much more reliable in a crisis than the one who pretends to know everything.
In Support, we rely on HAR files, UUID tracking, and raw logs. We deal with the truth of the system, not the marketing version of it. Building in public is simply applying that “Operational Empathy” to my own career. If I can’t be honest about my own stack’s failures, how can I be trusted to manage yours?
The Threshold of Courage
The most important thing I’ve learned is this: The fear doesn’t vanish, but it does subside. The first time you post a flawed script or a screenshot of a failed deployment, your heart might race. You’ll check the comments with a cringe.
But by the tenth time, it becomes a routine. By the twentieth, it becomes a strength. You realize that the “experts” aren’t judging you; they are either ignoring you or remembering when they were in your shoes. You need the courage to pass that first step. You have to be willing to look “unpolished” today so that you can be undeniable tomorrow.
My Challenge to You
Don’t wait until you feel like an expert to start sharing. If you wait until you’re “ready,” you’ve waited too long.
I dare you to try. Share one thing this week that you struggled with. Post one screenshot of a bug you haven’t solved yet. Explain one “basic” concept you just finally understood. Break the facade of perfection and show us the truth of your build.
“I’d rather be a junior who shares his honest progress than a ‘pro’ who hides his struggles. My value isn’t in perfection; it’s in the evolution.”
The trenches are where we learn, but the light is where we grow. See you out there !
