I've been programming since I was 10, but I don't feel like a "hacker"
My initial reaction was "that's not the definition of hacker" but when I tried to find a written definition that matched what was in my head, I kept running into the related stereotypes and connotations (e.g. being completely obsessed with computers, Richard Stallman talking about coding until 7 in the morning).<p>I then read this link given in the article and I think I understand better <a href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/project/gendergap/www/geekmyth.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/project/gendergap/www/geekmyth....</a><p>My takeaway is this: <i>a lot</i> of us feel impostor syndrome, feel that we'll never be a <i>true hacker</i>. The difference is it appears easier for men, for whatever reason, to ignore or move beyond those feelings. And you know maybe that's a problem we should take seriously.<p>>Despite these feelings of difference, we find that male students report less distress, are less affected by the perceived difference between themselves and their peers, and leave the major in smaller proportion; and despite resistance to total absorption in computing, they do not feel like frauds. The 36% of male CS majors who say they feel different from their CS peers, regardless of experience level or obsession level, do not question their ability to become computer scientists if they choose to do so.