You crushed that interview, you felt great about it, and you even let hope have a seed because you did well and you are excited about what could be. Then you get that email. The one that says someone else was better.

The truth is there will always be someone better, even if you get the job someone better exists. From Plato's account, we get the quote "All I know is that I know nothing." The more I learn the more I realize how much there is to learn. At any given time I am a student. I am also someone with experience, that has mentored others. All that means is that if someone has a question I know the answer or know how to find the answer.

All I know is that I know nothing - Plato

Rejection

“It is not in our control to have everything turn out exactly as we want, but it is in our control to control how we respond to what happens.” - Epictetus

Most people fear failure, they view rejection as another failure. Don't get me wrong, rejection is soul-crushing and leads to self-doubt. What I am saying is that failure is more of a data point. Maybe you learned something new along the way, maybe the opportunity wasn't right for you, and maybe ultimately the lesson is to learn to accept rejection. After all, we can only control ourselves, not others. Marcus Aurelius tells us that we will find strength realizing that we cannot control outside events.

Growth

If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid. - Epictetus

With rejection comes growth. An opportunity to be a better you, whether learning to use new libraries, frameworks, languages, or cloud providers. So assess that interview you crushed, and see if there is any new tech you would like to learn more about. Maybe the interviewer asked you about something you didn't know, this is a good time to learn about it (if you are interested). Remember, you crushed the interview, you did your best and that is all you could at that moment. Most importantly, always get up and try again despite feelings of negativity and self-doubt. Rejection means only a different path must be taken on your road to success in life.