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Tackling Imposter Syndrome in Software Engineering
Imposter syndrome — the concept that you’re faking it and once you remove your facade, everyone around you will find out just how incompetent or inferior you are.
Imposter syndrome affects many populations but particularly impacts minority groups in areas that lack representation.
In this article, I will focus on imposter syndrome in STEM/technology/software engineering fields, but these tips can be applied broadly. Information in this article is based on my own experiences; if you have other tips please do chime in in the comment section!
Let’s get down to it! What concrete steps can you take to build confidence and fight off Imposter syndrome?
1. Acknowledge your Feelings.
This may be the first time you are experiencing feelings of self-doubt or it may be the 100th time. Either way, it is important to reflect on your pattern of thoughts and consider whether you may be experiencing imposter syndrome. You may consider taking an Imposter Syndrome Test online or speaking with a professional.
Having a label for what you are experiencing can be comforting in itself and can help you form a plan. Admitting to feelings of self-doubt is by no means an admission of fault or weakness nor is reaching out for help.
2. Recognize your Strengths.
The knowledge space of “Software Engineering” is so broad and yet can go so deep into each category. Front-end, back-end, app development, security, DevOps, machine learning, data analytics, and more. Add on top of that all the programming languages and tooling… there is a lot of information to take in and “master.”
Aristotle famously wrote, “The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.” This saying should ring true to every developer and is one of the reasons why people who love learning gravitate towards programming.
Where your thought process becomes problematic is when you focus solely on the…
