I Did it! Did I really do it…?
Before pursuing a career in tech, I don’t think I’d ever experienced imposter syndrome. Sure, I’ve felt feelings of inadequacy and doubt in past academic and occupational pursuits. But never so strongly that it caused me to re-think my entire existence! Okay… maybe that last statement was a deep over exaggeration. But to be honest, the cumbersome thoughts and feelings that accompany imposter syndrome, are at times, paralyzing and overwhelming.
According to Dictionary.com, imposter syndrome “is anxiety or self-doubt that results from persistently undervaluing one’s competence and active role in achieving success, while falsely attributing one’s accomplishments to luck or other external forces.” I think this definition pretty much sums up how I and many others feel specifically in the tech industry. It’s so hard to celebrate successes, both small and big when it feels like it’s all some sort of fluke, almost as if it’s not actually you putting in the hard work and effort.
Over time, I’ve discovered plenty of articles, blogs, and videos discussing this fraudulent, pesky syndrome. But I never seemed to find simple enough advice to help overcome it. So, here’s where a little self-reflection and advisement come in and it starts off with a simple question… What if the key to overcoming imposter syndrome is hidden within personal perspective?
How we think and feel about ourselves matters a great deal. So much so, that our thoughts alone have the powerful ability to shape our entire world. As I began to reflect, I asked myself “Can changing my outlook change how I feel, thus having a positive effect on my work and experiences in the future?”
Outlook 1
For starters, I saw fit to change the narrative surrounding this phenomenon. Instead of wallowing and negatively identifying with a syndrome, I’ve decided to embrace it and find the good. What if feeling out of place is the very thing that keeps me kind and relatable as I move forward with my studies?
The world of programming has many wonderfully helpful communities but it also has its fair share of toxicity and arrogance. By always having the feeling that I’ve never truly “arrived”, perhaps I can avoid poisoning myself and the community with another “I know it all”, “I’m an expert and you’re not”, developer. The takeaway: Imposter syndrome can keep me humble.
Outlook 2
Technology grows and changes at exponential rates. There are numerous languages, frameworks, tools, best practices, and ideologies in software development. And in web development, things even go a level deeper as we differentiate the front-end from the back-end. Not to mention, there are subsets like architecture, security, networking, and cybersecurity to expand upon.
Imposter syndrome tells you that you’re a fraud because you haven’t learned the things I’ve listed above (and then some). The good news is that you cannot learn it all, so why not finally take the pressure off yourself to do so?
Embracing lifelong-learning as a gift rather than a curse can result in a myriad of personal and professional benefits, including (but not limited to) career and self-development. Our paths to web dev may be very different but they all have a common theme of starting from scratch and learning as we go.
Final Thoughts
Overall, feeling “good enough” in this filed will often be a fierce battle and an uphill climb. However, with much openness, a realistic perspective, and a positive frame of mind, one can reach a good level of contentment and satisfaction by trading in those somber/gloomy thoughts and feelings.
I can continue to declare that I have imposter syndrome while swimming in the apathy that this declaration brings, or I can instead declare that I’m no imposter but a “Lifelong Learner!” I like to think that I’ve found an intriguing “forever bug” in my life script. The first and only bug that I’ve grown to be cool with keeping around.