Dealing with Imposter Syndrome 

I used to think if I became a Senior Software Engineer I would know everything, could build anything, and all my imposter syndrome would go away. 😅 

News flash: It didn’t.

Truth is, yes I know more now, but I’m also working on harder problems.

I know a lot of y’all deal with this as well. Studies show that over 84% of employees across all industries struggle with it.

Imposter syndrome can really cause you to second guess asking for that promotion or applying to that job that would be a huge growth opportunity for you.

So what’s the answer?

First off, a quick definition of imposter syndrome for the 16% of y’all that apparently don’t struggle with it. 😅

Oof, yeah no fun.

The way I’ve tried to solve it in the past is by trying to prove that I’m not a phony, that I’m actually good at what I say I am. This has looked like me doing all the courses, certifications, tutorials, books and videos.

Surely if I just learned a little more and gain a little more knowledge I would stop feeling like a fake, and would actually know my stuff…

This hasn’t worked though - at least for me.

It often occurs when you are around other people who seem more confident than yourself, you are in a new situation you’ve never tackled, or you are onboarding into a new job or position.

You have the skills, and you’ve been successful in the past you just aren’t sure how to apply them to this particular challenge, and if your success was a one off.

For me it’s happened whenever I’ve:

• Learned a new language or framework

• Started a new job with new systems or people

• Landed a new position with added responsibilities

• Met people who were different than me and challenged my ideas

So what’s the answer?

Contrary to your first instinct, rather than trying to stuff our imposter syndrome feelings, we need to acknowledge them and recognize them for what they really are.

It’s important to be honest with ourselves in order to deal with our feelings in a healthy way.

But what if my imposter syndrome is “true”? I’m not good at what I need to be good at.

A startup founder I know talks about S curves of growth. He shared with me that growth is not linear. It comes in S curves.

You put in a lot of work and don’t see much progress. Eventually mistakes and wins start to add up and you rocket up exponentially to a new level.

You look back confident and excited about everything you accomplished feeling proud of yourself. And then you need to learn new skills or perspectives to get to the next level again.

But for a while there though you were struggling, grinding, feeling uncomfortable and messy, wondering if what you were doing would ever pay off.

I’ve found it’s those times my imposter syndrome creeps up. Just before I have a big breakthrough if I keep at it. 💪

So If it’s truly a lack of technical skills causing your imposter syndrome. Focus on that. Go into full tortoise mode and consistently focus on learning – it will add up.

(yeah, tortoise mode is a thing 😂 go read the post for context, I’ll wait)

10 practical ways to deal with imposter syndrome

Alright let’s get down to what we really came here for. How to overcome it.

Here are ten ways I’ve found that are helpful to deal with imposter syndrome:

1. Get comfortable saying: I don’t know.

   Learning is an endless frontier. Embrace the journey.

2. Keeping working on any areas you struggle in.

   Write down skills you are weaker in and work hard to level up in those areas. Consistent and steady learning really adds up. In 6-12 months you’ll be unrecognizable.

3. Record your wins and successes.

   It’s so easy to forget our wins when we are just doing the daily grind. Keep at brag doc of everything you’ve learned and accomplished and refresh and review it regularly.

4. Recognize that failures add up and lead to success.

   In the music industry they say “every overnight star is 10 yrs in the making.” Embrace failure as part of the learning process. You will succeed as you keep at it consistently.

5. See yourself through other peoples eyes.

   They hired you because they believe in you and see your ability to contribute huge value. Don’t undersell yourself.

6. Practice being confident in what you do know.

   Don’t self sabotage yourself by thinking less of yourself. You’ve done a lot of work to get where you are. Remember that and be confident in what you know.

7. Remember that we all struggle with this.

   Everyone is in the same boat as you. We are all in this together. You aren’t a fake. We are all just learning, failing and growing together.

8. Be patient, confidence develops with time.

   Others who look confident have become comfortable by learning the systems and ways of their job over time, you’ll get there.

9. Embrace imposter syndrome as a reminder of growth.

   Remind yourself that imposter syndrome often creeps up when you are growing and trying something new. The thing you don’t think you can do, you are literally doing it... You’ve got this. It will get easier with time.

10. Practice self care and compassion. 

    Encourage yourself and be patient with yourself just like you’d do with someone you were mentoring. Don’t be your worst enemy. Be your cheerleader.

So let’s keep showing up regardless of our imposter syndrome. You deserve a seat at the table, and you are good at what you do 🙌🏼

Let’s be patient and give space for each other to fail, and ask dumb questions and grow in confidence without judgement. 💙🤝

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Was this helpful? How do you deal with your imposter syndrome?

I’d love to hear any stories or tips you have.

P.S. If you want to hear more on this subject, here’s an awesome talk from the founder of girls who code who shares about overcoming imposter syndrome.

Until next week 👇🏼

Catch me daily on LinkedIn and Twitter, where I talk about everything software engineering, startups, and growing in your engineering soft skills.