Let’s Talk More About Imposter Syndrome

An estimated 60% of people experience impostor feelings at top tech companies but very little is done about it.
management
engineering management
imposter syndrome
career development
career management
Author

Ersin Yilmaz

Published

December 31, 2023

Let’s Talk More About Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is when a person’s doubts about their abilities lead to persistent fears of being exposed as a fraud. The most accomplished and skilled individuals can be convinced that they don’t deserve what they have achieved.

People with imposter syndrome often feel that they don’t belong. This is sometimes a result of that person not fitting the “norms” in race, gender, or educational background for their field.

Unfortunately there are many downsides for those who suffer from imposter syndrome:

I personally experienced imposter syndrome when I was working as a software engineer, but I felt it much more strongly when I stepped into an engineering management role. I felt that I didn’t belong for a few reasons. English is my second language and I grew up in a culture quite different from that of the US. My educational background also differed from most of my colleagues, who went to Ivy League schools. This difference was glaring because many of the companies I worked for targeted Ivy League schools when hiring engineering talent. I felt out of place knowing that I did not graduate from one of these top private universities. It’s not a good reason to conclude that I’m a fraud. However, even if imposter syndrome is not rational, the suffering is still real.

Here are my suggestions for addressing imposter syndrome at work:

Imposter syndrome is real and felt by many smart, hardworking people every day. I believe talking about imposter syndrome openly with team members, colleagues, and peers is a good way to start addressing it. Having a conversation about it and sharing personal experiences will encourage others to share and hopefully help reduce or eliminate imposter syndrome.

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