Imposter Syndrome is something that the majority of us have dealt with at one point or another, and if you haven't dealt with this yet you're bound to have this feeling at one point or another.
Causes
Imposter Syndrome is very relevant and real in any field of study, but to me at least I feel as though it is more relevant in any type of tech related field especially Software Engineering. One of the main causes Engineers feel this way is because Software Engineering is a fast moving industry, with brand new technologies introduced every day, it is physically and mentally impossible to learn every single framework or language there is out there. Another reason imposter syndrome is so relevant today in Software Engineering is because there is a misconception in this industry that you have to be super smart, like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Elon Musk kind of smart, but you don't have to be that at all.
Managing Imposter Syndrome
If you came here looking for a fix for imposter syndrome I am afraid I cannot give that answer to you, because it is something that will always stick with you. There is always going to be someone smarter than you no matter what, unless you are the upper echelon of Engineers. One of the most important things to remember, as Software Engineers it isn't always important to know the most things or be the smartest in the room, it's easier and much more important in our industry to have the ability to learn a new language or framework very quickly, and to have very good problem solving skills.
Top comments (1)
the amount of times i have looked for ways to alleviate the imposter syndrome is unreal. but it is helpful when i am reminded that just about every software engineer and anyone in a technical role has and will be in the same boat at least a few times.