Stop Calling Everything Impostor Syndrome: The Myth of "Just Push Harder"

#career #mentalhealth

Applies an engineering mindset to personal growth

Not everyone who doubts themselves is suffering from impostor syndrome. Sometimes the real problem lies in the strategy they've chosen, and that's exactly why it's so important to learn to tell the difference.

I read a lot of articles here on DEV about burnout, impostor syndrome, and similar topics. I thought I'd add my own perspective because I have the feeling that some advice, often given with great confidence, can actually do more harm than good. The symptoms may be real, but the diagnosis can still be wrong.

Today I'd like to share my somewhat "engineering" approach to personal growth. Maybe it will help some of you. Because "just keep going" or "work harder" isn't always the right answer.

Impostor Syndrome

I do experience impostor syndrome.

And don't get me wrong. I generally have pretty high self-esteem, and I believe I've achieved quite a lot in different areas of my life. That doesn't stop me from doubting myself from time to time.

Here's an example from just the past few days.

I published an article about building an AI agent in around 80 lines of code, and it sparked an amazing discussion. I was genuinely proud of it. Even better, I got invited to speak about it at the AI Coding Summit! (By the way, if you'd like to support me, you can like my LinkedIn post and claim a badge that gives you access to half of the conference for free!)

Overall, I genuinely believe the topic is a great fit for a conference like this. What I really wanted was to see my face appear on the conference website, because I always have this feeling that once the organizers publish the speaker page, everything is basically official and they're unlikely to remove me afterward. 😅

Well... it took them exactly one day.

And I swear that by the end of that day, my brain had already come up with an entirely different explanation:

"What if they read my blog and realized how stupid my articles are? What if they email me saying: 'Sylwia, we've gone through your posts, and unfortunately we've decided to remove you from the conference. It's obvious you have no idea what you're talking about. We've figured you out, you fraud!'"

Reading this now, it sounds completely ridiculous. But I believed it. Never mind that my articles regularly appear in developer newsletters or receive lots of positive feedback. My brain had already written its own story.

Here's another example.

Once, an organizer described the speakers at a conference as "amazing international speakers." Instead of feeling proud, my first thought was: "Amazing international speakers... and Sylwia." After all, I'm just a software developer from Gdańsk. 😅

This is exactly what psychologists describe as impostor syndrome: despite objective achievements and external validation, you still feel like you don't really deserve your place, and sooner or later everyone else will discover that you're a fraud.

I'm not even going to dive into the psychology behind it today. Maybe that's a topic for another article.

But Not Every Doubt Is Impostor Syndrome

Here's the important part. Not every doubt you have automatically means you're experiencing impostor syndrome.

There are also areas where I'm genuinely... bad. Take running.

I'm an absolutely terrible runner. My times are objectively awful. So awful that I'd rather not even share them. 😄 I'm fully aware of it. I'd probably lose a race against a five-year-old, not to mention the fact that I don't have an ACL in either knee thanks to my old judo days.

Now imagine someone giving me this advice: "Come on, you just have impostor syndrome! Keep running more, train harder, and one day you'll become Poland's marathon champion."

You can immediately tell how absurd that sounds. That advice wouldn't help me in the slightest.

And yet, very similar advice is often given to people who are learning programming or have been unsuccessfully looking for a job for months.

You've been working incredibly hard without seeing results and you're starting to feel burned out? "It's just impostor syndrome. Don't worry. Work harder. Keep going. Just a little longer."

You've been writing blog posts and nobody reads them? "It's just impostor syndrome. Don't worry. Keep publishing consistently. The results will eventually come."

Personally, I think this kind of advice can actually be harmful.

Think Like an Engineer

Let's go back to my running example. Why am I such a bad runner? Maybe I only started recently and my expectations are unrealistic. Maybe I'm making fundamental mistakes in training. Maybe I'm wearing the wrong shoes. Maybe I simply don't have much natural talent for running, and I'd enjoy a different sport much more.

Or maybe I should just run for fun instead of chasing unrealistic goals.

The same way of thinking applies almost everywhere else. Have you sent hundreds of CVs without getting interviews? Maybe it's worth asking an HR specialist to review your resume. Maybe the market is simply terrible right now. Maybe you're missing one specific skill that's relatively easy to learn.

Maybe you're applying only for fully remote positions. Or maybe you're aiming exclusively at FAANG companies, while you'd have much better chances at smaller organizations.

Are you writing blog posts that nobody reads? Maybe your titles could be stronger. Maybe you should spend more time interacting with the community, learning from other people while also increasing your own visibility. Maybe another platform would suit you better. For example, I get fantastic engagement and wonderful discussions here on DEV, while my LinkedIn posts usually perform much worse. 😄

Debug Your Strategy, Not Just Your Confidence

That's what I mean by an "engineering" approach to personal growth. Every few months, try looking at your efforts critically, without ego, as if your own development were someone else's project.

Ask yourself: Is the time I'm investing actually producing results? If not, maybe it's worth changing the strategy instead of simply trying harder.

Because maybe your doubts aren't impostor syndrome at all. Maybe they're your brain telling you that your current approach simply isn't working.

Sometimes the answer really is greater confidence and perseverance. But sometimes the answer is changing your strategy. The hard part is learning to tell the difference.