Impostor Syndrome
Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Then you’ve likely already had a taste of this.
Have you ever felt like you don’t belong, even though you do? Then you’ve likely already had a taste of what we’re going to be touching on and, as you already know, it’s not a good feeling.
Before we dive in and start your career-prep transformation, it’s important to take a moment to pause and become aware of something that affects up to 70% of people -- Impostor Syndrome.
What is Impostor Syndrome?
Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon, impostorism, fraud syndrome or the impostor experience) is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud". – Wikipedia
Experiencing Impostor Syndrome
How will you know if/when you're experiencing Impostor Syndrome? You'll likely find yourself experiencing:
- Self-doubt
- Comparing yourself to others
- Consistently negative
- The feeling like you don’t belong
- Fear of being found out as a fraud
- Feelings of paranoia while working
“Do you want to stop FEELING like an impostor? Then you have to stop THINKING like an impostor.” –Valerie Young
Overcoming Impostor Syndrome
According to Valerie Young, Ed.D., these are 10 proven ways to overcome Impostor Syndrome so you can be confident at work and in life:
- Break the silence
- Separate feelings from fact
- Recognize when you should feel fraudulent
- Accentuate the positive
- Develop a healthy response to failure and mistake making
- Right the rules
- Develop a new script
- Visualize success
- Reward yourself
- Fake it ‘til you make it
Now that you're aware of Impostor Syndrome, we've got good news for you!
Over the coming weeks and months, we'll provide touchpoints and opportunities to call out Impostor Syndrome as we take you through the Career Prep journey. We'll also share tools and knowledge that will help avoid the trap of Impostor Syndrome while breaking into tech. You deserve to build the skills, think confidently and succeed in your new career in tech.
Your Assignment
Are you ready to become the best you can be? This assignment is simple, yet powerful.
Take a look at the list above and write down a simple plan of action on how you plan to overcome Impostor Syndrome (should you sense it trying to creep in).
