Ali SpittelHave you ever been scared to contribute to a conversation or publish a blog post because you were worried you weren’t qualified enough? Wondered how you got to the point you’re at in your career because you feel you don’t belong? Or that you’re a fraud? You’re not alone! So many developers encounter imposter syndrome, no matter their career stage.
This week on the Ladybug Podcast, we discussed our strategies for managing impostor syndrome. Here's a summary!
Tracking your Wins
When you have career wins, like solving a difficult problem, having a positive review, or somebody saying something nice about you, write those wins down, take a screenshot of an email, whatever it might be, and create a folder on your computer. Having that is so helpful on bad days when your impostor syndrome is acting up. You can go through them and be like "Okay, I actually do really great work. So this, this will pass."
This is also a great strategy for keeping track of negotiation points for raise and promotions!
Another great post on this topic:
Focus on your journey
Stop comparing yourself with others! It's so tempting to look at what other people are doing and to wish you were where they're at. People tend to think that everybody’s starting from the same place, and they’re definitely not. They tend to only see the good side, not the struggles those people overcame to get to where they're at. But, only compare yourself to where you were yesterday.
Be open about it
Most people are going through impostor syndrome in some form or another whether you have two years of experience, or you have 20 years of experience. It is always going to rear its ugly head in some form. Being open about that fact and discussing your struggles allows others to relate to where you’re at, and it normalizes that struggle.
For example, here's Kelly's journey with impostor syndrome:
You can listen to the whole imposter syndrome episode anywhere you listen to podcasts, or on our website!
