Are you even a software developer if you do not doubt yourself? The process of questioning yourself and your work isn’t unusual. Thus, as students enter the workplace, we wonder if we deserve this job or this interview opportunity or if we can finish this deadline. With this doubt in mind, you tend to compare our journey with others, forgetting one simple fact: they are on a different voyage than you are.

Do you feel the same?

The persistent feeling of being exposed as “frauds”; doubting one’s talent/accomplishments are termed as Imposter Syndrome.

Well, you can say I will google “How to overcome Imposter Syndrome,” but it ain’t that simple. I wish implementation were as easy as finding answers online. The constant comparison of your work with that of your colleagues, the screaming thoughts saying you aren’t good enough will definitely push you down into endless havoc. We live in a world where each day has to be productive, has to be better than yesterday, which, to be honest, seems unrealistic. We are allowed to fail and fail again, without any judgment. We receive enough criticism from the world; we don’t need to scrutinize ourselves.

Don’t scrutinize yourself

One gloomy afternoon, you are sitting there and wondering how you don’t deserve this shot; remember, even the CEO of the company thinks the same, but they did consistent work to overcome such thoughts that crept in.

Thus we need to combat this mindset. It will be a difficult road, but trying to get ahold of such beliefs is all we can do. Next time you find yourself discrediting or doubting yourself, take a step back, write down your feats, and remind yourself you deserve every opportunity.

A few years ago, I did an internship in an organization. Within a few weeks, my reporting manager made sure to tell me that my skills weren’t good enough, and I don’t deserve this opportunity. His mocking haunted me for days, and I shed some tears. I had two options: To quit or To prove him wrong. I chose the latter, completed the task before the deadline without any help. It was difficult (I was only in my 2nd year), but I leveraged my strengths and delivered the targets with consistent work.

That day I realized that those voices both inside and outside will scream that you don’t deserve it, but you need to stay calm and clap for your damn self because no one else will.

Clap for your damn self, because no one else will.

Being a tech woman, I occasionally find myself comparing my knowledge and capabilities with my male colleagues, don’t we all? This year, however, I promised myself that the trail to this tech journey is my own, and I’m accountable for how I feel. The imposter experience resonates with everyone in the tech community, especially minority groups. They strive towards normalizing that you don’t have to know everything, and we all are just human. I read somewhere, the way to stop feeling like an imposter is to stop thinking like an imposter.

Have unshakeable faith in you.