The Simplest Way To Overcome Imposter Syndrome

At some point, I think everyone will struggle with imposter syndrome .

I have for years. It started when a recruiter from Facebook reached out to me. I was well into the start of my career but had never stepped foot into the big tech sphere. It didn’t feel like I could hold my own, much less get in the door. I spent weeks studying for my interviews, and the first time I tried, I failed. My fears were confirmed. I didn’t give up; the next round of interviews landed me a dream job.

I had made it. Problem solved, right?

My success didn’t eliminate the feeling of being an imposter

Despite the success I had in securing a position at Facebook, I didn’t feel like any less of an imposter.

If anything, the feeling got worse. Everyone would soon know I had no idea what I was doing. Whenever something I didn’t know popped up, doubt and insecurity would seep back in.

I needed to figure out how to know everything I didn’t.

Then I realized everyone is figuring it out as they go

When that realization clicked, I started to understand that overcoming imposter syndrome wasn’t that hard, and I was doing the wrong thing.

Instead of trying to ensure I knew everything all the time, I should have realized earlier that imposter syndrome results from uncertainty and lack of knowledge. Typing that out seems obvious, but learning and expanding your experience is one of life’s great joys. Imposter syndrome steals that possibility from you.

To overcome imposter syndrome, embrace learning and growing. We’re all imposters at some level, trying to figure out what the heck we are doing.

Keep learning and growing, and you’ll never be an imposter.