Using Imposter Syndrome to your Advantage

Cool, thanks for coming. Really appreciate you coming along to talk about Imposter syndrome: How to use it to your advantage. But before we move forward, I'd like to learn more about the room. You can scan this and participate in this poll. It's anonymous, no sign-up needed, just scan and vote. "How many years have you worked in tech? One to five, less than one, ten-plus, or five to ten?" A lot of seniors here, very nice. This just proves that everyone faces imposter syndrome, no matter how senior or junior you are.

Oh yeah, professionally or just including when you started out? Yeah, cool, that looks good. We have a good distribution here. Let's move forward. Next question: "Do you suffer from imposter syndrome?" Simple question: Yes or no.

We'll cover that, alright. So, most people... okay, cool. Next, for those who said yes, "What are you doing about it?" Are you facing imposter syndrome but taking any actions? It's a good one, it's a good one. Most folks are saying, "Fake it till you make it."

There's nothing wrong with that. One more person typing in, "Count to five, just start." Chill. The last question I have is, "Are people born smart? Yes or no?" Anyone for yes? Some people saying yes. Alright, okay, we can move forward. Cool. I'll present.

Welcome, everyone, to my session. We'll talk about using imposter syndrome to your advantage. What it is, some silver lining, and a little bit of a controversial thing that I say, which is, it's not as bad as it seems. If you're facing imposter syndrome, you can make the most out of it. Sometimes it can be a good thing for you.

Remember, about me: I work as a referral manager at Civo. I'm a CNCF Ambassador, founder of Wemake Devs community, a GitHub star, speaker at TEDx, and have been involved in many communities. I love collaborating with people. If you have a community or want to collaborate, find me after the session. I'm also a creator on YouTube. I teach on YouTube. Close to 400,000 subscribers now. I started last year. I love content creation and teaching. I graduated last year, and it's been a good journey.

Let's discuss imposter syndrome. I'd like to keep this session interactive. Many of you mentioned you either suffer from it or don't. What do you think is imposter syndrome? By the way, I'll give out some nice swag for audience participation. Anyone? Yeah, Rich, go ahead.

"An irrational feeling that you're not good at something, not based on fact." Correct.

"Everyone else seems to know what you don't." That's correct.

"Pretending you're something you're not, or pretending you know something you don't." Oh.

"When you feel like you don't fit in a group, like being the only woman in the group. Just an example."

"That gut feeling of not being up to the task."

It's a safe space, go for it. Some hands here, yes, we should...

Feeling of not belonging? Not belonging. Yeah. No, all of these are valid points. And I think imposter syndrome is like... everyone has their own meaning. So some people, it's like, "Oh my, you know, like, uh..." Some folks who are not, let's say, that much into content creation. I've spoken to people who are engineers, and they're like, "All of our colleagues are making so much content, doing so many collaborations, but we are not doing as much, and we feel like, you know, uh, it's not up to the mark." And some people are like, "Okay, like you said, not feeling like I belong here, or feeling like an imposter." And the "fake it till you make it" thing, like, "Everyone is so smart, and I'm not so smart." So we'll dive deep into it.

And this is how I like to picture it. It doesn't mean that imposter syndrome... I don't think it means, "I don't know anything." If I'm looking at it from an optimistic point of view, then it basically means people know something else; I know something else. That's the way I like to put it. And who gets it? Literally everyone. There was an interview with Tom Hanks. He said he feels like an imposter sometimes. Senior engineers, CEOs, celebrities, junior engineers, students - everyone, you name it.

So the reason I wanted to do this talk was... Imposter syndrome. Everyone is facing it. But then the question arises: what do we do about it? Do we just ignore it? If everyone is facing it, I'm a very realistic person, and I'm very optimistic. And if there's something that most folks are facing, and it's not like you can avoid it, then there has to be some sort of a way to deal with it and make the most out of the situation. So, literally, you can't really define who gets it because it can be anyone.

But let's talk a little bit more about what causes imposter syndrome. Now, again, some audience participation. Anyone? What causes imposter syndrome?

• "Worrying that you landed the job you did based on connections rather than merit." Yep.
• "Being in an environment in which you have to constantly learn new things, so you're never a subject matter expert."
• "Oh, I think one of the key reasons is that when you start comparing yourselves to others. Really focus on what you're doing yourself, but you're more focused on what others think of you."
• "Sometimes it can happen when you're in a new situation, like at a new employer or you take on a new role which is something that you don't necessarily have experience at."
• "So, past failures. For me, it's starting a startup after having a failed startup in the past." - Failure is good though. I was talking to him and he said because he failed a lot.
• "For me, it's Twitter and social media.” - We're going to talk about that.
• "Sometimes, I think it's a lack of feedback. When you don't have that feedback loop in place to know whether you're going in the right direction, that's what can cause imposter syndrome."
• "A father who's never impressed."
• "Building on what was said earlier, always comparing yourself upwards to your seniors and not to your peers."

Yeah, no, that's true. And we'll talk about it. The first point is perfection. So, perfectionists face imposter syndrome quite a lot. A recent study also mentioned people who are, you know, what's the word, people pleasers. Everyone wants to just get everything right. Everything is perfectionist, and they just don't want to leave anything behind. I personally don't think that's a very good thing to do because it can lead to a lot of grey areas and is definitely a big cause for imposter syndrome.

The fix here it says "GEQ method." Anyone knows what a GEQ method is? Good Enough Quality. So, a Good Enough Quality method is what I would recommend to perfectionists. For example, for a project, if you're like, "I want to have 10 features in this project," it's better to have five good features rather than 10 incomplete features. Then, once you have a good enough product, you can obviously iterate upon it and improve upon it. This is the first point I wanted to mention. People who are perfectionists face imposter syndrome because most of the time, they have it in their mind like, "What will other people think of us? We're setting an example. We're doing everything perfectly." So that's point number one.

Point number two is about folks who wish to be like geniuses. "Why am I not like the other person? Why am I not like that guy? He's so smart with all these achievements and doing all these amazing things." This is another question I had: Are people born smart? Most of the time, no. People who struggle with wishing to be a genius often look at the result, but they don't look at the journey. Every genius, every person who is great in their field, they were a beginner once. They worked their way up. Most people ignore this journey. So, if you wish to be a genius and ask yourself, "Why am I not like the other person?" it's mostly because people forget about the journey and focus on the end result. Are people born smart? I don't think so. You should always look at the path of that person. It's not about competition. If you find someone smarter than you, it's incredible because now you have the opportunity to learn from that person. So, get motivated instead of being jealous.

Point three: experts. Striving to please others is not enough. Doing many courses and everything at once. There's a quote I really like: "You can't be an expert in everything." Experts sometimes feel like imposters because in their mind, they think, "I'm an expert. I have to know everything."

Point four: the solo train. The person who does everything by themselves, no help, nothing. "I will do everything by myself." Some folks may feel like asking for help is a sign of weakness. I wouldn't recommend that. The fix is to find the right people, find the right community.

Point five: the super person. "Give me everything. Who will take these tasks? I'll do everything." They take on more than they can handle. Can anyone suggest a fix for this? People who say, "I will do everything," and when setting their daily goals think, "Today, I'll accomplish everything." But they don't end up doing it, and then they feel bad. It's very simple: set realistic goals. That's the solution. So, don't be the super person; be realistic.

Do you face imposter syndrome? I think most people do. It's alright. Think about where you face it: in the workplace, universities, college, social media? Everywhere. Is it bad? Can anyone share with me: Is imposter syndrome a bad thing? If you think so, say yes. If not, say no. Anyone else?

Do you face imposter syndrome? Think about where you face it - workplace, universities, social media? And is it a bad thing? It's a perspective. Some say yes, some say no.

What is the opposite of imposter syndrome? Someone said arrogance? Imposter syndrome is not bad because if its bad that means the opposite of imposter syndrome is good. Opposite of imposter syndrome is over confidence. So people who know it all, who says they are the best are something you don't want to be. So the opposite of imposter syndrome is much worse.

So, the way I look at it, imposter syndrome is unavoidable. Most people face it, regardless of their seniority level. It's very organic. If all of these things are happening, then I think it's a natural thing. If something comes very natural, I personally don't feel like that's a bad thing. For example, I graduated last year. My first open-source contribution was in my freshman year. I was just learning Java. That's all I knew. Then I was looking for open-source projects to contribute to, and I found this Kubernetes Java client by Red Hat Middleware. My mind was overwhelmed, wondering how I would even contribute. But that imposter syndrome I faced was incredible for my career. It changed my life. It allowed me not only to learn new things but also to contribute.

So I work at Civo, and I meet people who are much smarter than me. I face imposter syndrome, but I want to. It makes me a better person. Like Josh just joined the team; he's excellent at machine learning. I was talking to him about wanting to learn more. It's great for me. I'm learning from some of the smartest people in the industry. There is imposter syndrome, but it's all about how you deal with it, how you tackle it, and how you make the most out of it.

Someone mentioned not getting feedback. From all the companies I've seen, and the culture we have now, most companies are friendly. Some might not be, but if you have a supportive team, I think you can get past imposter syndrome and use it to your advantage to learn more about tsuff you don't know.

The opposite of imposter syndrome is not good; it's worse. So, what are you doing about it? Everyone faces imposter syndrome. It's natural. On social media, there's a lot of negativity surrounding it. But try to be a little realistic. See what you can do right now to work with it. Analyze the situation and use it to your advantage.

Step one, identify where you're facing imposter syndrome. Then, take action. Celebrate small wins; they're a morale booster. Track your success. I used to keep a brag journal, just a notes app on my iCloud, listing all my achievements. It helps a lot. Sometimes, limit your social media exposure. Don't compare yourself too much to others. Set realistic goals. You can do anything, but not everything. One of the best ways to scale is to give up control. Work in teams, distribute tasks, set realistic goals and if you don't know something and you're in a supportive team, take advantage of it. Everyone faces imposter syndrome. If everyone's facing it, then it's alright.

Step three is measuring success. Look at projects and see what you've accomplished. For example, five months ago, we were supposed to do these tasks, and we did them. Then there's a retrospective to review what went well and what didn't. Another thing about the shout-out stuff is it's essential to celebrate small wins. At Civo, we have this thing called "Hey Taco”, whenever someone does something good, we give them a taco. It's an app called "Hey Taco", so you give people tacos and it shows up on the leaderboard: who has the most tacos. You can Google it, it's called "Hey Taco". So, we use that. When someone does something good, we give them a taco. It's a good moral booster. Right, so measuring success is very important.

Lastly, I just want to say it is okay to have imposter syndrome. If anyone tells you it's bad, it's okay. I know it can be overwhelming, but in reality, I don't think it's a problem. It's just a little challenge. It's not a bad thing; it's a challenge. So, if you don't know about something, like, let's say you're put on a new project, and you're a junior engineer, you can learn about things and you can contribute. Not knowing about things is not a bad thing. But not doing anything about it is. So, if you're given the opportunity for a new project, to learn and contribute, and you're not even putting in efforts to learn and improve, I think that's not cool. Not knowing stuff is alright. It's not a problem. But not doing anything about it, I think that's a problem. Imposter syndrome, in this scenario, is a good thing in terms of learning new things, contributing, and working in teams.

Alright, that's it. Questions?

Someone I know says technology is always changing, and questions why one should spend time upgrading. Is this about escaping imposter syndrome? Another viewpoint I've heard is, "Technology is always changing, so why waste time upgrading to new technology?" Is this like escaping from imposter syndrome, or is it the notion that technology will always evolve? Anyone who stops learning about new developments might become jobless. However, I think these changes create new opportunities. For instance, when Kubernetes was introduced, there were concerns about job losses due to automation. But in reality, it created new jobs. Similarly, with the ChatGPT technology, I believe it will transform how tasks are done, but it will also open up new opportunities. I once tweeted, "AI will not steal your job. A person using AI will steal your job," which received positive feedback.

But there's a challenge of FOMO because you can't learn everything, right? As for how I manage FOMO, I use the pie-shaped learning approach: know everything about something and something about everything. Picture it like a pie chart with two pillars; one is the depth of your expertise, and the breadth gives you a general idea about various topics. I enjoy exploring new technologies for fun - read a blog, watch a talk, or start a small project. If I find it interesting, I delve deeper. For example, I tried mobile development but didn't enjoy it, so I left it behind. But if ever required, I know I could adapt quickly. What's the hardest programming language to learn? The first one. Once you get accustomed to new tech, and if you're passionate about tech, it becomes fun.

How do you deal with FOMO? I don't get FOMO anymore because I travel a lot. So if I don't go to a conference, I'm actually glad. Like, "Okay, I'm not going, no more travel, that's good." But FOMO is still there sometimes. It's like you might not be able to attend a conference or whatever, but sometimes things just... you get your priorities straight when you're... I can't say this because I'm 24, so next question.

I think one of the discussions around chatGPT and how it might take away your job, which is definitely not the case. But how to deal with FOMO from the actual AI itself? Because we spoke about how to deal with FOMO and Imposter Syndrome from other people, but how to deal with the Imposter Syndrome from AI?

What does that mean? Like AI is smarter? We want to be smarter than AI. Do you know how long it would take you to calculate the Fibonacci series on your own with pen and paper versus how long it will take AI? AI to have imposter syndrome?

Right, I think AI is good. It's like ChatGPT, for example, being used as a tool to enhance your workflow. It can't make decisions for you, at least for now. It's just a tool that you're using. Wozniak was also sharing today, would there be a time when computers are just doing everything from the start, like taking the raw materials out of the earth and everything? There's one guy who was saying ChatGPT tools will replace lawyers, that lawyers are gone out of business. Would you trust an AI with legal stuff? Lots of questions, right? Anyone else?

All right, so just as a summary, we talked about imposter syndrome. We talked about the five types of people who face imposter syndrome. We discussed how the opposite is more than worse than imposter syndrome. We spoke about how to make the most out of it, the silver lining. And if it's being faced by everyone in most industries, regardless of the seniority level, then it's not a bad thing. It's definitely a challenge and it's natural. Even if it is a bad thing, what can you do about it? Let's imagine it's a bad thing. For the sake of the argument, I'm saying it's very bad. So what does that mean? Is life over? Is there no hope left? I don't like to work that way. It's a bad thing, cool, got it. All right, what do we do about it? We make a plan, we get out of it, we make the most out of it. So, even if for the sake of argument you're saying it's bad, then think about what can be done. Can you ignore it? Can you fix it? Can you prevent it? And then you work with that. Let's set realistic goals and try to get out of the situation in a practical way. And also, remember you're not alone. Feel free to ask for help, join communities, and if you're in a team, speak to your boss or manager. Be open-minded. It'll be good. It'll be all right. Thank you.