Impostor syndrome
Impostor syndrome is a phenomenon which can involve a person experiencing feeling incompetent, doubting their abilities, and being afraid of being exposed as a fraud. The prevalence of impostor syndrome is difficult to measure because of the existence of several different screening tools and cutoff points used to assess symptoms of the phenomenon. A systematic review of 62 studies, conducted by Bravata et al. (linked here), concludes that the prevalence of impostor syndrome varies widely between 9% to 82% in the studies reviewed. The review also stated that the syndrome is common among both men and women of all ages, however, ethnic minorities were significantly more likely to experience impostor syndrome compared to their counterparts. Impostor syndrome is also often comorbid with depression and anxiety disorders.
As a computer science major, I am no stranger to feeling like an impostor. I felt like an impostor in this field from the very moment I decided that I wanted to be a computer science major. I have little prior background in programming before coming to college and my math knowledge fades by the day. I don't really understand how computers work on a physical level and the gap between a high-level programming language and the bare bones on's and off's continues to mystify me. All of this combines in the back of my mind and it makes me quite apprehensive about speaking in class. It also causes me to take a perfectionist approach about everything I do in computer science classes: knowing that others in my classes are so much better at this than I am, makes me feel like my work has to be perfect before I am anywhere near close to being okay with it.
The article written by Subhasish Dutta on turing.com focuses on impostor syndrome experienced by software developers. According to the article, on top of the standard experiences of the syndrome, those affected are often dissatisfied at work, experience negative impacts in career growth, and even quit their jobs as a way to cope. Those who work in software can be prone to feeling like an impostor due to the highly competitive and quickly changing nature of the field. Other factors like tight deadlines and high stakes projects also increase the chances of impostor syndrome. Some ways to recognize the syndrome include a fear of communicating with fellow developers, being unable to match your colleagues' performance, and doubting that the career choice in the software development field. Dutta suggests some ways to deal with impostor syndrome, and they are: accepting that you're dealing with impostor syndrome, learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, stopping comparing yourself to others, giving yourself the credit you deserve, reaching out to seniors, and developing an attitude of never giving up.
Another way that I think one could combat impostor syndrome is re-framing the perceived lack of knowledge as a positive thing: not knowing things but being curious about how they work is definitionally a child-like wonder, and exploring and learning new information about topics you're curious about is almost universally pleasant and satisfying.
