5 Unconventional Tips: How to get over Imposter Syndrome

I didn’t truly start diving into computer science until my freshman year of college. As soon as I started looking for an internship for my first summer, the hyper-competitiveness revolving around tech became more than apparent. Quickly, I saw all the other freshmen who were so much further along in terms of programming knowledge, algorithm comprehension, and personal projects.

Honestly, I began to feel bad about myself.

How did they even learn how to do all of that?

How am I ever going to get to that level?

With time, these questions turned to frustration and depression. I didn’t feel confident in myself at all.

Why didn’t I start coding in high school?

All the biology I did was a waste.

Is it even worth it to continue down this track if I’m already so far behind?

After venting to friends who were seniors, it became obvious that I had a common case of Imposter Syndrome.

In a nutshell, Imposter Syndrome (I.S.) can be defined as:

A condition in which someone is never able to see themselves as good enough despite achievement and acclaim.

Many posts addressing imposter syndrome tell people to “accept that you have had some role in your success” or “realize that nobody knows what they’re doing”. However, I never found said remedies to be successful at tackling the issue at its core. At the end of the day, the root of the problem is that I feel inferior to the people around me because I think they are more skilled than me.

Here’s an infrequent opinion:

Feeling inferior compared to the people around you is not always a bad thing.

It shows you are hanging out with people who are more experienced, knowledgeable, and talented than you are, which is great. Feeling bad about yourself for not being at the same level is bad.

If you know there are people who are more experienced than you, it shows that you still have room to grow. Contrarily though, this is where Imposter Syndrome sets in. Most people will feel “I can never be like those people” and few will think “I wonder how I can get there”.

Stanford psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck wrote the widely-acclaimed novel: Mindset. The main takeaway from the book is that people need to have a“growth” mindset vs. a “fixed” mindset. In the words of Dr. Dweck:

In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success — without effort. They’re wrong.

In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work — brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.

The fixed mindset sounds a lot like I.S., doesn’t it?

Imposters think successful people are just different. Imposters think those people were born with some sort of natural gift. Imposters think that they can never be like that.

“They’re wrong”.

Here are the five unconventional tips that are helping me (naturally) get rid of Imposter Syndrome.

1. Surround yourself with caring people who know more than you.

After coming to the University of Maryland, I spent basically all my time at Startup Shell. Shellers were high-achieving, creative, and kind people who were the best influences I could have asked for as a new college student. They were caring enough to teach and support me throughout my freshman year. Among these teachings were technical skills, which were responsible for my personal projects, and hence my first internship.

Spend time with those who challenge, push, and teach you. Those who not just know a lot, but are also willing to pass it onto others are invaluable as teachers, mentors, and friends. You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with, so make sure it’s a kickass average.

2. Learn something new everyday.

Meeting people who treated school as a baseline of learning pushed me to explore more academically. It led me to discover the vast resources available through platforms like Udacity, Coursera, and edX. Realizing that school did not have to be the only factor in my education was crucial in my learning career.

Complacency is the precursor to plateauing. Always strive to learn something new each day. Read more, take an online course, have an actual hunger for knowledge, and keep doing things to make yourself a more knowledgeable individual.

3. Teach others.

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
— Albert Einstein

This is probably the least conventional, but most effective advice. You don’t really know something until you are able to teach it to others. Give a talk, hold a workshop, create a tutorial — try to put a product of your knowledge out there for others to use.

Getting comfortable doing things like this can be hard, but remember the more you practice and put yourself out there, the better you will become. Remember, this is all about personal growth and pushing your boundaries. If you are not 100% sure about the material, study it more. If you are nervous to get up in front of people, watch this TED talk. Teaching others will help your confidence.

4. Do not do things for your resume.

Dr. Dweck said that those with fixed-mindsets “spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them.” This will result in direct comparisons to other people, which is absolutely not what you should be worrying about.

Spend time introspecting to figure out what it is you care about, and then only spend time on that. Spend time discovering the “love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” Working on something you love is the easiest way to forget about all the distractions that are comparisons, other’s accomplishments, and ultimately Imposter Syndrome.

5. When seeking professional advice, do it from those who are a stage ahead of you in life.

For example, freshmen should not only ask other freshmen for advice because they are operating in the same environment. They have the same stresses and are likely dealing with the same problems. In my case, simply going to a more experienced friend who had already been through this stage of life resulted in a solid plan of action that actually resulted in an internship.

Getting advice from anyone going through the same problems as you will result in limited information. However, asking someone who can look at your case objectively, is more experienced, and wants to help you will be beneficial. If you’re in high school, ask undergrads for advice. Undergrads can ask graduates. Additionally, make sure the person you are asking for advice from is somewhat relatable and can empathize with what you’re going through. This will make the experience more rewarding.

And there you have it. My 5 pieces of advice that are helping me pull myself out of the low point I felt during freshman year.

I am still suffering from I.S., but I can certainly say it has become better. This is not because I constantly remind myself that I am important, or that my skills are good enough. It is a result of focusing on being me, blocking out distraction, and honestly just taking the time to introspect and figure out what it is I care about.

Don’t tell yourself “no one knows what they’re doing, so it’s fine that I’m like this”. Instead, push yourself to deeply understand what you’re doing.

Don’t tell yourself “you are already good enough”, Instead, push yourself to grow every single day.

Attack the root of the problem rather than the symptoms, and Imposter Syndrome will become something of the past.

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Thanks to Amritha Jayanti for editing this!