The Iron Yard: Week 2

The main discussion during our Friday morning huddle this week was Imposter Syndrome. Imposter Syndrome is where individuals are marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. The general consensus of the group was that we all had known such a thing existed, we just didn’t know the name for it. We all have felt the effects of it, to a varying extent, from day one.

As we’ve gotten to know each other throughout the last two weeks, we have started discussing our highs and lows throughout the day. Personally, it helps me to reassure myself that I’m not alone in my struggle to learn this new skill. That, in turn, allows me to be less hard on myself internally. I keep reminding myself that everyone learns at different paces, and hearing my classmates stress over code errors and cheer over good results helps keep things in perspective for me.

I believe that communication like this, moving beyond the classroom and continuing into the workforce, would be very helpful in reminding everyone that we don’t know everything (and that’s okay), that we have our jobs for a reason, and that we can rely on others for help/guidance/feedback without it making us any less competent for doing so. It could help keep people from getting lost in their heads, which is pretty easy to do for most people. I’m sure it will be hard to remember to fight Imposter Syndrome when I first transition from a learning environment where my peers are going through the same experience I am into a work environment, where I’m the new kid on the block and, I’m sure, overwhelmed by the novelty of everything. However, I’m going to strive to take what I’ve learned about this subject with me wherever I go to help myself make the most of my career and personal life as well. I hope I’ll also be able to help future colleagues who may be bogged down from this.