How to Fight Impostor Syndrome?

Everyone in the complex field of software engineering has been hit by impostor syndrome [1] at least once in their career. It is especially felt with high-achievers. Impostor syndrome is the inability to accept that your daily efforts to learn and advance your talents should make you deserving of attention or keeping your position. Instead, it could give you the impression that you’re deceiving people into thinking you’re better at your job than you are (E.g., “I’m not good enough to be a senior engineer.”) — a faker with no right to be there.

While it could make sense at the start of a career, it could be a burden later. Even though you’re a senior engineer, it doesn’t mean you have answers to all questions. In software engineering, there is often a high level of pressure to perform at a high level, to be productive, and to keep up with new technologies and tools. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, common symptoms of impostor syndrome.

Additionally, impostor syndrome can lead to burnout, stress, and anxiety, seriously affecting a software engineer’s physical and mental health. By acknowledging and addressing impostor syndrome, software engineers can take steps to boost their confidence, manage their stress levels, and develop their skills and knowledge.

The opposite: The Dunning-Kruger Effect

If we want to understand the Impostor syndrome better, another effect can help. It is called the Dunning-Kruger Effect [2], the cognitive bias…