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Imposter Syndrome. I've worked in various technical roles at startups, huge public companies, and have received offers from FAANG companies. I still sometimes

Imposter Syndrome. I've worked in various technical roles at startups, huge public companies, and have received offers from FAANG companies. I still sometimes feel like a complete fraud, like I don't deserve to be in the position I am in. It really bothers me. Maybe its related to the incredibly smart people I work around. Maybe its because I am self taught, so didn't have a "formal" education in CS or Statistics. Maybe its the destructive tendency to compare what I've built or accomplished to others around me or those I read about. I've heard that this is somewhat common in our industry. So it helps to look back on where I was 5-10 years ago, and think about what I've done since and how far along I've come. If anyone out there has had similar feelings or experiences, focus more on what you have done as opposed to what you have not (yet) done. It's too easy to sell yourself short. You belong.

EADGBE 8y ago
> I've heard that this is somewhat common in our industry. FWIW, if you have this, you have it. It doesn't care what you do for a living.
Aloha 8y ago
Impostor Syndrome. I spent a bunch of my childhood in borderline abusive situations being told I was useless or stupid. I also spent much of my childhood on the outside looking in, as the fat weird kid. Like you, further complimenting this is being completely self taught, so I'm certain that I'm less valued than peers with a formal degree, and on some level I feel looked down upon by those with a degree. The more accolades I get, the more certain that its all gonna disappear one day, and I'm going to wake up poor again working a dead end job, like I was at 18.