I think I would have a enough money to retire twice by now for each time I felt like an imposter in my career. It's hard to pinpoint where this feeling comes from but when it comes it usually comes with no warning. I have had my confidence shattered in a instant whenever I faced a really difficult problem and began to doubt myself and my abilities while working in I.T.. I know this syndrome isn't anything new to a lot of people because I read about it all the time on Reddit. This has always been something difficult to cope since I have I been in I.T. and it caused me to think about finding a different career.

The imposter syndrome feeling would get the best of me and would make me downplay my success because I felt like it was based off luck or help from others. When I got started in I.T. I needed a lot of help and I could at times sense irritation from people that probably thought I should I already know the answer to basic computer questions. This sort of lead me to overworking and setting high expectations for myself and at the end of the day feeling like a failure cause there were times I just didn't get it. Whenever I did achieve success I would downplay it as beginners luck and think that anyone could have figured it out. When I wasn't able to solve a problem and someone else was able to, I would feel like a fraud and I started to question my skills. There were also times where I thought I had it down only to get the rug pulled out from underneath me by something or someone and would make make me feel like I wasn't cut out to be in this field.

It has been an ongoing battle that I've struggled with imposter syndrome but I have worked with great people in my career that have always been encouraging to me and not only reassured me that I have the ability to do my job but have truly believed in me. Let me say that again, "I still work with some great and amazing individuals who believe in me!" I can not stress how much those individuals who are on the team I currently work with has really shaped me and my career. Being in and around an amazing team has truly contributed to my success. There were times where I failed but those individuals were there to lift me up and share an encouraging word. They always reassured me that we all make mistakes but it's important that we learn from those mistakes. It's been so great to work with people who have taken the time to teach me and have been patient with me when I couldn't get a grasp on something.

When I thought about this topic, I was actually feeling like an imposter, and when I started to write about it, I realized that simply by acknowledging it and recognizing it has really helped. It has reminded me of not only how far I've come but also the work that I've put in. I always pride myself in being a hard worker and even though some things don't come easy I've learned through my running experience that I just have to keep working at it and not give up.

Sometimes the internet can be encouraging and here are some responses that I have come across and have helped me: