Across my career, I've felt bad about my skills sometimes because I'll have teammates, who are also at my level, doing as much as 2x more than me. This has led to me feeling like an imposter many times - Any thoughts on how to process all this?
Related resources:
Thanks Alex for your thoughts. Impostor syndrome is a reality and it’s true that it’s easy to imagine problems that aren’t real. Keeping your focus on what you control, what is important and to communicate effectively with your manager is key.
Yeah, they are the worst. Wish we can just get rid of them! JK :)
I do not care how smart / talented you are, you will always encounter someone seems to be 2x better than you in any regard. Here is how you approach it with a "winner's mindset"
leverage the fear
learn from them
find your own lane(s)
There are good answers already and I would just add my 2 cents that could be useful for such situation:
So I would recommend chatting directly with your manager, express your concerns and ask for a feedback + advice to get over them.
You're going to be surprised to learn that your super-talented peers often feel the same way.
Take strength-finders and work from your strengths. Your super-talented peers are likely working from strength whether they know it or not.
Keep a daily performance journal for perspective. You can buy this one: https://mentalmanagement.com/products/performance-analysis-the-ultimate-performance-journal or create a template in Notion or Roam that covers the same material.
I have to constantly tell myself that I’m exactly where I should be and to ask any and all questions. Be a sponge for knowledge and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Naturally in my life, I’ve had to approach nearly everything that I do with this mask of “I know what I’m doing” when in my head I’m screaming bloody murder because I’m so overwhelmed and lost.
For the tech industry, it is very important to remember that you will always be learning no matter how many years of experience you have. When you accept the growth mindset and approach everything as a learning experience, you will look back later and realize that you are doing just fine.
I still battle with my inner self even with 3 years in the game, but that hunger and passion to learn has never stopped. I’m sure that if you have that same passion, you’re going to do just fine.