Podcast Final Draft

Imposter syndrome is a common concern in the tech community, especially among computer scientists. Many people, including the speaker, feel like they're not good enough or knowledgeable enough in their field. This syndrome starts in schools and continues in the workplace. A study at the University of California found that over 50% of computer science students experienced imposter syndrome. The lack of formal computer science education in K-12 schools and the normalization of not understanding coding contribute to this phenomenon. Imposter syndrome can lead to self-doubt, missed job opportunities, and even dropping out of school. However, computer science offers a wide range of possibilities and learning opportunities. When individuals stop comparing themselves to others, imposter syndrome can be overcome, leading to innovation and personal growth. Have you ever felt like you weren't good enough, that you didn't belong somewhere, or that you didn't know enough to be in a particular space? Whether that's at the dinner table with your family, talking about sports with diehard pads fans, or even in your own workspace, this ongoing battle against yourself has a clever name, imposter syndrome. First researched as a phenomenon, imposter syndrome has been plaguing specifically computer scientists since the term itself was coined in 1991. But what if I told you that imposter syndrome is actually one of the most talked about concerns in the tech community? And what if I told you that I personally have felt it almost every day for the last 10 years? In an ever-expanding, ever-changing tech field, I'm constantly feeling like I'm not good enough, that I don't know enough, that I'm not learning enough, and I've sat in awe listening to the impressive stories my friends have from internships, using vocabulary that I don't have the courage to ask for definitions for, and describing life in a corporate world that feels lifetimes away. Personally, I'm a junior, and I've just secured my first internship for this upcoming summer. I'm afraid of starting my first internship, as you are with any job, but I'm worried that I'm unqualified, need another internship under my belt, and didn't get one soon enough. Whether I'm consciously comparing myself to classmates or to overhearing conversations in passing, it seems like everyone else is working on something more impressive, more technically challenging, and more difficult than I am. Every day, I feel like I'm not good enough, not focused enough, not disciplined enough, not dedicated enough to be in this field. Imposter syndrome begins in schools by being fosters in classrooms, libraries, and even in office hours with teaching assistants. In a study conducted at the University of California, San Diego, they looked into this phenomenon of imposter syndrome. Over 50% of the 200 people interviewed from the department self-reported that they had experienced imposter syndrome. That's just the Department of Computer Science alone. Students in other disciplines, like healthcare, psychology, business, and education, did not report feeling imposter syndrome in the same numbers at all. Reports were as low as 27% in education studies and as high as 38% in business. This disparity is obvious between computer science and non-computer science disciplines. In fact, 57% of students in the tech department reported imposter syndrome. Why is imposter syndrome prevalent in CS? One of the theories brought up in the study is that computer science, while definitely a large necessity in our life nowadays, is not formally taught in many K-12 schools. It's typically an elective or a math class that you just have to take one year of. So when students start their college career and choose computer science or tech as their major, not everyone's in the same playing field. Some people may have gone to magnet school. Some people may have had experience in after-school clubs, like myself. But other people are brand new. But a more compelling theory is that when we're first introduced to computer science, it's often coupled with something like, oh, you don't need to know what that means right now. Don't worry about that. You'll learn that later on. It's just what you have to do. But this normalizes the lack of understanding your code. So when we actually hear people understanding their code and doing impressive things, it can feel like we're not in the right place or we're not smart enough to continue. And I feel like when I found out more of what was going on behind the scenes with sorting algorithms and built-in functions, I was really able to understand and grasp concepts in a way that I hadn't been able to before, and it was such a gratifying feeling. But this imposter syndrome that I still feel, regardless of what I know going on, can cause a lot of short-term and long-term drawbacks. It can cause us to not take higher-paying jobs, not apply for certain jobs, thinking we just don't meet the criteria. But in short-term cases, we're comparing ourselves against each other during our entire schooling career. We can feel like we don't belong in this workspace, in this team, in this area of expertise, in these classes, and we can feel like we need to drop out or switch, which happens a lot. Something that I love about computer science is that I can be learning something about it for the rest of my life. I can learn different languages. I can use different algorithms. I can learn different algorithms in multiple languages. There are millions of combinations and possibilities that I could be focusing on. It's not just about coding. It's about cybersecurity. It's not just about coding. It's about electricity. It's not just about coding. It's about hardware and circuits. There's so many different things you can do in a computer science realm, and that's what makes programmers so unique. We can choose our own path and choose our own discipline. Once we stop comparing ourselves against each other, imposter syndrome could become a thing of the past, and it could further, if it still exists, innovation, development, and drive once we realize how unique and creative we all actually are.