What is imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is defined by the National Institute of Health as a behavioural health phenomenon described as self-doubt of intellect, skills, or accomplishments among high-achieving individuals.
In simple terms, it just means feeling you’re not good enough when you’re probably doing great job.
How might imposter syndrome link in with comparing yourself to others, and comparing your experience to someone who has gone to university etc?
I would say that a huge part of imposter syndrome is rooted in comparison. Being a competitive individual, it’s very easy to compare myself to other apprentices, people in my teams and worst of all people on LinkedIn. It is a total cliché, but you must focus on yourself and your career journey otherwise you will get lost in the cycle of comparison which will negatively impact your confidence and ability to succeed as an apprentice.
Another struggle I face is comparing myself to grads at my company or my peers in sixth form who chose to go to university the traditional route. The choice to not go to university wasn’t a matter of lack of intelligence (I did apply and get in) which is a common misconception of apprentices, but a personal decision looking at my strengths, learning style, the cost of university and the opportunities it would provide me to achieve my career goals.
As an apprentice, you may feel you don’t have anything to offer, but that is far from the case, in fact not having technical knowledge or experience means you can provide a fresh perspective to those that live and breathe a subject or skill allowing you to offer innovative ideas.
How has it impacted you as an apprentice, and what techniques have you used that have helped with these feelings?
Being on a different path from the average 20-year-old is daunting. What I have found particularly helpful is going over my achievements and any feedback received that I keep for my evidence log as part of my apprenticeship and on days when I feel less than encourage myself to have read through it which reminds me that I am capable. Challenging negative beliefs when they rise prevents them from spiralling into bigger issues and taking a toll on your mental health. This is something I’m personally working and can say though difficult makes a huge difference.
The importance of connecting with others, and how can this help with imposter syndrome (i.e building a support network, seeking feedback from colleagues etc)?
Speaking up about how you are feeling is important for tackling imposter syndrome. Voicing how you feel out loud can make a problem feel smaller and offer the opportunity for others to support you or even provide shared experiences so that you know you aren’t alone in how you feel.
I recommend to look out for opportunities within your company or even resources online that help you deal with imposter syndrome. Just this week I completed a session on Inner Critic, led by my company, which touched on imposter syndrome.
