Impostor syndrome in IT and business: why it gets in the way and how to overcome it

Imagine this: you've just successfully delivered a project, closed a complex task, or finally found that one bug that had been tormenting you for two days. Your manager praises you. What do you feel? Joy and pride? Or the intrusive thought: "I just got lucky. Next time they will definitely realize that I actually don't know how to do anything"?

If the second option sounds familiar – welcome to the club. This is imposter syndrome.

What it is and where it comes from 

Imposter syndrome is a psychological state where a person cannot attribute their achievements to their own abilities and efforts. It's as if you "tricked" your way into your position, and everyone around you is smarter, more experienced, and more confident. This phenomenon was first described by psychologists back in 1978 while studying successful female scientists. But in IT and entrepreneurship, it has reached massive proportions – and is found equally often in beginners and people with ten years of experience.

"Actually, I’ll be honest, I still catch myself experiencing imposter syndrome after 20 years in IT and entrepreneurship."

In the IT field, where technologies update almost daily and the number of new frameworks grows exponentially, this state is particularly common. It makes us devalue our own work and live in constant fear of "being exposed."

How it manifests in students and beginners 

For beginners, the IT sphere or business often looks like open space: massive, incomprehensible, and a bit scary. Imposter syndrome blooms fully here and has very specific manifestations.

Here is a real picture. You sit over a lab assignment for hours, googling every error, testing over and over again. Eventually, the program compiles and works perfectly. But instead of praising yourself, the thought comes: "A real developer would have written this code in fifteen minutes, and I spent half a day. IT is probably not for me."

Or another scenario: you are launching your first business or project. And you keep postponing the launch because it's "not perfect yet." You rework the vision for the tenth time instead of testing the hypothesis. You are afraid to pitch the idea. You spend hours talking to AI instead of talking to three potential clients or simply doing The Mom Test. You wait in panic for the first feedback, perceiving any criticism as proof that "I am not an entrepreneur."

Or it happens like this: you finished a course, did a few projects, but you put off applying for vacancies because you "need to study a bit more." Two months, three months... In reality, a person doesn't get smarter from waiting. They just start acting.

Experienced professionals are not immune either. You get invited to speak at a conference or get promoted to team lead – and the thought immediately arises: "There probably was no one else." Despite years of real experience.

Why it's especially acute in IT and business 

These environments have a few common traits that feed the syndrome. Technologies evolve rapidly: as soon as you master one framework, three new ones appear, and the feeling of "falling behind" is almost always present. Comparison with others is inevitable here: professional communities, social networks, LinkedIn – other people's successes are visible everywhere, but not their failures and doubts. And finally, the culture of "smart people" in the industry sets an inflated bar – it seems to a beginner that they are the only one who doesn't know something. Although in reality, everyone around is doubting just as much.

4 practical steps to break out of this cycle 

It's hard to completely "delete" imposter syndrome - I know from personal experience, but you can make it significantly quieter so that it doesn't block your development.

1. Keep a "Brag Document" 

Our brain is evolutionarily wired to focus on the negative and mistakes, quickly forgetting successes. Create a separate document or note on your phone. Write down everything there: from a successfully written script to praise from a mentor or a resolved plugin conflict. Concrete facts: "figured out sole proprietorship registration", "fixed a bug I sat on for a week", "got positive feedback". When your inner critic starts whispering that you are worthless again – just open this file.

2. Allow yourself the "I don't know this yet" rule 

We are not AI, so it's impossible to know everything – even experienced experts google and learn new practices every day. The difference between a beginner and an expert is not that the expert knows everything, but that they have learned to quickly find answers and not panic over the unknown. Replace the destructive "I don't know anything" with the constructive "I haven't figured this out yet, but I will find a solution now."

3. Stop comparing your start to someone else's finish 

When you look at "cool pros," it's easy to feel your own worthlessness. But remember: this professional was also once confused, also messed up, got lost. They just already walked this path. Compare yourself only to who you were yesterday. Do you know one more function today than a week ago? Great – you are progressing.

4. Talk about your doubts out loud 

Imposter syndrome lives in silence. Just say to a colleague or friend "I have this feeling that I don't belong here" – and it almost always turns out that the person across from you thinks the same about themselves. Community (Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), mentorship, IT communities, business clubs offline or online – this is not just networking, but real support. Imposter syndrome is afraid of the light.

And finally: the syndrome is not a sentence 

If it seems to you that you are "falling short" – it often means that you are in an environment of stronger people. And this is the best place for growth. Studies show that imposter syndrome is more common in people with high standards and a responsible attitude to work. That is, in those who truly care.

Imposter syndrome is not an enemy. It's an indicator of development. But you shouldn't let it slow down your career.

What to do next? 

Start small today:

• Open a notebook and write down three things you succeeded at over the last month.
• Set one "scary" goal for this week – send an application, ask a question, take on a complex task.
• Identify where the real gaps in your knowledge are and start closing them systematically.

If you want to not just fight doubts, but also get a solid knowledge base with mentor support and real practical projects – pay attention to SkillsUp courses. The more you work on real tasks, the faster the fear of "being exposed" disappears. Because confidence comes when there are real results.