Uncertainty: The Hidden Trigger Behind Imposter Syndrome

Practical steps to reframe uncertainty, reduce imposter syndrome, and build lasting confidence.

I lurk on Reddit from time to time, usually in the SoftwareTesting and ExperiencedDevs subreddits. Recently, I came across a thread on imposter syndrome that really stood out.

The original poster shared how they constantly felt the need to outperform others on their team. They felt compelled to prove themselves whenever they were assigned tasks they hadn’t done before, and this was starting to wear them down.

Scrolling through the thread, others echoed similar experiences. For instance, someone shared how they worried about being “found out” and kicked off the team whenever a new hire seemed more capable than them. Another described how, after 15+ years as a developer, they joined a FAANG company (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) and suddenly started questioning their own abilities for the first time.

The Common Theme: Uncertainty

The recurring thread in all these stories? Uncertainty. These individuals didn’t know what would happen, how they’d respond, or if their response would…