There's something paradoxical about gaining experience.

We imagine that with time, the doubt will fade. That we'll eventually feel legitimate. That impostor syndrome is just a phase we go through at the beginning and then leave behind.

But in my case, and in the case of many people I work with, it's often the opposite that happens.

The more you know, the more you realize what you don't know

It's a little dizzying when you think about it. The further you go, the wider the field of what you haven't mastered grows in front of you. Not because you're regressing, but because you better understand the complexity of things.

In tech, this phenomenon is particularly intense. It's a field so vast, so fragmented, in constant motion, that it's literally impossible to master everything. There are people who dedicate their entire careers to a single sub-domain. Database algorithms. Container orchestration. Specific architecture patterns. And each of these subjects could fill a lifetime.

So when you're working on a project and you have to touch ten of these subjects at once, there comes a moment where you feel a little... like an impostor. Not because you're not good. Because you're honest.

The comparison trap

We live in an era where you can, in a matter of seconds, find someone who is better than you at anything.

The human brain isn't equipped for that. For millennia, our reference point was our immediate circle, our community. You were good at what you did, the people around you saw it, and that was enough to feel useful and capable.

Today, no matter how competent you are, you're one click away from feeling ordinary. It's exhausting. And it feeds impostor syndrome in a way that previous generations simply didn't experience.

The solution isn't simple, but it starts by recognizing that this comparison is rigged. You're comparing yourself to the world's top performers in every discipline, all at once. That's not a realistic standard, especially for our mental health.

Let's not let it stop us!

My impostor syndrome tends to show up most in new contexts. A new client, a new problem, a new team dynamic. Even when I know the subject, there's that little "oh boy, here we go" feeling in my gut before I start.

What I've learned over time is that this feeling doesn't go away with experience the way I imagined it would. But it doesn't have to be in charge. It's not the one calling the shots. I am!

At Devsights, we have projects behind us that were delivered on time, on budget, and have never had a bug. Yet before we started them, we were in the fog on certain things. There were unknowns. Grey areas. We didn't have all the answers.

We went for it anyway.

And that's often where the best things get built. Not when everything is certain, but when you move forward with what you know, staying curious about the rest. Isn't that what agility is all about? Adapt, question, correct.

Learning to receive your successes

There's another side of impostor syndrome we don't talk about as much: the difficulty of accepting compliments.

You deliver something great. The client is happy. A colleague says "great work." And the reflex is to minimize it. "Oh, it's fine." "I could have done better here." "It was nothing, really."

It takes a conscious effort to stop and just say thank you. To let the success land. To accept that we're allowed to be proud.

It's okay to be good sometimes. A constant work in progress in the best way!

Not knowing everything is what makes us useful

Here's what I've come to understand: not knowing everything isn't a weakness. It's what keeps us open.

Someone who thinks they know everything stops asking questions. Stops searching. Stops actually listening. And that's where you miss the real problems.

At Devsights, our intellectual curiosity isn't just a nice value we put on our website. It's what makes us dig deep to understand a client's real context before proposing anything. It's what keeps us relevant even as the field changes around us.

Accepting that we don't know everything is the posture that allows us to keep learning. And in a field like ours, that's what makes the difference.

So if you too have that doubt that shows up from time to time, know that you're in good company. The most competent people I know are often the first to admit it.

The goal isn't to eliminate it. It's to not let it take over.

Want to dig deeper on the subject? We talk about it openly in episode 4 of

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all listening platforms.

Until next time!

-ÈL