It is your first day as the data scientist on a new project. You have done well on your previous projects and have been asked to join this new team that needs assistance in the machine learning space. It is very exciting and you are ready to jump right in and get going. You are are optimistic though have a few butterflies in your belly. It is not uncommon to be nervous when you start a new role, particularly if you were promoted to get there.

You attend your first daily stand-up meeting. Your new members welcome you. A few mention how much they have admired your prior work. They are looking forward to your contributions to this project. Great start!

As your new team members go around providing status updates, you listen intently. The data analyst talks about the statistical significance of the recent A/B test. Your technical lead discusses a threading issue and proposes a new design technique. The project manager discusses the change management approvals needed to deploy to production. The architect is concerned that the LDAP protocol might not be appropriate for their application. LDAP? What is that? Increasingly, your mind starts to swirl and doubt mixes into your thoughts.

Everyone knows more than you

You become increasingly self-conscious and begin doubting your ability to contribute to this project. Surely someone is going to realize that you have no idea what they are talking about.

This graphic below may illustrate how this scenario feels : Everyone is smarter than you.

created by author

This huge gap in knowledge feels insurmountable. It is no wonder you are feeling overwhelmed and worried about being exposed as a fraud (classic Impostor Syndrome).

Common not just for new data scientists and software developers, Impostor Syndrome is pervasive across all positions. In fact, some of your teammates may be feeling the exact same way.

Don’t fret, there is good news.

#confidence #teamwork #impostor-syndrome #data-science #careers #data analysis