Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome: First Career Transition

My first career change after four years at my previous company was a significant turning point. Despite having experience on numerous projects, they all operated within a familiar framework. I was confident in my ability to build and manage any project.

However, my new role at a different company presented a real “crisis.” Tasks I once considered simple became unfamiliar, posing challenges far beyond my previous experience.

Feeling Overwhelmed in a New Environment

• Unfamiliar terminology: In the new environment, I feel “overwhelmed” by the amount of technical terms and keywords that I have never encountered before.
  Meetings become a nightmare when colleagues, with their rich experience from various companies, continuously propose solutions and discuss using many “new” and “strange” terms that are unfamiliar to me.
• Hesitancy to share opinions: The difference in knowledge and experience makes me feel insecure when expressing my personal opinions. I am concerned about being “scrutinized” and lack the confidence to defend my solution in the face of tough questions from colleagues.

Root Cause of the Crisis

The difference between the workflow processes at my old company and the new one is the reason behind my “crisis.”

Old company:

• The process is flexible, and I have the autonomy to choose the technology and solutions.
• The simple problem-solving process:
  Identify the problem → Find a solution → Apply the solution → Complete.
• The criteria for evaluating success is based on customer satisfaction.

New company:

• A systematic process that requires thorough analysis and consensus from team members.
• The process of solving complex problems:
  Identify the problem → Find solutions → Present and discuss the solutions → Build a solution based on consensus → Implement.
• The criteria for evaluating success are based on the effectiveness, optimisation, and scalability of the solution.

The pressure to prove my solution to experienced colleagues, along with the lack of knowledge about many new technologies, has made me stressed and lost my confidence.

Finding My Way

Although I am still in the process of adapting, I have found some solutions to help myself gradually overcome this difficult phase:

1. Reflecting on “One Should Not Stay Too Long at a Company”

This advice may not be new, but from my own experience, I have found that changing the work environment helps us access various processes, technologies, and work cultures, thereby accumulating a more diverse range of experiences and skills.

2. Create a “Jar of the Unknown.” 🌟🌟🌟

I drew inspiration from a book by author Yataro Matsuura, and I created a note to keep track of all the knowledge, terms, and new technologies that I wasn’t familiar with, including even the simplest little things. Regularly reviewing these notes helps me organise my knowledge and serves as a way to gather insights from my colleagues.

3. Turn Fear into Opportunity

The “Jar of the Unknown.” helps me realise that I am still learning every day and there are still many new things to explore.” Instead of feeling fear, I gradually began to feel excitement and actively sought out new knowledge, which in turn made me more confident in contributing my opinions and solutions.

The little things in my “Jar of the Unknown.”:

• What is Husky in front-end?
• What are interceptors?
• Can pre-commit temporarily replace CI/CD when there is no infrastructure in place?
• What is React Syntax Highlighter used for?
• …

Conclusion

The journey of adapting to a new environment still holds many challenges, but I believe that with a progressive mindset and a desire to learn, I will quickly integrate and develop myself.

This article is a genuine sharing of my transformation journey. I hope it will be helpful for those who are facing “similar issues.”

I always wish to learn as well as receive feedback and share experiences from everyone, so I hope you all won’t hesitate to give your opinions. ❤️