Jonathan Lalou's blog

At Devoxx France 2021, Aurélie Vache, a Google Cloud expert and CNCF ambassador, delivered an inspiring session titled Tips pour combattre le syndrome de l’imposteur (YouTube). This non-technical talk tackled impostor syndrome, a pervasive feeling of self-doubt and illegitimacy despite evident success. Aurélie shared personal anecdotes and seven actionable strategies to combat this mindset, resonating with developers and tech professionals. Aligned with Devoxx’s emphasis on personal growth, the session empowered attendees to transform fear into strength, fostering confidence and community.

Understanding Impostor Syndrome

Aurélie began by gauging the audience’s familiarity with impostor syndrome, noting its growing awareness since her first talk in 2019. She posed three relatable questions: Do you fear asking “dumb” questions? Do you feel comfortable mentoring juniors but not peers? Do you worry others will “unmask” you as a fraud? Many raised hands, confirming the syndrome’s prevalence.

Impostor syndrome, Aurélie explained, is a distorted perception of one’s abilities, where individuals attribute success to luck or others’ efforts rather than their own competence. First identified in women, it affects both genders, with 70% of executives and many developers experiencing it. It manifests as a critical inner voice, whispering, “You’re not good enough” or “You don’t belong”. Aurélie shared her own struggles, admitting she felt unqualified to give this talk, yet used humor to dismiss these “nonsense” thoughts, setting a positive tone.

Celebrate Achievements and Learn from Mistakes

The first strategy is to acknowledge your knowledge, skills, and victories. Humans excel at self-criticism but struggle to recognize strengths. Aurélie advised listing accomplishments, such as solving a tough bug, and documenting them via mind maps to engage both brain hemispheres. She emphasized that no victory is too small and that mistakes are learning opportunities, not failures. For example, recalling a debugging triumph can counter the inner voice’s negativity, reinforcing your competence.

This practice aligns with cognitive behavioral techniques, helping reframe negative thoughts. Aurélie’s transparency about her doubts made the advice relatable, encouraging attendees to start small, perhaps by noting one achievement daily, to build self-awareness and confidence.

Build a Supportive Network

The second tip is to surround yourself with supportive communities, peers, and mentors. Aurélie credited her involvement with Duchess, a women-in-tech group, for helping her overcome self-imposed limits and achieve goals she once thought unattainable. Communities provide a safe space to share fears, reducing isolation. She also recommended learning from mentors or role models, acknowledging that no one knows everything—a liberating truth.

During Q&A, an attendee highlighted how pair programming within communities fosters mutual growth, reinforcing this strategy. Aurélie’s emphasis on collective strength resonated, encouraging attendees to join meetups, user groups, or online forums like Stack Overflow to find their tribe.

Share Knowledge and Contribute

Aurélie’s third strategy is to share knowledge and contribute, even if you feel “less qualified”. Writing blog posts, speaking at meetups, or contributing to open-source projects can boost confidence. She advised starting small—perhaps sharing internally at work—then progressing to public platforms or conferences. Other avenues include teaching kids at coding workshops or tweeting new learnings, as Aurélie did with a Kubernetes tip that resonated widely, proving even “obvious” insights have value.

An audience member echoed this, noting that sharing, even if you’re not the “best,” fills gaps left by others, enhancing visibility and confidence. Aurélie’s call to action—create and share content—empowered attendees to overcome perfectionism and contribute meaningfully.

Embrace Feedback and Positivity

The final strategies focus on mindset shifts. Tip four: seek constructive feedback over external validation, starting with topics you’re comfortable with. Tip five: engage in pair programming to learn collaboratively without judgment, as clarified during Q&A when addressing misconceptions about it being evaluative. Tip six: focus on positive feedback, like supportive colleagues, rather than dwelling on negativity, such as a harsh 2019 Devoxx comment that took Aurélie a month to process. Tip seven: accept that you can’t master every skill (e.g., Rust, Go, serverless) and view weaknesses as growth opportunities.

Aurélie shared a personal rejection from a master’s program due to poor interview performance, yet she thrived in tech, urging attendees to persevere beyond credentials. An attendee’s anecdote about Dan Abramov’s public admission of knowledge gaps reinforced that even experts don’t know everything, normalizing impostor feelings.

Transforming Fear into Strength

Aurélie concluded by framing impostor syndrome as a source of humility, a valuable trait for developers. Admitting “I don’t know” fosters collaboration, as others share similar doubts but fear speaking up. The syndrome, she argued, isn’t a flaw but a catalyst for growth, pushing you to learn, share, and help others. Referencing its mention in The Big Bang Theory, she destigmatized the topic, encouraging open dialogue.

Q&A discussions highlighted real-world challenges, like toxic colleagues amplifying impostor feelings, and Aurélie advised seeking supportive environments to mitigate this. Another attendee suggested companies avoid overselling candidates as “experts,” which can exacerbate impostor syndrome on new projects. Aurélie’s mantra—“You are legitimate”—left attendees empowered to embrace their worth.

Links:

• Aurélie Vache’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aurelievache/
• Aurélie Vache’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/aurelievache
• CloudBees: https://www.cloudbees.com/
• CNCF: https://www.cncf.io/

Hashtags: #ImpostorSyndrome #PersonalGrowth #AurélieVache #CloudBees #CNCF