How do I avoid becoming insecure about my background? I'm confident in what I do but sometimes I feel like I might be missing something critical that's only found in elite circles.
I’ve done mostly backend/devops type work, and this was a full stack react project, and I’ve never done react. So I’m doing a new feature and pull one of the boot camp graduates and ask for help. “Really you want my help?” This person had no cs background but was way more knowledgeable than me in this.
My point being, everyone has something to add regardless of their background. Up or down find people to learn from.
Also, I don’t know anybody’s resume - I may have read it while interviewing but I read so many they’re totally forgotten. Really don’t care
I strongly agree. By being open about this, to can also build team camaraderie.
Also, there are a lot of “experts” that don’t actually know as much as they’d like you to think. The best experts embrace this and work to always learn more.
You're confident in what you do. Do it, and do it well. Let that speak for you. Let it be your "credential". Those who do it better, well, they have higher credentials than you.
An Ivy League degree may mean a better education. Or, it may not. It may mean that their application looked better than yours. Or it may mean that they got in on a "legacy" application, because five generations of their family went to that school. It may mean a wealthier family background, or a really nice scholarship, or it may just mean a really big student loan.
Don't judge by the degree. If they flaunt the degree, it means that they are hung up on the degree, but it doesn't mean you should be. (And why are they hung up on the degree? Maybe, because of a bit of insecurity. If you have to show off your university credentials at your job, maybe you aren't convinced that your job performance shows you off...)
But "I've always been a slacker when it comes to education"? Well, don't be a slacker when it comes to your job.
Thanks for your perspective, you've given me a lot to think about.
The only people that care about that stuff are insecure themselves. Don't care what people like that think about you.
Focus on what you know now, what you need to learn and how you're going to learn it. You don't have to go to a well known university to become good at something.
Where you need help, ask for it unabashedly. Where you can give help, give it unabashedly.
Put real time, some fraction of your personal time, into continuing to be relevant. This will give you skills you need, and things, projects, interests to talk about and show off.
Once, I got a call from a friend: "I'm the dumbest guy here." Reframed that, with a quick reminder about what smarts are, what wisdom is.
What he really meant was he was the least experienced person there. I told him, "good, you are gonna grow a whole lot." And he did, then moved on to something else after finding that particular role wasn't for him. And that's not inability to perform either. He just felt more strongly for something else.
The truth is, most of us are smart enough. You are, and being here to ask about this in the way you just did shows it too. The rest is work, and a chunk of that work is just caring enough about the things that matter. Time spent sorting that, from things that probably don't is high value.
From there, the amount of that work depends on a whole lot of things too. We all have the choice to either do it or not.
So do the work. It will show.
All of that will net you the advantage or at least garner favor, respect, a very significant percentage of the time. That's really as good as it all ever gets.
Say you did have a degree. What would you change about these basic dynamics? I've been through this process a few times now, and have learned it's not worth changing a thing. Attacking your worries this way can work. Worked and continues to work for me.
Play very strong in your lane too. Whatever that lane is, make sure you've got your basic priorities in order.
Others, who should be playing in theirs, sometimes don't. Sometimes you won't either. Stand ready to help, and let that be known you treat people on your team right. Nobody wants to fail. It just costs everyone.
Be flexible in these things, and I'm speaking to that help we all might need, or perspective we want to share, or help we may need to give.
An example of what I'm trying to convey here might be past experiences. Right now, I'm in a technical service, support position. It's technically an executive role, but the company is small, so mostly it's a lot of work and looking hard to make the right calls consistently right now, model the future, because it's coming soon kind of thing.
This means putting out a lot of fires, saving asses. I've had a number of roles, and gladly share those experiences with people who hold them now. IT, training, consulting, manufacturing, engineering...
Others know this, and know I'm there to advise, help, share, and expect the same in return. After a time, once the team solidifies, begins to really run well, everyone who modeled these things are well respected, own the culture, and newbies as they come in can tell all of that, and the ones who get it, seek that, and their own place.
What typically happens is people will come and find me to talk. What they really want to do is think through or past something. Great, let's do that and find out what we think makes sense and act on it.
Often, I think of this as working with people, mutual respect, mutual consideration. Has paid off for me many, many times, and yes! Among people with credentials far greater than mine. Sometimes, it mattered a little early on. Maybe a proof or two, or some deft management of office dynamics were needed. Nothing too tough, unless I made it tough. Sometimes this is just automatic, rote behavior, the product of old, or shallow norms in play in that particular organization.
In most of the cases, I got the opportunity to really help, or add value and just did, no worries. The trick is to be there, not judgmental, just observant, ready. Doesn't take many of those for most people to get what you are about, and the moment they get it, they value you differently from that point on.
Honestly, this is human work any of us has to do. And some of us learn better by doing, or when focused. I am one of those, and always have been. You probably are too.
Just know there is room for all of us, and by that I mean diverse teams, broad in experience, deep in skills, and who communicate are strong, likely successful teams. Most people get that. A few won't, and that's true for all of us no matter our credential status or other.
What I've come to learn, and I'm later in my working career now, is the cost comes down to making those personal investments needed to just nail whatever we do, and to manage the tougher case people away from being problems you, nor your team need.
Good mentors help too. I've had those off and on, and I can't understate the value of both being one and having one. Most became friends, and we talk regularly, those conversations have run for years now, decades, transcending what role we are in, or which company we are at, or starting. They are about the journey, challenges, experiences, wins, losses, the stories. They are about making those good, or the best of stories as much as we can manage.
For some perspective, I am a mentor for a guy headed into a post grad program. Wrote my first letter of consideration. Just paying the good I got forward. He's headed into an awesome career. It's gonna be great to keep in touch.
You will experience these things too, given you seek them. I very strongly encourage you to do that.
Also, laugh. It helps, and it's catchy.