Fintech Talents

Fintech Talents

Kallyas is an ultra-premium, responsive theme built for today websites.

T (212) 555 55 00
Email: sales@yourwebsite.com

Your Company LTD
Street nr 100, 4536534, Chicago, US


Content

STAY TUNED

The great impostor – Tackling tech impostor syndrome

by Our Community / Tuesday 15 June 2021 / Published in Blog, Community & Events, Content, Featured, Fintech, Innovation, Opinion

Carly Richmond, Frontend Engineer & Agile Enthusiast.

When we were young, we relished the opportunity to pretend to be someone else. Perhaps you were a fan of playing astronaut. Or pretending you were a wizard at Halloween when you were wee. Or later when you pretended to be older and more grown up to sneak into an older rated film. Don’t worry, I won’t judge!

As professionals we lose that joy. In our current roles, being someone we think we are not feels far more stressful. As does striving towards the dream roles that may appear out of reach. Rather than enjoying the escape, we feel like an impostor who will eventually be found to be engaging in a campaign of deception.

Many technologists feel they are hiding in wait of the mask being listed and them being discovered to be inadequate.

Irrespective of whether you have experienced it first hand, or are comfortable stating openly that you have, I’m finding that the majority of people working in tech and finance today have heard of impostor syndrome. A study taken in 2020 by professional community Blind, found that 62% of surveyed tech and finance professionals fear that people will find out they are less intelligent or capable at their job. That’s potentially a lot of people feeling inadequate in their role. If you are unsure if this applies to you, you could try this quiz.

Through my own career journey, including breaks from active software development for maternity leave and roles in Scrum Mastery and tech management, I’ve found there are points where the presence of that lurking impostor feels more prominent. Speaking to others has only reinforced that opinion. Here I discuss the times where impostor syndrome can be particularly hard to manage, using my own and others experiences, and some learning tips to help silence the faker.

Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying

Part of the problem with the tech sector specifically is the high rate of change can make getting started and catching up feel like an impossible task. This amazing piece by Helen Scott presenting the evolution of Java over 20 years shows how intimidating it can be to get back into well established technologies. We must also be mindful that in the Web UI domain where I work, there has been an explosion of frameworks over the last 10 years, which can make your head spin! It is no wonder that any break from being technically hands on can make the idea of getting back out there an exceptionally daunting prospect.

Regardless of whether it’s been two or 20 years away from a technical role, getting your hands dirty feels like an impossible summit to climb.

You may assume from the above that I’m only talking about a traditional career break. However, that is only a drop in the ocean. Through my own experiences, as well as chatting to others, I’ve identified numerous other individual circumstances that could be a potential target for that sneaky impostor demon.

  • Transitions between technical, product and people-focused management positions.
  • Agility focused roles, including but not limited to Product Ownership, Scrum Mastery and coaching.
  • New graduates taking their first steps into the world of technology who may need to use new technologies and techniques not covered in their degree course.
  • Interns, placement students or apprentices gaining their first experiences of work while studying at university.
  • Long term sickness returners.
  • Maternity and parental leave. Not all new parents in the world have the luxury of much time off with their new arrival, so I would also include those trying to balance sleepless nights with a transition back to work in this category.
  • Gaps for travel or any other personal voyage of discovery.
  • Career transitions to new domains, or even for those starting up their own business.

Managers and leaders, do take note of the above demographics as people to watch out for who may need some support getting back up to speed. As a supporter of these individuals, you can help them find time and space to gain their tech confidence back through learning.

The Sun Will Shine Again

There are many resources out there from experts that look at how to address impostor syndrome. Doing some quick research for this piece, I found there was a common theme to their advice.

  • Remind yourself of past successes and achievements.
  • Celebrate present wins, irrespective of how small you think they are.
  • Adopt a growth mindset, to help you accept setbacks and continue to press for successes.
  • Take solace in knowing that you’re not alone. Think of the your role models who openly speak about their own experiences with impostor syndrome.

Celebrate every win, even if it’s as small as finally getting that Gradle build working!

With tech imposter syndrome specifically, it’s also about building the confidence to try again. Just like any learning journey, the road to making piece with this demon is filled with successes and failures. Ultimately you need to remember that your skills that helped you leaning technology X or even how to code the first time around are still relevant. You can try some of these tips to help manage the journey:

  • Set some small learning goals and build up. Even something as small as raising your first small pull request, or completing a small problem in challenges such as HackerRank or Advent of Code can give a much needed boost to your confidence. It certainly did for me last December!
  • Dedicate a regular time slot to brush up on old concepts or to learn something new that excites you. I received this great tip from a colleague who used a regular evening slot to juggle interview preparation and family life.
  • Elicit support from your manager to have dedicated learning time during work hours if you can. Historically as a Scrum Master or Team Lead I found myself repeatedly wondering why people never blocked out time for learning in their calendar. Or why there were no scheduled team knowledge shares. On reflection I could have done more as a manager to adjust capacity to accommodate their training time, therefore giving them the space in their calendar.
  • Experiment with different formats to try consuming information in a different way. For me, and some others I have spoken to, listening to a podcast while cradling a sleeping baby or folding clothes is accessible. You can find out more about my own experiences comparing my work and maternity leave learning preferences here.
  • Seek feedback from managers and mentors on your progress. This week, as I was banging my head against the wall when something wouldn’t work, I thought I was a complete failure. Chatting to someone you consider knowledgeable on how they think you are doing may highlight a discrepancy between your own performance perceptions and the reality that others see.
  • Embrace your non-technical skills as strengths. Many consider coding or designing immensely complex software architectures to be the pinnacle in technical expertise. But the soft skills and other pools of knowledge you still possess are just as important to maintain.
  • Be kind to yourself and embrace breaks. Setting aside regular time for practical coding with some circumstances such as illness or a newborn may not be accessible to you right now. That’s ok!

Best of luck with tackling the tech impostor!

This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owner and do not represent those of people, institutions or organisations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated.

Carly Richmond is a Technology Vice President at Morgan Stanley and a Frontend Engineer & Agile Enthusiast. You can read her personal blog here.


Tagged under: Community, Splash, tech

Recent Posts

  • Lending’s pressure test: What’s holding the industry back and how to break through

    In a rapidly evolving market, lenders are facin...
  • FTT Chats: Anant Patel, CEO of Judopay, wired in Fabrick

    ...
  • FTT Chat, FTT Payments, BR-DGE

    FTT Chat: BR-DGE share expansion plans and orchestration success

    Behind the checkout curtain: Helen Owen talks p...
  • Empowering Members, One Loan at a Time: A Conversation with Ciara Davies, CEO of Metro MoneyWise Credit Union

    Who says that credit unions can’t innovat...
  • Lending through change: A conversation with Simon Taylor, Melton Building Society

    Data, niches, and AI: Simon Taylor on the evolu...


  • Home
  • Call for speakers
  • View all events
  • Fintech Talents events
    • FTT Financial Services Futures 2025
    • FTT Fintech Festival 2025
    • FTT AI Transformation 2025
    • FTT Mutuals 2025
    • FTT Lending 2026
    • FTT Payments 2026
    • Fintech Talents Road Trip 2026
    • Fintech Talents North America 2026
  • FTT Embedded Finance & Super-Apps events
    • FTT Embedded Finance & Super-Apps Europe 2026
    • Customer Alpha Europe 2026
    • FTT Embedded Finance & Super-Apps North America East Coast 2026
    • Customer Alpha North America East Coast 2026
    • FTT Embedded Finance & Super-Apps North America West Coast 2026
    • Customer Alpha North America West Coast 2026
  • Future Identity events
    • Future Identity Festival 2025
    • FID Fraud & FinCrime – Fall Europe 2025
    • Future Identity Finance Europe 2026
    • FID Fraud & FinCrime – Spring Europe 2026
    • Future Identity Customer Europe 2026
    • FID Fraud & FinCrime – Summer Europe 2026
    • Future Identity Finance North America 2026
    • Future Identity Customer North America 2026
  • Past events
    • Breakfast briefing: Lending with intelligence 2025
    • Fraud prevention & customer experience webinar 2025
    • Open Finance & Consumer Duty webinar 2024
    • FTT SME Banking 2023
    • Unboxing the Next Generation of Embedded Finance 2023
    • FTT AI Transformation webinar 2024
  • Content
    • All Content
    • Interviews
    • Opinion
    • Videos
    • Digital Reports
  • VC INNOVATIONS – Accelerated Marketing

GET IN TOUCH

T +44 203 835 2829
Email: marketing@vcinnovations.co.uk

LONDON
85 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TQ
Open in Google Maps

NEW YORK
477 Broadway, 2nd Floor, Suite 1033, New York, NY 10013
Open in Google Maps

QUICK LINKS

  • Home
  • About VC INNOVATIONS
  • Events
  • FAQs
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

RECENT POSTS

  • Lending’s pressure test: What’s holding the industry back and how to break through

    In a rapidly evolving market, lenders are facin...
  • FTT Chats: Anant Patel, CEO of Judopay, wired in Fabrick

    ...
  • FTT Chat, FTT Payments, BR-DGE

    FTT Chat: BR-DGE share expansion plans and orchestration success

    Behind the checkout curtain: Helen Owen talks p...
  • Privacy Policy

© VC Innovations 2018. All Rights Reserved.



TOP
 
SAVE £500 WITH THE EARLY BIRD BEFORE 5th SEPTEMBER
BOOK TODAY
 
 
SAVE £500 WITH THE EARLY BIRD BEFORE 5th SEPTEMBER
BOOK TODAY
 
 
SAVE £500 WITH THE EARLY BIRD BEFORE 5th SEPTEMBER
BOOK TODAY
 
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Media & Associations Pass


Get involved


FTT Payments 2025 - Download previous attendee list


Download now


Press & Media Pass


Get involved



FTT Mutuals 2025 - Download previous attendee list


FTT AI Transformation 2025 - Download previous attendee list


Get involved


Get involved