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Hi all,

Crazy world we live in, and the last few months at my new help desk job have left me feeling down. I’ve been working with computers and networks for probably about 6 years, 4 in the Navy (as a crypto
-guy), 2 years with an ISP doing residential installs//fixes, almost a year with a computer repair shop, and about a year going down the path at a technical community college. Throw in these last 6 months and I’ve probably been doing work of this type for closer to 7 years! The thing is, I still feel like I’m underperforming. I had a VoIP Server I was troubleshooting for about 5 hours today only to still be left with the problem, and an HP printer that (absolutely demanded I hook it up to ethernet). All that said, I’ve felt a sense of pressure to really be outstanding so that my bosses business can do well.

Does anyone else struggle with imposter syndrome, and (if you’re looking at it with humility) the fact that you could doing much better?

Lastly, has anyone worked on implementing the NIST cybersecurity framework?

73 Spice ups
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Answering in reverse order. There is a private group for NIST 800-171 (covers DFARS and CMMC, with a side of ITAR) here: https://community.spiceworks.com/user-groups/itar-export-control

I’m 4 months into CMMC 2.0 Level 2 project and I feel like May 2023 is JUST around the corner, it’s stressing me out.

Convenient segue into my next suggestion: if you aren’t uncomfortable while you’re doing new things, you’re probably not learning very much.

I’ve told people for years, decades, there is never a bad time to get into technology, because everything you learn will be out of date sooner than you think, so get started now and you’ll be in the same boat as everyone else inside six months.

If you were working on the third instance of this same VOIP system and had solved a problem just like that previously, I’d be concerned your documentation and follow up skills need remediating. If you’re tackling a novel system and a novel set of issues, and you feel like you’ve made ZERO progress after five hours, maybe hiring in a consultant/specialist is warranted. If you know eleven different things that are NOT the cause of the issue, and need a break before continuing the pursuit of the actual cause, good on you!

If you feel in total command of everything you touch, you’re falling behind. Get a handle on the stress you’re feeling by redirecting it, maybe? Otherwise, I think you’re doing it “right”, keep up the good work!

20 Spice ups
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I recognise that imposter thingie in me. Being a 51year old diagnosed with autism gave me the same urge to prove myself more then the rest

10 Spice ups
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In any profession or activity you are going to sometimes wonder whether you are adequate and why is it that others seem to be sailing along with no problems whilst you struggle. Everyone has bad spells when nothing goes right and problems pile up as it is a fact of life. You just have to develop the determination to plough on and the ability to recognise when you need help so that you are not buried and these characteristics will be valued by employers. Have a good working relationship with your boss with clear courses of actions you are taking so that you can keep him/her informed if needed allowing him/her to suggest ideas.

10 Spice ups
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Wait until the Sh!t hits the fan, you are placed under extreme pressure and you resolve/fix the issue. That’s when you know you are not an imposter. We all have days when we feel like you do, but then we all have really good days. Take each challenge as it comes and leanr from it. When I left the Navy it took me a good couple of years to settle back into a civi role if I’m honest and when I started out in IT I felt like you do for a long time.

18 Spice ups
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I think most people go through periods where they feel like they could do better. It’s part of our nature. The question is what do you do next. Do you learn more, do more, be better? Or do you give up? Be the one who continues to strive, continues to learn, continues to grow. And don’t forget to step back once in a while and review your accomplishments. I think you’ll be surprised at how much you done over the course of your career. It’s really easy to lose track of your successes as you slog through the daily grind.

6 Spice ups
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Everyone faces impostor syndrome or other existential crisis from time to time, whether it is the professional arena or in life in general. I would be worried about the mental state of anyone who never did. Like fear, doubt is natural. And like fear, it is healthy as long as you don’t let it get the better of you. Check your scorecard from time to time - count the wins large and small. I’d be willing to bet there are far more wins than losses in your tally.

EDIT: Besides, everyone knows printers are evil, placed upon the earth to test the IT faithful,

10 Spice ups
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Imposter syndrome is very common for IT, no matter how long you have been in it. After nearly 18 years in IT I changed jobs and it really opened my eyes to how much I didn’t know. I ended up a few times on the verge of a panic attack in the bathroom (only private space at the company) expecting to be fired, but ended up surviving until I could find a job out of there (stress level is WAY down since then). Sometimes the issue, like it was for me, can just be lack of support/input from co-workers and lack of documentation on what the (&^$ someone else set up to get the job done and you now have to deal with.

4 Spice ups
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First off: Printers are Satan’s tools. Never use printers to benchmark anything except the depth’s of God’s sick sense of humor.

That said, It’s always better in the end. If it’s not better, it’s not the end. Life isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.

I have imposter syndrome big time. I don’t have a college degree. I didn’t even major in Computer Science or Computer Programming when I went…erm…“enrolled” in college (I spent my time dinking around in the computer labs on the brand new 286’s instead of going to class until NDSU kicked me out.) I’ve been doing IT for almost 30 years. I’ve had a few computer classes and week-long training camps, but I’m pretty much self-taught on everything. When I pointed that out to a future boss during an interview, he just said “Yeah, but we’re all self-taught. Windows wasn’t even a thing when we went to college.” Yet somehow, despite my lack of formal education, I’ve managed to earn a few awards and recognitions over the years that should tell me I’m not a total waste. That doesn’t stop the voice in the back of my brain that tells me I’m over paid and out of my league, but it does help the rational part of my brain combat it. To make matters worse, I recently took a full stack development job. I’ve made some websites, written a program or two (and even sold two!), and hundreds (thousands?) of scripts. But does that really qualify me as a full stack developer? Apparently my new boss thinks so because I was very upfront about my short comings during the interviews. His comment was, “Your problem isn’t a lack of honesty, its a lack of confidence. And I like the determination.” Because remember: It’s not a sprint, its a marathon. Like Dory says, “Just keep swimming”.

The point is, you’ve likely gotten to the point where the education the Navy gave you and any college courses you’ve taken are not readily applicable. Not to worry! You’re in the same boat as most seasoned IT pros now. And the days of one person knowing everything about computers is long over. You could be a printer expert like Repairatrooper , a virtualization pro like Rod-IT , or a PowerShell expert like Neally , but I will bet dollars to donuts that none of the excellent pros here at SpiceWorks would claim to be an expert in everything. Chances are even these pure cap brainiacs have people they consider mentors. If you want to impress your boss and prove your worth, don’t give up. Put on your big boy Underoos , pour some coffee, and set something on fire.

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Imposter Syndrome is a pain in the butt. It’s important to remember though that its really just negative thoughts due to stress and anxiety. It sounds like you enjoy IT related work and have had success over the past couple of years doing it. Almost 7 years of IT related work shows that you know most of what your doing. Sometimes new things take a while to click. Being introduced to new environments/infrastructure, new workloads, and new people, all can take some time to become comfortable or familiar with. If you feel there are holes in your expertise/knowledge then its always best to find a way to fill it. Whether it be taking a course/certification, watching or reading 1 hour a day on the subject, etc. Being proactive is usually better then being reactive especially in the IT field :+1:

5 Spice ups
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This is normal

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I felt this to some degree yesterday try and load a network printer i know works tried two versions of the vendor’s drivers loads but refuses to print, tried MS driver same thing. I can ping it, but won’t print finally figured must be firewall somewhere but that person was out so I was dead in the water at that point. My issue is I know there are things we could do better but we always did this way so we still do or the way these things should work like GPO software deployment no matter what you do or try just don’t work. I’d like to try and get better with network side things but we looked at things like DNA center and it is just not worth the cost or risk being that tied to one vendor.

I can relate to where you are coming from and i get the same thing at times, but I also try and realize tech is always changing if someone days they know it all they are full of themselves. Also there is so much to keep track of even with what I do patch panels, ports, vlans, ips, etc. I often have to go back to spreadsheets or tickets to see what was done. This constant change, security things, complexity and people abusing tech in some way also kind of make it not all that exciting like I once thought it was. I think for me another thing I do is get away from tech learn some other new skill Welding, riding horses, etc. Some of these are scary at first but once you do you may find you like it or realize you can still figure out things.

4 Spice ups
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As many have said, it goes with the job.

I remember about 30 years ago when I was just getting a foothold in IT, a popular guy was let go and I was given his job. One of the earliest things I was asked to do was fit a ribbon to an old dot matrix printer in the accounts dept and it was a fiddly job, to which the woman in charge of that dept said “Bring back Neil”.

I am pretty much self-motivated and I don’t really need pats on the back but I can get rapidly de-motivated by comments like that and it can make you feel a certain lack of worth. However, I let it go at the time and got on with the job and I never looked back.

8 Spice ups
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I’ll echo that imposter syndrome can be a big part of it. Another thing that I have personally experienced is anxiety (mostly social) and moderate to high depression largely due to the divorce from hell. Seeing a therapist can be a huge benefit and if needed see a psychiatrist. There is no shame in needing medication to improve your mental well being.

Now onto another part of your feelings. Are you in the right area of IT, part of you’re feelings may be that you are either bored or it’s just not a good fit for you. Consider what really interests you and work to that position. Find job postings and work on those skills and consider earning certs in that area.

Just know that if you switch for the short term you’re likely to feel even more out of your depth. I’ve done traditional on-prem security for over 20 years, this year I became cloud security engineer number 1 without even a manager just reporting to our director. We’ve since hired a manager experienced in DevSecOps and I feel even more out of control. I’ve felt discouraged with questions my new manager has asked and I have to say I don’t know far too often. Yet each question gives me an area to study and learn.

3 Spice ups
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It goes with the territory. You will have days where you kick ass and take names, and other days your name gets taken in shame… I’ve had my share of down days, and I think Tom, Dick or Harry off the street could do better on their worst day.

Another 22 year veteran with little to no formal training…

7 Spice ups
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A little bit of self-doubt, which is what ‘impostor syndrome’ is, keeps you grounded - saves you becoming one of those insufferable ‘I am an IT god’ bores.

1 Spice up
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If you compare yourself to your previous self that can alleviate imposter syndrome. This often comes when I compare myself to others, who’ve had different experiences and teachings, financial help, etc etc etc.

Take into account that sometimes the technology is fighting against us also. It may not be compatible, or there is a hint of a bit of information in a 20 year old forum/manual stating X will not work with Y.

I’ve been stuck on something for hours, gone home, to sleep, then just woke up the next morning with the answer… fresh brain/fresh eyes

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technically been in IT since 1998. Imposter syndrome is very real and affects lifelong veterans. You’re not alone in that regard.

6 Spice ups
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I don’t think anyone whose been in IT for more than a year or two hasn’t come across jobs that they thought should be simple and quick which turn out to take ten times longer than you expected and push the frustration levels through the roof, but you walk away for a bit and do something else and then when you come back (maybe not the first time) it suddenly clicks and you feel a wave of satisfaction.

What doesn’t break you makes you stronger (and more experienced / valuable), stick in there!

6 Spice ups
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Been doing IT for 34 years, I always feel like an imposter, I try to handle the hard unknowns for my team. we have a Team Lead but since he is laid back watching youtube I usually am the guy 50 people ask for help, even at the highest tier. but I learn from my mistakes and late hours of solving the unsolvable. Army taught me that doing tech as a cav scout cause the comm/net team cant go into hostile areas.