Thoughts on Impostor Syndrome from VP of Engineering at Dropbox

Impostor syndrome.

What does it mean and who suffers from it? Feeling like a fraud, doubting your skills and accomplishments, thinking your career is a series of luck — these are just some of the symptoms of impostor syndrome. The truth is, impostor syndrome is pretty universal. Most people at some point in their careers will fear their success is undeserved and that what they hope to achieve is unattainable. We’re all susceptible, but some things like age, race, education, and gender often play a big part too.

At a recent event hosting a group of college students at Dropbox, Akhil Gupta, Vice President of Engineering, came face to face with a tough question regarding the issue. He gave the best answer he could in the moment, but after reflecting, realized there was a lot more to say.

On Tue, Aug 21, 2018 at 3:45 PM, Akhil Gupta wrote to Engineering:

At Dropbox, we look for people who have the talent to propel us all forward and make each other better. That also includes recognizing people for their contributions along the way.

People can help others around them feel better about their accomplishments and affirm their value on their team, but it’s most important and most impactful when value is recognized in oneself.

We can’t claim to be the experts in helping others and ourselves to overcome impostor syndrome, but it’s shared thoughts like this one that help get the conversation going.

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