Emily: Overcome imposter syndrome

Hi, I'm Emily and I'm a program manager at Google.
I work in our security education space.
Imposter syndrome is a very real thing.
There will be days where you feel like you're riding high, you're getting everything done, you're on top of your game.
Then there are times where you feel like I just don't know what I'm doing.
Everybody else is doing so much better.
Connecting with others in cybersecurity associations is a great way to combat that imposter syndrome.
Getting involved in cybersecurity organizations and associations is a great way to grow your network and frankly build a community for yourself.
It can be really intimidating to join a new industry.
Those folks can support you, and they can also be a great example of how far you've come when you share your skills with them as well.
What helped me when I was feeling imposter syndrome or just not feeling as confident as I think I could have been, was connecting with a trusted mentor.
They were really helpful when I said, "Oh gosh, I feel like I should know this." And she said, "There's no way you can know everything.
We have people who work on those things across the company and you don't have to know everything." It just helped calm me down and helped me feel comfortable with what I do know and the skills that I do bring to my organization.
It's really important to recognize those small wins.
I actually like to go to a special folder I have in my email where I've collected kudos and special emails that folks have sent me who are congratulating me on a project accomplishment or just complimenting me on some skill or something that I helped them out with.
And that really helps buoy my spirits and reminds me that, yes, I can do this.
There is a reason I'm here.
Reflecting on your career no matter where you've worked, is a really great way to combat imposter syndrome as well.
It's a great way to show how far you've come, what skills you've learned and what you're really going to be able to contribute in this new field.
In the security industry, you're never going to know everything, and so it's important to stay flexible and fungible and to ensure that you're always learning because the industry changes so quickly and evolves so quickly.
There's not one person who's going to know everything.
It can be really hard to maintain your confidence, especially when you're new on a job.
It's okay to take time and to ask questions.
There's never a stupid question.
It's important for you to get information and the folks around you should be trying to support you and help you succeed, because they too will succeed with your success.