You Don't Have to Fake IT

Fairly often in life, most people end up in this or that situation where they feel at least a little bit overwhelmed and usually a lot underqualified. As the philosopher David Byrne described it, "You may find yourself in a beautiful house / With a beautiful wife / And you may ask yourself, 'Well / How did I get here?" Oh, yeah. It can be a little freaky. As Byrne suggests, "You may tell yourself / 'This is not my beautiful house!' / And you may tell yourself / 'This is not my beautiful wife!' "

There's a pyschological term that describes this not uncommon behavioral pattern: impostor syndrome. Essentially, someone experiencing impostor syndrome feels like they've somehow hoodwinked or lucked their way into a situation of prominence and responsibility where they can't possibly deliver what's expected of them. The basic tension is often not rational, but feels very real. Despite accomplishments and attainments, it feels like everything could be exposed at any minute.

Lots of people probably recognize the condition, whether or not they could put a name to it. And plenty more could probably relate the wholly unscientific prescription given by many a confidante called upon to soothe IS-related anxieties: "Just fake it 'til you make it." Jump in, start doing things, figure it out as you go. It's a glibly comforting formula that doesn't always guarantee success, but does often grease gears frozen by inaction. Doing something is better than doing nothing, right?

Imposter syndrome isn't a diagnosable condition so much as a strong tendency toward self-doubt, so 10-cent life coaching may be as effective a means of dealing with it as anything. You can't prove that you know what you're doing, after all, if you don't ever do anything. A more solid approach, on the other hand, might be rock-solid preparation. Instead of placing faith in your ability to pick things up as you go, take a rigorous and practical approach to training.

IT can be an intimidating professional environment. It's understandable that tech newcomers might feel, or even actually be, a little to a lot overwhelmed. TestOut training, on the other hand, builds up your ability to actually carry out IT tasks. You'll learn plenty of theory, but also plenty of practical application. Our goal is for you to be prepared to actually go to work when you show up for work. There's no reason to wing IT. Let us help you build the skills and confidence to just do IT.