Hello! Another day, another adventure.

We had a site visit at Workday, which was voted as one of the top companies to work for in Ireland and globally. Workday offers enterprise-level software solutions for financial management, human resources, and planning. I really liked the visit because the workplace truly cared about their employees. Just look at how the cafeteria is organic and fresh, there are no closed-off “offices,” and everyone just talks to each other like they actually want to be there.

In fact, I really want to work for Workday now! Too bad they don’t have a headquarters in Pittsburgh.

Today I want to talk about the “Imposter Syndrome.” This is because when we did site visits at both Google and Workday, this topic was brought up both times. Ailbhe from Google and Helene from Workday brought it up when talking about the employee culture. The imposter syndrome is a psychological term referring to a pattern of behavior where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud. Basically, you don’t think you’re good enough.

I am going to be vulnerable and say that I struggle with my confidence levels constantly. I have doubted myself so much over the past year, especially with school. I felt like I wasn’t qualified to be in the business field and Pitt, especially when I would get a bad grade or get rejected from internships and extracurriculars. Business is an extremely competitive field, and it is easy to feel the imposter syndrome.

However, I think a lot of people often feel like they’re not good enough! I think the most important thing to do to get over the imposter syndrome is to be vulnerable and just talk to people about it. I bet most people put on a facade and are on the same boat as you. We all are human. Being vulnerable with others is uncomfortable and is hard but can lead to great connections and lessons learned.

Now, if I had a friend who was experiencing imposter syndrome, I would make sure they know that they are good enough, and that they are worth it. Everyone brings something different and special to the table, they just need to realize that. A good friend would help another realize their potential. Again, we are all humans and probably feeling the same ways!

Overall, I wish I didn’t doubt myself as much as I do. However, I will try to keep improving and be confident in my skills and abilities no matter what happens. As the recruiters at Workday said, “it’s better to get out of your comfort zone, to try and fail, then to just sit back and be scared and do nothing.” I will apply this to my life whenever I doubt myself and feel like I’m not good enough for something!