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From the archive: Outwitting the imposter

Image: fotorobrt [CC BY 2.0], via Flickr

How to accept yourself and succeed on projects outside of your comfort zone

A perennial problem for researchers at the start of their careers (and one that may persist throughout), imposter syndrome refers to the agglomeration of thoughts and beliefs that one is somehow inferior or unworthy to be in a role.

In April 2020, Phil Ward, director of the Eastern Arc consortium, who has been affected by imposter syndrome, discussed how it may be tempting for those dealing with it to stay resolutely within their domain of expertise, while their more confident peers branch out into new areas. He encouraged early career researchers to resist this tendency and shared pointers from a careers coach on how to do so.

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