A certain veteran game developer I used to admire more than I do now has somewhat famously said that imposter syndrome is not a thing. Basically he says, if you lack skills and therefore don’t feel experienced, that’s not a “syndrome”, it’s simply an accurate assessment, and your response should be to work hard to develop the skills you need. However, this totally misses the point of the concept of imposter syndrome.
It’s not about feeling inferior in skills, but feeling that you’re supposed to have more skills already.
So he’s right that feeling inferior in skills is not imposter syndrome, and maybe some people use it that way, as many handy bits of terminology do seem to devolve over time. But there is a real and useful meaning to this term, and it’s the feeling that you are expected to have more skills than you do. I mean, it’s in the name: “imposter”. The word refers to the feeling that you’re (unintentionally) deceiving others. There is a loneliness and stress that comes with that. That’s the syndrome.
I can’t help but see a possible connection between the rise of imposter syndrome and the diminishing shits given by industry leaders about training or giving meaningful work to junior engineers.
See also: 🎥 How Sr Devs are really made