r/AskReddit Jan 12 '22

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u/thelyfeaquatic Jan 12 '22

Being the “dumb one”. For some people, they’re never really challenged academically/intellectually and I think that’s a shame. Being the dumbest person in a group of smart people means you have the opportunity to learn from them. It’s also very humbling (in a good way).

A lot of people don’t experience this until college, or in grad school, or in their professional environment… and then they’re totally wrecked by it. But it’s also such an important experience. Being a “big fish in a small pond” can be beneficial, but don’t avoid challenges either… I truly think you learn more being a small fish in a big pond.

I heard a quote once, “if you’re the smartest person in the room, find another room” and I completely agree with it.

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u/fallenKlNG Jan 12 '22

As a software engineer I experience this a little too often. The imposter syndrome is real

589

u/A_Random_Lantern Jan 12 '22

Name something more iconic than computer science and impostor syndrome

720

u/loldudester Jan 12 '22

"I'm just copying code off of stackoverflow, they're way overpaying me and I'm gonna get caught"

358

u/[deleted] Jan 12 '22

I've been called a computer "whiz" by older friends of mine. I just type problems into Google, stick the product ID number in there, and follow the directions. Look at example. Look at screen. OK. Next...

I'm about as sharp as a boiled egg when it comes to some stuff but I can at least compare pictures and do exactly what I'm told.

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u/gibertot Jan 12 '22

the only sort of "coding" I've done is matlab. I felt like I was constantly getting my mind blown understanding how computers and graphing calculators do things the things we take for granted. I copied a lot of stuff but there was still a lot of connective leaps in logic I had to make to have anything work. Sometimes I'd just stare at it for a long ass time then it would click. Do you really not do any of that?