Taking inspiration from mediocre people.

I'm continuously learning and upskilling myself but still there are lots of things which make me question myself am I a mediocre? Be it conversations with intelligent people or someone in the same stacks I'm working in or with some random girl with good communication skills whom I met on a dating app.

I think I'm losing my mind. I'm a 32-year-old guy in tech, graduated from IIIT Delhi, earning 78L annually, but I feel like I'm fooling everyone, including myself. It's as if I'm constantly waiting for someone to burst into the office and shout, "Hey, fraud! We've finally figured out you're actually useless!" I know it sounds like I'm humble-bragging, but trust me, I'm not. This feeling is eating me alive. Seven years ago, I started as a regular software engineer. Somehow, I kept getting promoted. Now I'm leading a team of 15 people, handling critical projects, and sitting in meetings with the higher-ups. But every time I'm in those meetings, I feel like a kid wearing his dad's oversized suit, pretending to be an adult. I work my ass off - late nights, weekends, you name it. But I always feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water. When my team comes to me with problems, I'm secretly panicking, thinking, "Why are you asking me? I'm as clueless as you!" The worst part? Everyone around me seems to think I'm some kind of wunderkind. My boss is always praising me in front of others. My team looks up to me. Even my parents are bragging about me to all our relatives. But inside, I'm constantly terrified that I'll make one tiny mistake and everyone will realize I'm a fraud. I see my college batchmates on LinkedIn, and they all seem so confident and successful. Meanwhile, I'm here, earning more than I ever thought I would, but feeling like I don't deserve any of it. I can't even enjoy my success. I bought a nice house last year, but instead of feeling proud, I keep thinking, "What if they fire me tomorrow? How will I pay for this?" It's like I'm waiting for everything to come crashing down. I know it's ridiculous to complain about a high-paying job when so many people are struggling. But this constant fear of being "found out" is driving me insane. I can't even talk to my friends about it because they'll probably think I'm just showing off. Has anyone else felt like this? How do you deal with feeling like a fraud when everyone thinks you're successful? Is this just part of adult life that no one talks about? This is what eats me alive during weekends, realised it's Friday and panic typed this here

So I’ve been a below avg. looking guy my entire school and college life. Got a decent job offer (8LPA) during my campus placements. This was the story till January 2023. Now It’s been around 1.5 Years. I’ve been working out 6 days a week (rarely skips), eat super clean food (monthly 1 cheat meal), started a skincare routine and tried to learning new technologies in search of a better job. This is the routine I followed for the entire 1.5 years. Right now, I’ve a high paying job and a great physique. (Went from 68Kgs to 81Kgs) A few women have approached me in last 3-4 months. In the gym, people come and talk to me regarding my diet and workout. A lot of people are sending me linkedin connections requests, asking for referral and guidance. But now I don’t wanna talk to anyone because no one wanted to talk that ugly, lean and broke me. Wish someone would’ve came to that old version of me and said “You are enough”.

Disclaimer: I have nothing against high earners in this group who are doing exceptionally well and earning big bucks at young age. You have my admiration. Target audience of this post: Everyone else who is doing okay in their job, earning an average salary for their age. Why have I posted it?: To not feel I am the only one who is a normal regular person doing just average in his life in this hyper competitive rat race. My thoughts: I clearly remember the moment, it was April 2007, I had barely completed the board exams of class 10th and joined class 11th. It was my first week into class 11th when a fine looking gentleman walked into our class to make us think of our future career path. He was from a coaching institute for IIT JEE and AIEEE. He told us about all the high salary packages at these premier institutes. I excitedly told my parents about it. Like any middle class parents, they dreamt of their son cracking the exam and securing good placements from IITs/NITs. They enrolled me in coaching. I worked hard for those 2 years, 11th and 12th. But what was harder was the constant stress and pressure I was put in, both intentionally and unintentionally. These ideas that 'I must crack JEE to have a good future', 'if you don't get through JEE then you are a waste' etc, were hammered into my mind day in and day out. I didn't crack JEE but got into a well reputed private engineering college of India.. Fast forward 4 years, did my MBA from tier 2 college only to join a service company at salary that would be considered too low for most of the folks here who compare salary like a plague. Recently joined a product company with good jump. Realised all that pressure I was put under in high school wasn't necessary. I am doing ok in life. I think it's okay to be earning an average salary, everyone of us is on his own journey of growth and comparing ourselves on basis of packages seems myopic Too much gyaan? Getting a perspective on late Saturday night!!!

From my experience, I see 7 out of 10 desi people working with people in the US suck at English, some despite living there for 5, 6, 7 years or even more. And the reason I call them mediocre is they don’t even realize how bad they are at English. They take their non-native English speaking background as an entitlement to suck at English. What irks me more is desi people communicate with their clients & counterparts in the US but still don’t realize the need for polishing their English language skills. “English is not my native language but I will work with native English speakers, and suck at English.” How is this fair? What’s your experience like?

You meet new people - on some you cringe, some are boring, some intrigue you, some you respect, and some are intimidating It is the intimidating lot that makes me jhzdgfhfghsjj (how do I explain this) I feel small infront of them, even though I am not in the same room or face to face There's an unknown fear, it feels you have to prove yourself to them (for no reason) Somehow our brains put them on a higher pedestal for various reasons - it is different reasons for different people Why why do I have to feel like this? How do I get rid of it?

I earn a decent living ~32LPA as a Software Engineer. I really enjoy my work and it is always a joy working with smart people around you. I sometimes wonder if I didn't exist would it matter in the world. At work, I come up with great ideas and insights which my peers appreciate and support, but there hasn't been one thing that they took seriously and moved ahead with. My peers around me constantly belittle me, some unprofessional jokes about my competence and intellect, even though I am actually good at what I do and more. The backhanded compliments and sarcastic replies in front of other people in my company makes me sad beyond belief. It is almost like I give so much of time to this company and although everyone cares about the work I do but no one cares about me. My colleagues constantly try to one-up themselves by bullying juniors and laughing in their glass-walled conference walls. Incidents like these make me want to give up on work. I think the mix of giving all of myself at work(intensity and long hours), constant berating on my competence and the time I spend away from my family and "real" friends(not these fake work colleagues) makes me depressed as fuck. I am now understanding that you can never be happy in life because you can never have all that you want. You will give up something for the other. You think making more money will make you happier but you will just end up losing your sanity.

Hey everyone, I've been lurking here for a while, but I felt compelled to share my story today. It’s AM here in Seattle and read @PunyBlame’s post on the impostor syndrome - hit a nerve! I'm a 29-year-old woman, currently working as a Product Manager at Amazon in Seattle. No MBA, no tech background - just a Philosophy degree from Mumbai University and a whole lot of grit. Five years ago, if you'd told me I'd be where I am now, I would've laughed in your face. Back then, I was just another lost graduate, wondering what the hell I was going to do with a philosophy degree in a world obsessed with engineering and MBAs. But here's the thing I learned: success isn't always about being the smartest or having the "right" degree. Sometimes, it's just about showing up, day after day, even when you feel like an imposter. My journey started with a crappy content writing job that barely paid the bills. But I showed up every day, wrote those mind-numbing product descriptions, and used my free time to learn everything I could about tech and product management. I applied to hundreds of jobs, faced countless rejections. But I kept showing up. I networked like crazy, attended every tech meetup I could find in Mumbai, even when I felt like I didn't belong. I volunteered for projects at work that were way above my pay grade, just to get experience. Then came the breakthrough - a junior product role at a small startup. The pay was mediocre, the hours were insane, but I showed up every day with enthusiasm. I soaked up knowledge like a sponge, asked questions, made mistakes, and learned from them. Two years and three job changes later, I landed a role at Amazon India. It was a huge leap, and I felt completely out of my depth. Imposter syndrome hit me hard. But you know what? I showed up anyway. I put in the hours, raised my hand for challenging projects, and gradually, things started to click. When an opportunity came up in Seattle, I threw my hat in the ring, even though I was sure they'd laugh at my application. But they didn't. They saw my track record of showing up and getting shit done. Now, I'm not going to pretend it's all been smooth sailing. Moving to Seattle was terrifying. There are still days when I feel like I'm faking it. But I've learned that everyone feels that way sometimes. The key is to show up anyway. To anyone out there feeling lost or underqualified, here's what I want you to know: 1. Your degree doesn't define you. Skills can be learned if you're willing to put in the work. 2. Apply for jobs even if you don't tick all the boxes. Let them reject you; don't reject yourself. 3. Network genuinely. Help others without expecting anything in return. It pays off in unexpected ways. 4. Take on challenges that scare you. Growth happens outside your comfort zone. 5. Most importantly, just show up. Every. Single. Day. You'll face rejection. You'll doubt yourself. You'll want to quit. But if you keep showing up, putting in the work, and pushing through the tough times, you'd be amazed at where you can end up. So, to all the Philosophy grads (or any grads) out there wondering about their future - the world is full of opportunities if you're willing to work for them. Your destiny isn't decided by your degree, it's shaped by your determination :)

Being anonymous gives me a safe space. But life is getting tougher than ever each day. I wish I had a better paying job. I wish I had time to have slow mornings. I wish I could provide for my family and give them the things they much deserve. I wish I had a chance to rewire rewind and restart. I wish I could do more than I wish to do. It's all wishes guys . It's all hopes. . Nothing seems fulfilling. Nothing seems to make me happy. I have forgotten what carefree days were like. Adulting is kinda hitting hard. I am not able to cope up. Can someone relate?

I often feel that I am under qualified for my job and have been able to clear all the rounds by pure luck. I think that if I go out in job market I won't be able to again bag such a good offer... Does any one else also feel so... How to overcome with this feeling...