Until now, we’ve focused the bulk of our attention on preparing for and landing that first job in cybersecurity. Now it’s time to start looking at the forces that could work against you after you’ve landed that first role. Reading various studies from the medical, psychological, and career development industries, you’ll find that an estimated 70%-85% of people experience a phenomenon known as impostor syndrome.
As we discussed in chapter 2, the cybersecurity industry suffers from a lingering rockstar culture. With so many large events, well-recognized personalities, and wide ranges of expertise, impostor syndrome is particularly common in this field as well. All right, you ask, what is impostor syndrome, and why should I care? Well, it is time to answer some of those questions and more.