Hey fellow ladies- I am really doubting myself and my abilities lately. I feel very behind my peers (non-traditional background before b-school) and have been here long enough that there is a lot ...

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OP this is the imposter syndrome. Almost no one here knows what they are doing

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For sure, imposter syndrome, but wondering if I’m dealing with something worse at this point...🤷🏻‍♀️

Hey I feel this way too!!! It's hard when success feels like a moving target, but we just got to keep on going :)

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Ty for the support!

feel the same way... been here 4 yrs, still every day feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. No advise I can give you other than that ... I decided I’m here for the paycheck and ..... don’t really give a shit about the rest of it 🙊

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I’m starting to try to think that way. But the idea of feeling anxious daily, when I’ve never dealt with anxiety before, is starting to worry me

Women are socialized to feel less than their peers in every situation. Just look at all the comments that say “I feel the same”. I would suggest making a list of your strengths and constantly reminding yourself of them. If you see an opportunity at work to exercise those strengths, jump on it. I know it’s hard to stop feeling stupid when everyone around you seems so smart, but trust me, people around you are also just figuring it out. Once you start capitalizing on your strengths, you’ll be able to focus less energy on the angst surrounding feeling like an imposter and more energy on taking actionable steps to mitigate gaps you might see in your work. Remember, your feelings are not facts. The fact is that you’re competent and worthy enough to be where you are. Good luck OP! Rooting for ya :)

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Thank you for the support!!

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You ladies are amazing. I’ll reply to individual comments later, but you all brightened my day and made me feel a little less isolated today. Thank you 💕

likeuplifting

You were / are me. I did arts and non profit work before b school and didn’t know what a P&L was 🤦‍♀️. The first two years in consulting was tough. I felt that because I was non traditional I didn’t know much and felt at a disadvantage. I had a good first project where I had to really “get good” at something. That meant asking a ton of questions, having a perspective on everything, and emulating “better” consultants. Then I had a new project and I felt like I was failing all over again. It wasn’t until nearly two years in where I realized - no one knows what they’re doing but you have to constantly try and find structure, ask what is expected of you, and emulate those you want to be like. Also ask for help - from your peers too. What I love about this line of work is often times we go into new projects and have to ask our peers for help.

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Feel free to DM me if you want to talk further.

expected of me. Every project, I try to go into with a positive attitude, but am quickly defeated by unmatched expectations with my superiors. People like working with me, but I don’t feel like I’m catching up to those around me. Is consulting not right for me? Is there a way past this mentality and these feelings?
All advice welcome, especially if you’ve been in my shoes. TIA

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Are you me OP? I feel the same way. People like working with me, but I don’t seem to have the same growth as everyone else.

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Good to know there are people like me out there - rooting for you too!

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Fake it till you make it 😬

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Also have an untraditional path to consulting. Was hired at a lower position than peers who are 8-10 years younger than me without the higher education. It sucks feeling like I’m starting from ground zero and not getting the recognition that my younger peers are. I totally feel you.

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Same- I am in my 30s. It’s already an adjustment reporting to people much younger than me. On top of everything else we deal with at this job ...makes me feel stupid. :/

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Feel the same

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Hope it gets better for you too

OP, in what ways do you feel like you’re not catching up? Maybe we can help brainstorm some specific solutions?

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It is core consulting skills: horizontal and vertical logic, PowerPoint skills, def not skilled in building a business case. It’s the fact that I was introduced to “business concepts and terminology” fairly recently, and never worked in corporate America. So, not only do I try and adjust to the large amounts of information I need to synthesize (read “core consulting skills”), but I struggle to present them in a structured fashion bc my business acumen is a lot lower than others (my hypothesis).
I feel like I have to completely retrain my brain in my 30s to think and work differently and don’t know where to begin. The nonexistent training (apprenticeship model) my firm gave me is a disservice to my specific needs.
I am also struggling to adjust to this culture of constant feedback- I already know what I did is not super quality, but I have to hear it over and over again. :/ Gets me emotionally down and then I start spiraling and thinking I’m not good enough.
Please do help me solution!
And if I’m a lost cause and just not cut out for this industry, those comments would be appreciated as well.

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