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Fake it ‘til you make it!
- Do a SWOT on yourself and see where you feel like you’ve lost ground/ confidence/ skill and write out ways to get where you want to be.
- Try LinkedIn Learning for hard skills/ software (goes on your LinkedIn profile when you’re done so you won’t have to try to defend your knowledge in an interview) or try to look on YouTube.
- You got to your position for a reason. Look at the job description of where you’re at now and recognize you wouldn’t be there unless you met all/ almost all of those requirements.
- Take a vacation and regroup.
It genuinely sucks to feel like you're not at a level you thought you were (true or not), but you can find ways to feel confident in your work again. Good luck! And apply for a company whose culture seems to support and recognize its people.
Hey we have all been there so first forgive yourself. A career has peaks and valleys and your emotions go with it. Try to break the work rollercoaster by doing something outside of work that rebuilds your confidence. Anything really. Train for a marathon. Volunteer. Make pottery. Work is always someone else’s agenda so do something that is your agenda.
Damn, this post almost brought me to tears. So real for me right now. Thank you.
I completely agree with the feedback above and it’s also important to know that this is completely normal to have a few spells like this over a career. One thing I’ve found that helps in confidence low points is to learn something completely new. Take a class or read a book on a new subject. It helps you get back into a growth mindset and reminds you that you can take on new challenges without fear of failure. It really doesn’t matter what the subject is as long as it’s interesting and a challenge. MasterClass has some fun courses or try Blinkist if you’re pressed for time. Once you’re back in a growth mindset, go change your existing work dynamic or find a new one. With confidence!
I’ve been there. How you’re feeling is so hard to process. I’m going to do something really hard for me and be really open. Maybe more open than I should be but ... I hope it helps. I felt like you too. Many times. Like I didn’t matter. Like I was invisible . I felt like my ideas were criticized, and then picked back up and credited to someone else. Eventually I tried to take my life. LUCKILY it didn’t work. I got the help I needed. (My story hopefully is not yours) but, I realized that my confidence was something I controlled. My outlook on things was mine to command. My life was mine to do with what I WANTED. The job you have now may have dented your confidence but nobody has the power to control you. You make the rules for your life, your job, your happiness. Make it great! This is a corny saying off of a coffee mug I have but I like it. “WAKE UP, BE KIND, KICK ASS, REPEAT.”
Glad you came out of it ok and realized you’re in control.
I have just switched to working for another company for that exact same reason, and felt the exact same way as you, (I still do a little now). Part of it is, as passionate designers we can be hard on ourselves, mix that in with the bullshit of agency life and it’s bound to have a negative impact on your mental health. Getting a new job with a better company definitely helped give my confidence a boost. A fresh new start. I always remind myself of the journey it took me to get here, and how hard I’ve worked. If your current job is making you feel this way then It’s probably time to move on. Good luck
Focus on your personal brand—what makes you unique? What gets you excited? What’s the general vibe of your work?
Once you can tell that story from the gut, curate your work around it. Look at portfolios that have a strong personal brand. People aren’t just looking for pixel pushers. They’re looking for whole individuals. You’re going to be fine.
Thank you so much everyone. I can’t even begin to tell you how much this has all helped. All of your advice is great and it’s reassuring to know many others have been there
No one can make you feel inferior without your own consent - Eleanor Roosevelt.
This happened to me with my last job. I was basically getting paid a lot of money to do low level, mainly production work. It was the work that did it, because I wasn’t really using my design skills. I just wasn’t growing anymore.