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Women in Tech and Impostor Syndrome
This episode is in Finnish. The video below is the original recording; this page provides an English summary for easier reading.
Summary
Impostor syndrome and being a woman in tech: Mikki and Annika on validation, industry bias, and building confidence through the work.
About The Good Side in this episode
Annika Tuominen has six-plus years of UX experience across industries. The episode covers working as a woman in a male-dominated field and how at The Good Side designers do demanding work inside client product teams.
Key discussion points
- Women in tech often have to prove competence more than men in the same room
- An industrial client did not make eye contact with a woman until a man validated her expertise
- Impostor syndrome does not vanish with experience; it changes shape
- Insecurity often comes through other people, rarely from nowhere
- Self-validation matters more than external approval, but it takes practice
- Critical feedback is a gift because it drives professional growth
- Viikon Pikseli: a price increase led a client to leave, but it was a deliberate strategic choice
Questions & answers
- What is impostor syndrome at work?
- The feeling that you are not qualified enough or did not earn your place. It can show up as constant need to prove yourself or fear of being “found out.” Annika and Mikki describe how it morphs through career stages without disappearing entirely.
- How do women navigate a male-dominated tech industry?
- Annika shares how women often must prove competence more, especially in traditional industrial clients. Showing skill through work matters more than defending yourself in words. Confidence grows with experience and wins.
- How does insecurity change as your career progresses?
- It does not disappear; it shifts. Early on it often ties to skill and approval. Later it can move to entrepreneurship or business decisions. Learning to validate yourself beats waiting for external permission.
Topics: impostor syndrome, women in tech, workplace confidence, UX design career, women in technology, The Good Side, Behind the Pixels, professional self-worth, design industry