Navigating Imposter Syndrome in My Cloud Engineering Internship

You’re doing fine! Make a list of the tools your team uses and dive into the documentation. Get your hands on some tutorials and run them on your own setup. This should help ground your knowledge. Remember, never overcommit—ask about ways to go the extra mile instead.

As a new grad, it’s totally normal to feel out of your depth. Focus on learning and asking questions; that’s what internships are for! I’ve been in the field for 25 years and still feel like a bit of an imposter sometimes, so you’re in good company!

Imposter syndrome is common! Think of it this way: if you’re feeling like an imposter, it usually means you’re stretching your abilities, which is a good thing! Concentrate on mastering the basics of the cloud platforms you’re working on and leverage your engineering skills to design solutions, not just use tools.

It’s great that you’re getting hands-on experience! A CompE degree definitely helps with logical problem-solving, but for cloud roles, you might find it useful mainly in networking and troubleshooting VMs. While cloud engineering isn't overly complex, your analytical mindset from your education will help you learn quickly and efficiently.

No degree can cover all the knowledge needed for cloud computing. My real-world experience at a help desk taught me more than my CS degree ever did. Keep learning and don’t shy away from networking—building relationships can take you much further than just technical skills.