WOMEN IN ACADEMIA: AM I GOOD ENOUGH?

Recently I was introduced to the term “Imposter Syndrome,” which means self-doubting yourself despite achieving evident success. I did a bit of research on it as well, and to my utter surprise, it is one of the most common feelings students have during their Ph.D. journey and most common in women. I was not surprised because I have been having the same thoughts, “am I good enough to be here?”. Fortunately, I have a supportive supervisor, and we often talk about issues such as challenges a woman faces when she is in Academia.

In general, our world sees women as vulnerable and weak. We go through many struggles and endure lots of pain to reach a position where we can say that “I am pursuing my dream”. We spend as much time as our male counterparts conducting experiments and asking questions. I know women who pursued a Ph.D. while taking care of their babies, families. I know women who sought a Ph.D. with a full-time job. Then why we always have this question in our head: Am I Good Enough?

I remember when I was nominated for the “best graduate student employee of the year” in my department, I asked the same question. When my very first paper got accepted, I self-doubted my ability; I overlooked the sleepless nights I spent while writing the paper and thought, “maybe I got Lucky!” My professor told me one thing “In this world, even in Academia, we have to work 120% harder than our male counterparts to prove ourselves. The situation is improving, but we need to go a long long way”.

So, when someone appreciates my achievement, my work, I am learning to accept it. I am learning to appreciate my hard work and my sleepless nights.
You got it; you are more than enough; you are a great scientist and a researcher; You are honest, and You lead the science. You are a waymaker for future scientists!

Thank you for reading this article. I really appreciate it. ❤ ❤ :-)