Will my lack of confidence hurt me in engineering?

I do think confidence is an important thing, not just in engineering. A big part of any job is emotional maturity and confidence is part of that. Your questions tell me you are on the right track to consider how to improve your self-confidence! Based on what you are saying, I believe you have some habits that are very engrained to focus on your faults and what needs improving. To a point, that is good – As engineers we are always looking for the best solution, so are often very critical. My suggestion is to spend 10 minutes each morning focusing on what you’ve done well. Also, after you spend some time looking at what you could have done better, think of 1-3 things that were good about your solution.

You may want to invest some time reading books on improving confidence. I recently read The Confidence Code and found it interesting. This is definitely an area that you will be able to improve on so you can be an effective engineer if you choose to be!

Answer from a biomedical engineer:

I think that it is very common for people – including myself! – to focus on the negative rather than the positive. It might help you to keep a list of achievements that you're proud of and positive feedback that you have received from others. This way, when you are feeling self-doubt, you can look at your list and be reminded of your strengths. But to answer your question, engineering really isn't about having enough confidence to make big decisions without ever feeling doubtful: It is actually extremely important to allow yourself to recognize challenges/limitations and to figure out if/how they can be overcome. By this, I don't just mean your own limitations, but also your team's limitations, and even the limitations of the tools and technology you work with. This awareness is necessary to make sure that you approach your work carefully and responsibly and to ask for help when you need it. So in fact, it is a very important strength!

I have always had a problem with low self-confidence. I still do. Even though I always got good grades in school, I would do the same thing that you do and focus on what I got wrong. But I turned that focus into making sure that I didn't get it wrong again in the future. I pride myself on learning from my mistakes and now I'm not that afraid to make them, because I know it will be the last time I do, or at least, close to the last time I make that mistake again. It's ok to get things wrong, as long as you learn from it. Getting things wrong has actually helped my self-confidence because I came to realize that it's not the end of the world if I get something wrong. In most cases, I'll get another chance to fix it, get it right for next time, and do better in general. Nothing is perfect on the first try. Also, most places you'll work at, you won't be the only engineer there. I've always been part of a team and we are all there to help each other, double check each other's work, and make sure that we all get home safe and sound each and every night.

One other thing that I learned (a little later in life that I should have, but better late than never!) is that you can be the smartest person in the room, have all the answers, and know exactly what needs to be done to get the best outcome... but... if you are not able to convey your idea to the rest of the group, then there is nothing useful or helpful that you can do to solve the problem until everyone is on board with your idea. It all starts with being able to present your idea, with confidence, knowing that you have the right answer, and then being able to persuade everyone else that it IS the right answer. If it seems like you don't believe in your idea, it will be difficult to convince everyone else that it is, no matter how good an idea it is. And with that being said, it is going to be tough to build self-confidence overnight, but practice a little bit everyday. And until you get to the real self-confidence, fake it 'til you make it! I used to hate public speaking, and honestly I still kind of do, but when I have to do it, I practice as much as possible (I often look like I'm talking to myself in the car when driving to work and give speeches to my dogs all the time), and then when it's my turn to present, I put on my hard hat / helmet / (insert other personal protective equipment here) and charge on through full speed. I flash a million-dollar smile and imagine that I'm someone else, someone who knows exactly what she's talking about, someone who is full to the brim of self-confidence and owns the room when she walks in, and take lots of deep breaths and... "dramatic" pause. It'll be hard and difficult, and it won't be fun, but playing pretend was something we all used to do as kids and we can still do it now when we want to.

Everyone doubts themselves at some point in their life, whether it's the work that they do, the parenting they give their children, etc. Stay strong and have faith in yourself, know who you are and what you enjoy and then go out there and do it. Much easier said than done, I know. Do it in small steps, with things you are comfortable with, and eventually those small steps become big ones, taking bigger risks. Step out of your comfort zone and recognize that you are capable of a lot. Something you might want to look into is a charity or volunteer organization for something that you believe in. When you work for someone else, give yourself to something greater than yourself, you gain confidence in yourself and what you can do because you push yourself harder for this other person / group than you would for yourself and it's so rewarding! Good luck (even though I bet you don't need it!)

Self-confidence is important in that it helps us effectively communicate our ideas to others. In engineering, where women are few and often struggle to find their voices in a room full of overly confident men, lacking self-confidence can be particularly challenging. It happens to A LOT of us. We have been there. Imposter syndrome, doubt, comparing ourselves to others. It happens to students and professionals alike. Engineers aren’t born confident, at least not most of us. It comes with experience, maturity, success and learning. You are part of the way there. You have identified that you are focusing on what you get wrong in a negative light. Your perspective is everything when it comes to confidence. Getting something wrong is not a setback or a failure. Don’t be afraid to be wrong or to fail! It is the best way to learn! Fall forward! Every experience should bring you closer to understanding. Also, focus on your strengths and the things you enjoy to help bring you closer to a field within engineering that you can flourish in. Track your progress and celebrate your wins, big or small. Train your inner voice to speak positivity. You can do it!

I think everyone doubts themselves at various levels throughout their careers. I did, and still do. Recognizing that you do this is a great first step to developing yourself into a strong engineer (and person!). I say this because you will need to address this as you move into your career. The good news is, there are a lot of ways to work on your confidence! Additionally, there are processes that are good engineering practices that make sure engineers are creating good quality and safe products.

For the general self-doubting aspect, identifying this and then wanting to change is the first step. There are many good books and resources on the internet to learn of approaches to develop confidence. No one is the same, so I would recommend reading and listening to different ideas, and see what appeals to you. I like the idea of starting in areas that are not engineering related, and build your confidence there. Use other interests that you don’t feel like there is so much on the line. Join a club and be an officer, or join something like Toastmasters (public speaking), etc. You will make friends with the people in this group, which makes everything easier and more fun! It is scary when you start putting yourself out there. But every time you do it, and realize you did a good job, it makes the next time just a little bit better. Once you are feeling confident in this area, join some engineering clubs, there are many student organizations you can join, some focus on your specific area (electrical, mechanical, etc.), some are gender specific (Women in Engineering, etc.), and some revolve around specific applications (Rocket club, Robotics, Mini-Baja club, etc.). Remember, everyone is just starting out like you are, so while they may present themselves in a very confident manner, they don’t really know much more than you do.

As far as second guessing yourself once you are an engineer: Engineers participate in a practice of design reviews. So any design, no matter how big or small, should go through a review process. For a small, simple design, this review could simply be going to someone’s office and having them look at it and make comments. For larger, more complex designs, there are a series of reviews the teams go through: conceptual, design, critical, final, production readiness, safety, ergonomic, etc. During these reviews, information is presented and the team looks to make sure the designs are meeting the needs, are safe, etc. So many sets of eyes look at projects as they go through design to production. You invite people from other departments, as the subject matter experts, to be at these reviews, so they will comment and maybe catch things from an angle you did not address. Remember this is about business and getting a product developed, it’s not personal. Do your best to separate those two, so when someone critiques your work, it doesn’t hit you emotionally. They are trying to make the best product, just like you are, so be thankful they are taking the time and effort to do this. Soon you will learn that these critiques are good and not to be feared or frowned on. The scarier reviews are when no one has ANYTHING to say about the design. There is always something that could be better, so you want people to comment.

Engineering is a team effort, so you want other people to comment on what you do. It only makes you a stronger engineer – and person. Good luck!

Confidence is gained and built over time. With more experience, comes more confidence in the knowledge of your work. When you first start out in engineering, this is the best time to ask any type of question that comes to mind – no one expects you to know anything! You're just starting out. Soak up as much as you can, be like a sponge with the people you work with. Jump right into projects, too. It doesn't matter if you're right or wrong, it's your direct manager's job to assist you and check your work. Good luck!

Your lack of confidence will not keep you from learning and becoming an engineer – but to advance your career either as a technical specialist or engineering manager, you need to believe in yourself. When you are communicating your opinion on an issue, results of an analysis or an overview of your design, your audience will key off whether you sound confident. Whether they accept what you are saying or they don't will be impacted by that. This is not unique to engineering – this is true in ANY field you go into and is fixable.

It is not uncommon for women to struggle with confidence, so you are not alone with having to overcome this problem. I had it and many of my colleagues have as well. Luckily for you there has been a lot of study into this issue and there are ways to help yourself build your confidence. I recommend you get a book called The Confidence Code. It is a great source for why women tend to have this issue and what to do to address it. It is a quick read and REALLY worth it. I am confident that you can be a very successful engineer – you just need to believe it as well.

A great way to work on building your confidence is by finding yourself a good support network! During my freshman year of college, I was the only girl in one of my engineering coding classes, but I didn't let that stop me from pursuing engineering. Throughout college and now my career, I found my personal support network through my local Society of Women Engineers section and it is a great resource when I am facing an issue. Even now, as an entry-level engineer, there are times when I doubt myself, but I have surrounded myself with great mentors who are helping me to become the best engineer I can be!

The great thing about engineering is that it is largely based on data. If you are doing the calculations correctly, you can feel confident about your answers. It helps to have someone kind who can check your work in the beginning.

At the beginning of my career as an engineer, I literally had no idea what I was doing. After earning my BSIE, I had to take theoretical knowledge and apply it to a factory floor! But my boss gave me tasks that challenged me and helped me to grow my self-confidence with every successful completion of a task. You will become more self-confident as you gain more experience. Experience includes successfully completing tasks but it also includes failing at tasks, too. Both positive and negative experiences help guide you toward more successful outcomes. Good luck!

In my experience, many of the best engineers focus primarily on what they get wrong! This focus on their failures allows them to learn from mistakes and improve future designs. As you gain more experience working in engineering you will develop confidence in your ability to successfully achieve your designs and you will develop a sense of what checks and double-checks will help you minimize errors. While it’s ok to be concerned about your skills as you’re starting out on your engineering education let me assure you that your education will help you learn good engineering practice that will allow you to design safe solutions. Remember also that engineering is often a process of designing, testing, and breaking things to learn what doesn’t work in a new design before you complete a final design that does work as intended. Just as with any new skill, practice with and coaching from more senior practitioners will enable to you develop mastery and confidence. The most important factors in becoming a good engineer are the ability to learn from mistakes and to persevere in the face of adversity. I am confident you will succeed when you put your mind to it.

Good news is you can always work in this area and improve! Confidence is often built and developed over time. Think about engineering as the art of using science knowledge to develop innovation products to better our living. Once you’ve developed these products, what is the next step? You will need to sell it. It means to present your invention or idea to your colleagues, business partners, potential investors and customers. Without confidence, it will be hard to get their buy-in. Your great idea may not go into implementation. Having self-awareness and admitting mistakes isn’t always a bad thing. The best way to learn is from trial and error. Without failures, how will one know what areas one needs to focus on? Talking with an experienced engineer or upperclassman is a good start since they will be able to share with you how they overcame difficulties. On the other hand, try to surround yourself with friends or people who encourage you and give you positive energy and honest feedback. One book I recommend is Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office by Lois P. Frankel. It advises on how to gain confidence.

I strongly encourage you to read the book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg. Whether you download the audiobook, or go to your local library to read the book, there is great wisdom that highlights why females tend to be less confident than males and what they can do to overcome that confidence gap.

Firstly, confidence is a skill and can be acquired over time so anyone can aim to be an engineer. Growing up I also was not a confident person. I doubted myself all the time and even today I sometimes question my judgment. What helped me most was to do things that I was essentially good at, even if they were not academic. That brought me immense pleasure and made me more confident in my abilities. And indeed being an engineer is an important responsibility, but once someone is in industry, they tend to work in teams and there is always someone to catch the mistakes. To make it through an engineering degree, all you need is hard work, determination and interest in what you do.

Lack of confidence is a chronic problem for women students and professionals. There are many reasons for that. We tend to defer to other people, and when we do offer ideas, we are often "talked over,” ignored, or told that isn't a good idea. I'd be rich if I got a dollar for every time I was in a situation in which a woman offered a solution, she was ignored, and shortly after that a man offered the same solution and everyone congratulated him on what a great idea he had.

So now – how to deal with this. First, see if you can get a mentor. Someone more experienced who can help you navigate the waters. If you are a college student, see whether the college offers such a service. If not, perhaps you've had a professor you admire. Ask them for help, Is there a SWE chapter at your school? Why not join it and become part of a group of women engineering students who can help each other gain confidence.

No matter what you choose to study, self confidence is important, so try to be brave and don't be afraid to speak up. Have the courage of your convictions. You will be wrong sometimes, but so what – you will also be right most of the time and soon you will get more and more confident.

There are two parts to my answer, where we start and how we approach.

Irrespective of the field you choose to work in, confidence is a must-have skill. I would not go for treatment with a doctor who does not appear confident. Professionals are supposed to know or should make you feel comfortable even when they don't have all the answers. If we ask first graders about multiplication and fractions, we may not get a consistent answer. However, by fifth grade, everyone would have mastered those skills.

To overcome confidence issues, be the person who reads more, communicates more, and understands more. In each field, professionals get to a level of comfort by learning the ropes. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It by Valerie Young, Ed.D, is an excellent book that addresses some of these fears.

Teamwork is a powerful word. Even when the architect is building the plan, she is not doing it alone. Stakeholders need to get involved from the beginning to identify the details of the project/product. All past successes and failures, white papers, expert opinions, feedback from the team, governance, and requirements will also contribute heavily to the decision process. The path forward is usually clear once we study all the data presented to us. In almost every field, we do the proof of concepts before actually building a real product.

As long as you do not hasten toward a solution and make every effort to study the data you collected from people and process, you will do well in any field you choose. I do hope it is engineering.

Self confidence does matter in any field, including engineering where a certain level of performance is expected, may it be a design project, on a shop floor, research and development, troubleshooting, and so on. But there are two aspects to this. One is your inherent quality and the other is what you gain after years of experience in this field. So when you are a student you need to do well in your classes and acquire the required clarity and insight into the subject matter. Gaining this knowledge will increase your self-confidence. Second is when you are performing in the field. There is a new challenge every day. If one has the ability to analyze the problem and apply the basic knowledge learned to try to diagnose the cause and discuss with colleagues that is enough.

You may fail a couple of times but that is okay. One learns from failures – no one is right the first time, but if it happens often then we need to do our own introspection. But on the other hand, if your judgement works and you crack the problem, you gain confidence. So it’s an ongoing process, and over years you develop more confidence and it becomes less of a problem.

With my own experience, after spending close to 40 years in industry and in an age when women were not seen in chemical engineering, I can say this very affirmatively. Work on your weaknesses and you can come out of it.