The self-taught syndrome – Stéphane Torregrosa

«What studies did you do to do this?» This is, essentially, the most destabilizing question there is for a person self-taught. And my answer, always mixed with embarrassment and frustration: «No one…». I often see disappointment in the eyes of my interlocutor at this precise moment.

Because, it must be admitted, the self-taught’s main concern is lack legitimacy that he feels or is made to feel. And nothing is done to make self-taught people feel comfortable. THE diploma always takes precedence over skills in France, and the school or university curriculum always remains the guarantor of our legitimacy in the position we occupy.

Self-made people often perceive themselves as deceivers who deceive their colleagues, friends and superiors. These people live in doubt and think that one day they will be exposed and that someone will prove their incompetence. However, self-taught people aren’t the only ones who suffer from this lack of confidence. 60 to 70% of people doubt, at one point or another in their career, the reality or legitimacy of their successes.

This syndrome prevents people who suffer from it from fully developing their potential, as they constantly question themselves.

I myself regularly alternate between periods of complacency and discouragement. Sometimes at the end of a completed project I say to myself: «It’s not bad, but would I be able to repeat the feat? Was it a stroke of luck?» But, I reassure you right away, I don’t intend to dwell and debate my condition in this post but simply pass a little ointment to us self-taught people. If you’re not, you still have time to run!

First, what is a self-taught person?

Here are some definitions of self-taught:

“The self-taught person is not one who learns alone (which in the strict sense means nothing), but one whose knowledge is not guaranteed by any title and defended by anyone” according to Marie Ymonet “The heirs of Capital”.

«The self-taught person does not learn alone, but his teachers, his guides, his diviners, because he always has them (even if they can take various forms), are not the teachers authorized by the educational institution to transmit knowledge in the school environment and to certify their possession by qualifications. » The Vocation of the Self-Taught by Claude F. Pollak.

The self-taught person is therefore someone who, for the most disparate reasons, has not built the knowledge and experience base of his profession, or of a related activity, through his school education. This may be due to academic, social or financial difficulties. Some people also do not adapt to the functioning of the school, still others started working very early, etc.

What makes a self-taught person different?

I share these few lines of my experience to demonstrate that, often, the self-taught is someone eager to learn, thirsty to deal with new experiences. He likes novelty, experimenting with new expressive areas in his field.

There is also a big difference in vision between a graduate and a self-taught person, the latter when faced with the unknown will more easily say: «I don’t know but I’ll find out». The graduate has his diplomas. He has completely legitimate confidence, while the self-taught will be in a constant battle to prove his worth to others. The self-taught person will always try to push things to the limit, which will improve the company at the risk of losing productivity for a while.

Today I am forty years old. I have suffered quite a bit from the lack of studies and this problem of legitimacy, but I have also experienced great victories, I have gained experience from my successes and my failures. I have a clearer idea of ​​who I am and who I am not. I know I can adapt. If I have to learn new things, that doesn’t scare me. I’ve done it before and I know I can do it. I have also developed a sort of intuition that helps me pick up new skills perhaps more quickly.

My self-taught journey

I’ve always appreciated it Learn with my own means, without the constraints and pressures of the school system. What I do today is the result of what I have learned through books, the internet, meetings, etc., and I do not do anything that is linked to what I have learned from my school education (designer at design office).

The discovery of the internet, a promise for a self-taught person!

In 1996 I discovered the Internet and it was a stimulus for me. The possibility to learn and exchange easily and for free on an open media capable of attracting a large audience. The same year, a package of about thirty floppy disks containing amazing software was fraudulently brought to me: Photoshop (version 2.0 I think)!

I quickly learned HTML and created a few web pages with FrontPage, before realizing that Notepad was even more precise. Interested in visual arts and drawing from an early age (thanks dad!), Photoshop took up a big part of my evenings. A few years later, my first site: DVDNet, which brings together my passion for cinema, my desire to write and my taste for new technologies.

Then I became a communicator

I started developing sites for others. For this reason I created a company and I mainly dealt with graphics and web. At the same time, I learned about communication, its strategies, the best ways to convey a message, etc.

This led me to say that we could do more. And I started developing strategies that encompassed everything the Internet offered at the time. In the past we considered the site as a showcase for the company. I told myself that by adding a blog to this site, creating useful content for the target audience, spreading it on social networks, creating email campaigns, adding forms to collect data, etc., we could develop a much more global strategy.

A few months later, through casual reading, I discovered that it has a name. Some visionary Americans had just created what we now call inbound marketing! I finally got recognized in this industry. And it’s another story, which I invite you to read to go further and understand the self-taught blocks. If you’re self-taught, read it. This will encourage you!

And the music…

I am also self-taught in another field. I play the guitar, compose, write and sing. For years I had no faith in this industry. So, this feeling of being an impostor slowed me down.

Fortunately, surrounded by caring friends, I made this project a reality. Also, by going to the bottom of this page, you will find a button to listen to my first EP.

Why am I telling you all this?

Simply to tell you that with all my uncertainty and my series of unfinished projects, I have taken my revenge on life. Of what people said about me. And even more so, for all my false beliefs about myself.

You know this feeling of not being fulfilled, of not being enough, of not being validated? Are you experiencing it? So read on to fully understand the value that is yours!

Believe in yourself!

Your legitimacy may not be recognized by everyone, but recognize for yourself what you are and what you are capable of. May your apparent weakness become your strength. Gain confidence in yourself. Often, in my periods of doubt, I look back and remember what I had in hand at the end of my studies and what I know today, how far I have come, the various experiences I have accumulated. And what excites me most is that I still have so much to learn!

And finally:

5 qualities of a self-taught person

He has a passion for learning

Nothing can quench your thirst more. You are passionate about new things, you like to discover new horizons and without the training to confirm your knowledge, you work like crazy to get to the bottom of things.

He knows how to afford deviance and resistance to social conformism

You know what to do, you are not always aware of what should not be done. You know how to be bold and you have not been shaped by certain schools. This doesn’t make you a free spirit, but someone capable of analyzing on your own. So you can be very innovative, without necessarily realizing it.

He likes to experiment

This desire to test, to go further, to play with what is offered to you is in your genes and it is part of your learning process.

He has a certain tolerance for uncertainty

Facing new situations, questioning yourself and learning new things, you do it all the time! What could scare you?

He knows how to improvise

Ok, sometimes you will be clumsy and clumsy, but you are capable of flexibility and adaptation. You know that with persistence you can get there. Don’t underestimate yourself anymore!

Conclusion

I hope you recognized yourself in this article. I hope it has inspired you and perhaps unlocked some false beliefs. Often our worst enemy as a self-taught person is none other than ourselves. You have to realize what you are capable of.

By the way, I recommend Assessfirst, a site that will create a sort of map of your talents, «soft skills» and your personality. It’s interesting and can help you sell yourself professionally and understand who you really are. If you are interested you can see my profile right here.