How to become a great impostor
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How to become a great impostor
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Re: How to become a great impostor
#2As the old saying goes "Fake it til you make it". Its always seemed like a dubious idiom to me but when reading stories like this one, there obviously has to be some truth in the efficacy of the proposition.
Re: How to become a great impostor
#3His main issue was that Instagram was not a thing back then.
Re: How to become a great impostor
#4As the old saying goes "Fake it til you make it". Its always seemed like a dubious idiom to me but when reading stories like this one, there obviously has to be some truth in the efficacy of the proposition.
I switched fields between BS and PhD, and a major component was learning the jargon. Perspective, conceptualizations, terminology, idioms, etc. Plus lots of facts, of course.
I've changed fields a few more times, over the years. As my interests and circumstances changed. Most recently, I worked as a ghostwriter and consultant. I used to joke that, given a couple months, I could pose as just about any sort of expert. And given the Internet, that's far easier than it was a couple decades ago.
Anyway, it strikes me that learning how to learn is the main thing that you get out of doing a PhD. Plus the credentials and professional network, of course.
Re: How to become a great impostor
#5“Since his aim was to do good, anything he did to do it was justified. With Demara the end always justifies the means.”
How many times in my life have I done such moral licensing?
Re: How to become a great impostor
#6His main issue was that Instagram was not a thing back then.
It could be argued that Instagram is a benefit for impostors as it allows them to present a fake track record/history using their timeline
Re: How to become a great impostor
#7As the old saying goes "Fake it til you make it". Its always seemed like a dubious idiom to me but when reading stories like this one, there obviously has to be some truth in the efficacy of the proposition.
I switched fields between BS and PhD, and a major component was learning the jargon. Perspective, conceptualizations, terminology, idioms, etc. Plus lots of facts, of course. I've changed fields a few more times, over the years. As my interests and circumstances changed. Most recently, I worked as a ghostwriter and consultant. I used to joke that, given a couple months, I could pose as just about any sort of expert.…
> given a couple months, I could pose as just about any sort of expert.
Intriguing, and I wonder whether it's true. Probably in social settings for a while, but hopefully not eg through a job interview.
(related xkcd, "Impostor": https://www.xkcd.com/451/ )
Re: How to become a great impostor
#8Demara reminds me of the 90s show The Pretender, I'm going to assume Demara was the inspiration. That show was lots of fun.
And there was an episode of M.A.S.H clearly inspired by Demara. Someone impersonating a surgeon, getting caught then changing identities to a chaplain.
Re: How to become a great impostor
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
I switched fields between BS and PhD, and a major component was learning the jargon. Perspective, conceptualizations, terminology, idioms, etc. Plus lots of facts, of course. I've changed fields a few more times, over the years. As my interests and circumstances changed. Most recently, I worked as a ghostwriter and consultant. I used to joke that, given a couple months, I could pose as just about any sort of expert.…
> given a couple months, I could pose as just about any sort of expert. Intriguing, and I wonder whether it's true. Probably in social settings for a while, but hopefully not eg through a job interview. (related xkcd, "Impostor": https://www.xkcd.com/451/ )
No, not job interviews. But I did ghostwrite parts of medical reviews, and of briefs and expert reports in litigation.
Re: How to become a great impostor
#10I've heard it said that the art of being a great consultant is knowing which book to read just before a meeting with the client