👩🏻💻 I'm an imposter (Nonlinear Techies: May 11)
Rewiring our brains re: imposter syndrome + how to save money on taxes
Giveaway winners! I announced Giveaway winners on IG - look out for y’all’s DMs (this is also the only time I’ll DM you first - otherwise beware of scammers!). Thank you to everyone who entered - I wish I could have picked all of you, so I hope to do more of these in the future.
How to save on taxes
If you’ve watched my budgeting videos, you know how much I pay in taxes. While I’m all for paying my fair share, I hate missing out on tax-disadvantaged accounts and credits.
I can’t believe I’m typing this, but I’m co-hosting a webinar on May 21 with Ankur Nagpal on how to save on taxes. Ankur is an entrepreneur who founded Teachable and now Carry, and shares great personal finance online for high earners. He’s one of my favorite follows, so I’m just as excited as you to learn from Ankur!
This is NOT sponsored, but I do earn affiliate income if you decide to join Carry using my link! This is a product I’m personally exploring for my Solo 401K, that also can help you set up your Roth IRA (including backdoor!) and other brokerage accounts to max out on tax savings.
I’m also going to be at the OOO Summit on Friday May 16 in NYC with the Carry team (there’s a few days left to get $100 off the ticket here w/ code HANNAH)
Imposter syndrome is a good thing.
If you’ve pivoted to a new industry, started at a new company, or even just thought about changing careers, chances are you’ve felt imposter syndrome at some point.
You’ve probably felt like a fraud because you lack the right experience or credentials, and suddenly you're afraid someone’s going to find out you don’t belong.
I’ve been there. When I moved from Sales & Trading to Investment Banking with no internship experience. When I got hired as a Manager at a tech startup (a role that technically required 3–5 years of experience) even though I only had 2 in a completely different industry.
But here’s the thing.
Being an “imposter” actually helped me succeed.
Not immediately, of course. At first, it just felt uncomfortable. But in hindsight, imposter syndrome turned out to be a motivator.
Here’s why:
It made me hungry to learn. I worked overtime behind the scenes because I wanted to catch up. The hustle paid off. I nailed key projects, earned a promotion, and eventually led a team.
It made me more thoughtful. Because I didn’t assume I had all the answers, I was more careful with decisions and more curious in meetings.
It gave me a different lens. Coming from another industry meant I could add value through new perspectives. (Side note: David Epstein’s book Range explains this well—how generalists and career switchers often outperform early specialists. It’s worth a read if your path’s been anything but linear.)
There’s research to back this up: According to this Harvard Business Review article, studies have shown that imposter thoughts don’t negatively impact performance.
So no, you don’t need to “overcome” imposter syndrome. You just need to understand what it’s telling you: You’re growing! (Even if it feels hard in the moment.)
Jobs I'd Apply to This Week
Curated US roles (mostly) in tech/startups for generalists and career pivoters with ~2+ years of experience
Typically includes: Strategy & Ops / BizOps, GTM, Chief of Staff, occasionally Program/Project Manager, Product & Product Marketing, etc.
Chief Dot Connector / Chief Angle Officer - Outlever (Marketing tech, Location flexible/TBD)
BD Manager, Growth & Ecosystem Partnerships - Notion (SaaS, SF/NYC)
Various Operations Roles - Traba (Marketplace, Series A, NYC)
Investment Services Analyst - Mercor (AI, Remote, hourly)
Technical Program Manager, Global Business Group – Meta (NYC)
Global Senior Partner Manager – Uber (NYC)
Operations & Strategy Manager (Public Sector) - Scale AI (AI, Late stage, DC)
Entrepreneur in Residence– FutureSight (Venture Studio, Remote/NYC)
Lead Business Operations – US – Parloa (AI/SaaS, Series B, NYC)
Technical PM – Basis (Fintech, Early-Stage, NYC)
Technical Product Manager, Start-up Ventures (Wisable) – D. E. Shaw Group (Finance/Incubator, NYC)
M&A Integration – Figma (SaaS/Design, Series E, NYC)
Lead, M&A Corporate Development – Compass (Proptech, Public, NYC)
Manager, Venture Investing – Technical Investing Associate – Capital One (Finance, Public, NYC)
Sr. Technical Business Developer, MBA – Amazon (Tech, Public, NYC)
Manager, Growth & Startups – Airwallex (Fintech, Series E, NYC)
Marketing & Growth Lead – Arist (GTM SaaS, Series A, NYC)
This is NOT meant to be "every tech generalist job under the sun", just roles on my radar that I want to share with you!
Other job search platforms I recommend for nonlinear techies include: YC, Wellfound, Builtin, Dice, Remote.co, and of course LinkedIn.
In case you missed it…
5 things about career pivots that took me 5 years to learn (1M views on Linkedin?!)
Career advice interview: Investment banking → MBA → startup founder
5 things to read/watch/listen to if you feel behind in your career
Nonlinear career advice from my mom (in honor of Mother’s Day!)
If you find this newsletter helpful, share it with a fellow nonlinear techie!