Programming

A bit off-topic, but:

Knowing about these cognitive distortions always makes it so hard to self-evaluate too! Am I actually better than I think and I am just aware of how much I do not know, causing me to evaluate myself too lowly? Or am I an arrogant asshole, "knowing about the Dunning-Kruger effect does not make you special, especially with how often it's cited everywhere online now," and I should keep evaluating myself lowly? Imposter syndrome exists, but some people really are faking it and do not know anything, so am I underevaluating myself and feeling like an impostor when I should not be?

However, I also know if I state things with confidence or say I'm good at something, I'm more likely (at least online) to receive challenges and arguments about why I'm a puffed-up blowhard who actually knows nothing about anything, so I always trend towards "actually I'm just stupid" to avoid being whacked with the "ARROGANT FUCKHEAD" stick. (This is in general, not just about the tech topics this forum is for.)

I've read another article on his site that I have to be able to just at least appear to confidently make a decision and live with the consequences that maybe my guess is wrong instead of presenting the whole pro-and-con list, instead of hemming and hawing about how my judgment is imperfect and I'm afraid of thinking I'm competent but actually being someone the internet would tear apart for gross incompetence and the audacity to assume I'm not. (I went through a lot of his articles on a rabbit hole from another of his articles posted on programming.dev.) But luckily I'm not in the decision-making-advise-non-tech-folks-on-big-decisions-most-qualified-person-in-the-room position that this advice is geared towards and do not bear that responsibility.