when i switched from consulting to UX/product design four years ago, i spent about 18 months in a kind of credential fog. everyone else on my team had formal design degrees, portfolio school pedigrees, years of the right kind of experience. i had a consulting background, a bootcamp certificate, and a lot of self-taught hours.
the work i produced was good. i knew it was good because i had clients who said so and because i could see the difference my work made. but the CREDENTIALS didn't match. so even when my capability was real, i didn't feel like i had the right to present it with confidence.
there's a specific version of imposter syndrome that hits career-switchers that's different from what someone in a linear career feels. you're not just doubting your ability. you're doubting your right to even be in the field. like you snuck in through a side door and anyone who looks at your path too closely will notice.
some things that helped me specifically:
separating credential from capability. i had to consciously practice saying "my path is different" instead of "my path is lesser." not the same thing. took a lot of repetition.
finding the transferable expertise. consulting gave me systems thinking, client communication, and ability to synthesize ambiguous information into clear outputs. those are genuinely valuable in design. it took me a while to stop hiding that and start leading with it.
finding other switchers. i joined a design slack with a #career-switchers channel. just knowing i wasn't the only one who took a nonlinear path helped.
if you switched fields and feel like you're cosplaying as someone in your job: it usually takes 2-3 years before the credential fog lifts and you start to feel like the pivot was complete. not because you got more credentials. because you got more proof.