Hey, it’s Rahul & Lani.
At some point in engineering, you start to feel like everyone else has it figured out.
They understand lectures faster.
They ask better questions.
They seem more confident walking into exams.
And you start to wonder if you’re the only one still figuring things out.
This Sunday Setup is about why that feeling is misleading.
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LinkedIn: Lani Aremu, Rahul Lakdawala
Sunday Setups - The “No One Knows What They’re Doing” Effect
Engineering creates a very specific illusion.
Everyone looks like they understand what’s going on. In reality, most people are figuring it out as they go. You just don’t see that part.
What you actually see is selective:
• The student who answers questions in class
• Someone who looks confident after a midterm
• Completed assignments that look clean and intentional
What you don’t see is what led up to it:
• How long it took them to understand the concept
• The uncertainty before the exam
• The failed attempts behind a finished solution
So it starts to feel like everyone is ahead.
In reality, everyone is just at different points in the same process.
Some people are a few steps ahead.
Some are a day ahead.
Some just hide confusion better.
Very few people are as “on top of everything” as they seem.
That’s the part engineering doesn’t show you.
The environment makes this worse. Performance is public. Struggle is private.
• Questions are asked in front of everyone
• Answers are visible
• Confusion happens alone
So confidence becomes visible.
Uncertainty doesn’t.
Over time, this creates a distorted picture. You start comparing your internal confusion to other people’s external confidence.
That comparison will always make you feel behind.
Not because you are.
But because you’re measuring two completely different things.
Engineering doesn’t reward people who have everything figured out. It rewards people who keep moving forward even when things are unclear, incomplete, or uncomfortable.
Most people you think have it all together are doing exactly that.
Figuring it out as they go.
Sunday is for protecting the system.
Not reacting to it.
See you next Sunday🦫,