Asking for help from your mentor or teammate can feel like an intimidating task, even after they've extended an invitation for you to do so multiple times.  

Why is it so difficult to ask for help? 

'You are an intern; you're not expected to know everything. You are here to learn.' It's true. But sometimes, the ego perceives this truth as a trap - a test. 

It's the perfect time for imposter syndrome to slide into the DMs of your mind.

If I ask for help or say how I feel, they may think that I'm ______.

Lazy, unprofessional, dumb, unconfident or worse: 

Incapable.  

I have to prove that I'm not any of these things, so there is no way that I am going to ask for help now. 

Imposter syndrome has officially spammed your mind. Again! 

I thought I blocked you?! How can I get rid of you?

Imposter syndrome is very common, and even senior techies experience it. If or when it comes back, you can learn to overcome it.

Try writing a list of all your academic or life achievements to read to yourself whenever the imposter visits. See it for what it is; false news that's trying to disguise itself as fact.

Remember that your team is there to support and encourage you. You each contribute your own unique skill set, experiences and strengths, and you are all fundamentally equals. Asking for help is an opportunity for you to learn from and teach one another, enabling you to grow as a team and person.

So although it may feel vulnerable to ask for help when you need it, you'd be doing yourself and your team a great disservice by not speaking up and saying:

"I need your help."

This post is part of a series by our 2021 Marketing Intern, Yana Brewster. Keep an eye out - she will be continually posting as her internship journey progresses!

See her last post here: Summer of Tech Internship - Aligning Values