42% of tech workers admit to faking skills, Adobe survey reveals

CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — A growing number of tech workers are privately grappling with the weight of exaggerated resumes.

According to a new Adobe survey, 42% of employees in tech-related roles say they’ve experienced imposter syndrome from overstating their technical skills. It reveals a growing disconnect between claimed expertise and actual know-how in the modern workplace.

The survey of 1,009 full-time U.S. employees found that the pressure to appear tech-savvy is pushing many to fake it until they make it. More than half (57%) of workers in tech roles report feeling intense pressure to appear technologically proficient, 97% more than their non-tech peers.

Late-night learning, skill gaps common among tech workers

To keep up appearances, 55% of tech workers admitted to secretly staying late, averaging 38 extra hours per year, just to learn the skills they were already assumed to have. These crash courses range from creating data dashboards to learning how to reduce PDF file sizes before an important deadline.

Even basic terminology is a hurdle: one in seven tech employees couldn’t correctly define “PDF,” and nearly half admitted to pretending they understood technical jargon during meetings. 

Twelve percent of tech workers have been caught red-handed faking skills at work. Gen Z employees appear especially vulnerable, with 45% reporting imposter syndrome and 10% confessing to being caught pretending to know certain tech concepts.

Continuous upskilling is essential—but challenging

To bridge the gap, tech employees report spending about 64 hours per year upskilling, with YouTube (71%), online courses (50%), and on-the-job learning (48%) as their go-to resources.

Still, the pace of technology is making it difficult to stay current. Non-tech workers are also feeling the pressure: they’re 156% more likely to struggle with AI tools and 123% more likely to lack cloud computing proficiency than their tech-focused peers.

As Adobe’s findings reveal, the demand for digital competency is outpacing many workers’ comfort zones, leading to a quiet epidemic of self-doubt behind every screen.