How did you fake it 'til you made it?

I think about this a lot! Did I fake anything? I certainly felt out of my league quite often early in my career, and on paper, this may have been true. I aggressively pursued knowledge, tried to work on the hardest problems, found the best mentors I could, removed ego from my thought process, sought humility and tried to maintain self-esteem. Easy, right!

There were times in the first half of my career when I intentionally cultivated the illusion that I was an expert. Really, I just had a decent overview, plus documentation-reading skills. This led to me being promoted beyond my abilities, and it bit me at least once. Over time, the reality of my skills and the perception balanced out, so I wasn’t pretending anymore.

Your question is only asking for answers from people who have "made it."

What about all the people who have faked it yet never made it?

Have a baseline of competency. Be the person who can talk about things and sound knowledgeable, while also being able some of it, whether or not you can perform at the right level. Figure out how to do the latter very quickly.

I got so good at keeping my autism to myself that nobody suspected until I went to a shrink because I needed support myself after supporting my wife in her struggle with breast cancer (she's better now) and suggested evaluation after a dozen sessions. Masking my autism helped me "make it" in normie society at considerable personal expense in terms of emotional labor.