One of the things people often say about women in tech is that they apologize and hesitate too much. Some even cite this as a reason for why women in general do not advance ​as far as men in tech. Phrases like "I don't know" and "I'm not sure" and even "I think" are often regarded as indicators that one lacks confidence. 

​However, sometimes that is simply the truth. Sometimes, I simply do not know the answer. Most often, I do think that something is right. And you know what? There is no shame in any of that. 

Rather than telling people that they need to sound more confident by proclaiming rather than appear unsure, we need to encourage people to be proud of being unsure. If you do not know something, be proud about it. There is a difference between apologizing for not knowing and being proud about not knowing. ​The latter is real confidence.