DefinitelyAnAlt
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User ID: 1378
DefinitelyAnAlt
5mo ago
If you're hired, you have earned the right to be there. It means you are smart enough. A new employee seems stupid because they're ignorant and unfamiliar.
To that end, your goal should be to rid yourself of that ignorance and get familiar with the standard work-loop. This is very important. You only get better by doing. Best to pick up the smallest item that you can take to completion and build up momentum.
Once you find your bearings, you can nerd out with your coworker. To become an expert, one must obsessively chase excellence in their craft. By definition, they become nerds about some aspect of their job. If you start a conversation with them about that obsession, they are generous with their time. In fact, they'll often go out of their way to help you learn.
On your side, it means working hard, being proactive and following up on these resources/engagements offered by people. Yes, that means your first couple of months will demand longer hours. But for it most part, it's just time, repetition and focus.
I don't want to interrupt the smart people
You have to. You should. And you should more of it in your first few months. It's easy to get stuck in "you don't know what you don't know" if you don't deal with it early. The only way to mitigate this risk is to ask.
Set the expectation up front. I explicitly told my manager that 'I will be a loud idiot [1]' for the first few weeks. He agreed and encouraged it [2]. Everyone has been there before.
Have clear escalation ladder when asking for help. Mine goes something like: 'Spend a few hours trying to self-start -> Look for wiki -> DM a coworker for resources -> hop on a call -> sit side by side for spoon-fed demonstration'.
[1] in those exact words, but I did repeat it in more professional phrasing right after
[2] Takes some luck to have the right culture / leadership
edit: accidentally replied from my main account :|
If you're a software developer, I highly recommend sitting shoulder-to-shoulder or screen sharing with a coworker to see exactly how they work. It sounds intrusive, but there are a ton of subtle things that good devs do, that never gets brought up in conversations. It gives you a real feel for what your flow (as a fellow dev in the team) should look like.
DefinitelyAnAlt
5mo ago
IC = Individual contributors, as opposed to smooth-talking managers.
I'm ~30. I'm on the "younger" side for this team.
pretty stressful
Not yet. My 1st year at the previous job was god-tier stressful, so my tolerance has gone way up.
DefinitelyAnAlt
5mo ago
I understand. But gotta have.OpSec.
I'm less paranoid on my main. That profile is as hidden as sydney sweeney's assets. I share revealing and intimate information on this alt, so I edit out my comments on a monthly-ish basis.
May start using my main here for innocuous life updates
She poured coffee without looking up.
Rain slid down the window in thin, crooked lines.
He tapped his foot faster with every passing second.
She locked the door and exhaled slowly.
The cursor blinked on an empty screen.
Goals for 2026
Fitness
Relationship
Move in together & get engaged or go back to square one. No more long term committed relationship that is almost over the horizon but not quite. Hopefully it is the former and not the latter.
Work
Reach the end of the year feeling secure about my place in my career. Sounds lame, but I have been making feeling anxious about my career for a while despite making good numbers. My salary 3x-ed from 2021-2025, but for some reason I feel like I'm falling behind. Doesn't help that some of my peers have comfortably graduated to 7 figure networth. It's this but worse. Karpathy eclipses me in all technical areas and 2026 feels like it will be decisive year in my field.
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