Dear Junior Engineer,
This June marks twenty years since I entered the tech field, graduating from university the December before. Those twenty years are split between IT Helpdesk and leadership, software engineering, infrastructure engineering, and currently security engineering. As I look back over that time, there are things I wish I could tell myself, but this is for today’s junior engineers instead.
On your first day of your first job (or any job afterward), find those who share your interests. These people will be the ones who make those boring days much more manageable. They will also be the ones you remember the most. I met people that I keep in touch with today, people I talk to once in a while, and people that I have not talked to in years…but I appreciate them all.
When you’re new to the field or to the job, ask as many questions as you can as soon as you can. It’s much better than trying to fake it, then have to ask those questions months down the road with egg on your face.
Just like asking questions, it’s a good rule of thumb not to make assumptions. Don’t assume you’ve got everything figured out…there’s always the chance something unexpected could throw you off, so gather the details early and keep others in the loop. Don’t assume you’re excelling just because no one has raised concerns…make a point to check in with your manager regularly. And don’t assume you can’t do something simply because no one has given you explicit permission; take initiative. That said, be mindful not to overstep or stray too far outside your role…but don’t stay boxed in just because it feels comfortable.
Whether it’s about the job, the employer, the technology, or new technology, never stop learning. The more you know about your job and employer, the better engineer you will be. The more you know about the technology you’re working on or want to work on, the better you will be at building your apps. Don’t assume that just because you’re no longer in school that you can stop learning new things.
This may just be a list of advice, and that’s what it’s supposed to be: a concrete list of things to do because if I told you that there will be bad days as well as good days, that you will break production and have leadership or management stare at you until it’s fixed (but that’s okay because that will be a learning experience), that you may get bored with what you’re doing every couple of years… it may scare you off. I don’t want to do that because we senior engineers want to see you succeed. Why? We were there before, in your shoes, and we had people who were in the field for a while who supported us and we want to pay it forward.
May the Force be with you… B