Hey Jean! Thanks for your blog post. I found it super inspiring. You inspired me to write the 5 things I'd like to tell my 22-year old self.
1.- Contrary to popular belief, (and this is one of my most contrarian opinions,) you're paid for your time, not for your results. When working, you're expected to work, not to be on IG.
Imagine 2 persons. You assign both the same project. One of them spends 2h working on it, slacks off for 6h, and delivers it by the end of the day. The other person spends 12h working on the same project (8h + 4h the next day), and ships some thoughtfully written code, though by all means they could have written it faster. Which of the 2 would you prefer working with? I'd pick the 2nd one, for they're in. The 1st probably thinks that they're smarter than everyone else, and in due time they'll use their time to practice Leetcode.
However, in time you'll realize that work != writing code. Reading, discussing, thinking, all that is work.
Besides, if you worked when you were expected to, you'll be able to relax when you're expected not to be working.
2.- Learn to pick your battles. At the beginning of your career, your battles are picked for you (most oftenly by your manager). But a point will come where you'll realize that you're better suited to pick your own battles than your mgr is, and you'll start experiencing a lot of autonomy. On the same line, autonomy is not something that is given to you by someone else, but something that you claim for yourself.
3.- Have grit. Things can get boring / unexciting at times but that doesn't mean you're not progressing –i.e. what you just wrote about in your post.
4.- There's more work than you can fathom so don't sweat too much over it. It's a never-ending stream of work you so ought to find your "marathon pace". However, you do need to know how/when to sprint - when to pull the proverbial all nighter and meet the shipping date - it's a skill.
5.- Be passionate; enjoying your work doesn't necessarily mean "having fun relaxedly" - it's enjoyable to be passionate –and maybe even a bit opinionated–.
Thanks Jean. It was nice to read about your journey and retrospective perspective. While not an engineer, I relate to your lessons learned. With the letting go of the outcome, I'd add -don't take your career choices so seriously. Circumstances change, opportunities arise and pass, if you are clear on where you want to go, you'll end up near there. Also, find a mentor. Mentors, despite popular belief, aren't always in one's org/company. Look around your network and find people whose philosophies, being, and work you respect.
Hey Jean! Thanks for your blog post. I found it super inspiring. You inspired me to write the 5 things I'd like to tell my 22-year old self.
1.- Contrary to popular belief, (and this is one of my most contrarian opinions,) you're paid for your time, not for your results. When working, you're expected to work, not to be on IG.
Imagine 2 persons. You assign both the same project. One of them spends 2h working on it, slacks off for 6h, and delivers it by the end of the day. The other person spends 12h working on the same project (8h + 4h the next day), and ships some thoughtfully written code, though by all means they could have written it faster. Which of the 2 would you prefer working with? I'd pick the 2nd one, for they're in. The 1st probably thinks that they're smarter than everyone else, and in due time they'll use their time to practice Leetcode.
However, in time you'll realize that work != writing code. Reading, discussing, thinking, all that is work.
Besides, if you worked when you were expected to, you'll be able to relax when you're expected not to be working.
2.- Learn to pick your battles. At the beginning of your career, your battles are picked for you (most oftenly by your manager). But a point will come where you'll realize that you're better suited to pick your own battles than your mgr is, and you'll start experiencing a lot of autonomy. On the same line, autonomy is not something that is given to you by someone else, but something that you claim for yourself.
3.- Have grit. Things can get boring / unexciting at times but that doesn't mean you're not progressing –i.e. what you just wrote about in your post.
4.- There's more work than you can fathom so don't sweat too much over it. It's a never-ending stream of work you so ought to find your "marathon pace". However, you do need to know how/when to sprint - when to pull the proverbial all nighter and meet the shipping date - it's a skill.
5.- Be passionate; enjoying your work doesn't necessarily mean "having fun relaxedly" - it's enjoyable to be passionate –and maybe even a bit opinionated–.
Thanks Jean. It was nice to read about your journey and retrospective perspective. While not an engineer, I relate to your lessons learned. With the letting go of the outcome, I'd add -don't take your career choices so seriously. Circumstances change, opportunities arise and pass, if you are clear on where you want to go, you'll end up near there. Also, find a mentor. Mentors, despite popular belief, aren't always in one's org/company. Look around your network and find people whose philosophies, being, and work you respect.