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A few things I wish I knew as a junior developer and designer that would’ve probably helped.
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Finding a job.
Be patient and take rejection as a way to improve. Early on as I was applying for jobs, I took every single rejection personally. It demotivated me. I now realize there are way too many factors in a rejection, many unrelated to you. It only takes one yes. 1/14
Be patient and take rejection as a way to improve. Early on as I was applying for jobs, I took every single rejection personally. It demotivated me. I now realize there are way too many factors in a rejection, many unrelated to you. It only takes one yes. 1/14
Push back and don’t just take it all in.
Managers don’t always know what’s best and they don’t always have the full context. Make sure you understand the why behind what you’re doing. Push for transparency whenever you feel like you don’t have the full picture. 2/14
Managers don’t always know what’s best and they don’t always have the full context. Make sure you understand the why behind what you’re doing. Push for transparency whenever you feel like you don’t have the full picture. 2/14
Don’t just develop your craft, develop your leadership and collaboration.
Take every project you work through as an opportunity to improve your whole self, not just your craft. Every project has its wins and losses, learn from both. 3/14
Take every project you work through as an opportunity to improve your whole self, not just your craft. Every project has its wins and losses, learn from both. 3/14
Seek constructive feedback.
I had an annual review with a manager once where he told me I was doing everything right. I was excited. I now realize that was bad. We all have room to grow, seek constructive feedback from your peers, manager, & your cross-functional partners. 4/14
I had an annual review with a manager once where he told me I was doing everything right. I was excited. I now realize that was bad. We all have room to grow, seek constructive feedback from your peers, manager, & your cross-functional partners. 4/14
Embrace opportunities. You can afford to fail!
I rejected opportunities early on because I was worried about change. Later on, I started embracing more opportunities. It enabled me to move from eng to design & to design management. If you can afford it, embrace change. 5/14
I rejected opportunities early on because I was worried about change. Later on, I started embracing more opportunities. It enabled me to move from eng to design & to design management. If you can afford it, embrace change. 5/14
Learn to identify bad culture and micro-aggressions.
Early on, when I was part of a team with a bad culture, I simply looked around to hear other voices pushing back, and when they didn’t, I assumed all was good, it was just me. It wasn’t. I should’ve trusted my gut. 6/14
Early on, when I was part of a team with a bad culture, I simply looked around to hear other voices pushing back, and when they didn’t, I assumed all was good, it was just me. It wasn’t. I should’ve trusted my gut. 6/14
Take every opportunity to present and represent.
Public speaking isn’t for everybody & early on, it wasn’t for me. Find your way of presenting your work. Even if you suck at first, it takes practice and practice only comes from these opportunities to make mistakes early on. 7/14
Public speaking isn’t for everybody & early on, it wasn’t for me. Find your way of presenting your work. Even if you suck at first, it takes practice and practice only comes from these opportunities to make mistakes early on. 7/14
Do every part of the job well, you don’t know what part you’ll like best or who’s watching. Many times, your next big break depends on the relationships you build and the work you deliver right now. 8/14
Treat others well and build with them.
Good software is built by teams. Learn to collaborate. The one thing you can control is how you treat others. Don’t burn bridges, they might take you places you can’t yet imagine. 9/14
Good software is built by teams. Learn to collaborate. The one thing you can control is how you treat others. Don’t burn bridges, they might take you places you can’t yet imagine. 9/14
Praise others and share credit.
Just like you’d expect for yourself, make sure to send that thank you note, to email a manager to tell them about a rockstar on their team, and to share credit when credit is due. 10/14
Just like you’d expect for yourself, make sure to send that thank you note, to email a manager to tell them about a rockstar on their team, and to share credit when credit is due. 10/14
Assume everyone has the right intent.
Early on in my career, I often confused intent with competence or ability. Just because someone doesn’t want to do something, can’t do something, or doesn’t believe we should do it, it doesn’t mean they have bad intent. 11/14
Early on in my career, I often confused intent with competence or ability. Just because someone doesn’t want to do something, can’t do something, or doesn’t believe we should do it, it doesn’t mean they have bad intent. 11/14
Think about work/life balance.
Especially while working from home and especially in tech, long hours and stressful projects are seen as a right of passage. Many times, the same results can be achieved with the right balance. You can’t go far if you’re burned out. 12/14
Especially while working from home and especially in tech, long hours and stressful projects are seen as a right of passage. Many times, the same results can be achieved with the right balance. You can’t go far if you’re burned out. 12/14
Advocate for yourself.
Doing good work and waiting for good rewards is good but isn’t always true. This is especially true for minorities in tech. Advocate for yourself, nobody cares about your career and future as much as you do. 13/14 https://www.mynameisjehad.com/ask-for-your-next-promotion/">https://www.mynameisjehad.com/ask-for-y...
Doing good work and waiting for good rewards is good but isn’t always true. This is especially true for minorities in tech. Advocate for yourself, nobody cares about your career and future as much as you do. 13/14 https://www.mynameisjehad.com/ask-for-your-next-promotion/">https://www.mynameisjehad.com/ask-for-y...
I acknowledge this is based on my experience and some of it is specific to tech companies so last piece of the advice: always take your own path, advice is supposed to help, not take over your path. 14/14
