Congrats on landing your new tech job!

When you accept your offer at a new tech job, there's no better feeling than looking forward to that sweet paycheck and building products that users will love.

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Tech is known for its challenging workplace culture. Long hours, constant changes, pressure, gatekeeping, and discrimination can all lead to burnout.

man with glasses yelling in frustration Photo by Yogendra Singh on Unsplash

Starting Your Tech Job

Picture this: It's your first week, your head is already spinning as your manager DMs you yet again, you worked late again last night to try to understand the onboarding instructions, and you have three more long meetings to get through this afternoon. You have zero energy to see your friends or go to the gym.

person in hat typing wildly at a computer

I worked in big tech and at startups for years as a software engineer. The workplace culture of each team and company I worked with had its benefits, but the challenge of staying sane while still growing my career in a tough culture was the same everywhere.

Challenge #1: Being Thrown in the Deep End

person in water with large waves with eyes closed Photo by Dawn Casey on Unsplash

You may feel that you've been thrown in the deep end with little support when you first start. In fact, this is such a common experience that the phrase "thrown in the deep end" is often used by managers.

Most of us learn better with structure and support, but sadly this usually isn't the case in tech when starting a new role.

How to Navigate the Deep End

  • Be a student. Get an onboarding buddy and set up regular meetings with them. Even if you don't have a specific question, have them walk you through a feature or part of the code.

  • Be a teacher. Contribute to the onboarding wiki as you go through it. This helps you learn and looks good on your promotion documents.

  • Be curious. I know I often felt like I was constantly messaging my teammates when I was blocked or had questions, but asking questions when you're stuck is a good habit and helps you get to know your team.

Quiz

On your first day your manager says, "We just throw people in the deep end. You need to be independent. Here's the link to our outdated onboarding wiki." What could you do next to make sure you onboard quickly? Select all actions that apply:

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Challenge #2: Working Long Days and Weekends

Yay! You get to work over the weekend...again. If you're working nights and weekends at a salaried position, you're essentially working for free. You won't receive overtime pay for missing your friend's Fourth of July party in order to ship last-minute features. How much of your precious time do you want to volunteer?

Futuristic astronauts in a ship's control room. One asks, "There's no way we're gonna be out by 5 today, are we?"

How to Navigate Working Nights and Weekends

  • Use your calendar. Block out "focus time", keep your available hours updated, snooze notifications outside of working time, and add events like the dentist.

  • Use all of your vacation. I had friends with so much unused vacation that they stopped accruing more! Schedule vacations in advance and let everyone know when you're out.

  • Use your negotiation skills. It's up to you how much you want to work overtime, but if you're feeling overworked, make a deal with your manager to take time off later in the week or month to compensate.

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Challenge #3: Projects Growing Out of Control

mouse waving its hands and saying Too Much!

What?! My Project Just Doubled in Size?!

Also known as "pivoting" or "churn" or "scope creep", change in design or requirements for a project is so common in tech. Maybe a new designer joins the team and wants a new look and feel for the product, or what initially was a week's worth of work is now three weeks. Either way, it's up to you to choose the best way to adapt. Don't be afraid to ask for advice from colleagues and peers if you feel lost.

How to Navigate Scope Creep

  • Get organized. Scope, or break down your feature into steps and estimate time for each, before starting work. Identify where the uncertainty lies and create a timeline.

  • Get curious. Is this change truly going to solve the problem? If this change is a lot of effort, is there an easier alternative that maybe solves part of the problem? If more work is required, how much longer will that take?

  • Get loud. Communicate timelines, estimates, and scoping early and often to stakeholders like engineers and product managers.

A person with a hat yelling into a loudspeaker. Photo by Shubham Pawar on Unsplash

Quiz: What Would You Do?

You've worked on a feature for three weeks and it's on track to meet the deadline. Your manager messages you, "We need to add this new requirement to the project you're working on. Make sure you can still meet the deadline." You start to panic. You ask your manager to hop on a quick call.

Quiz

Which of the following could you discuss with your manager? Select all that apply:

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Take Action

A man in an office holds out his arms and says, "Welcome aboard." Before you start your first tech job:

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