10 Things Every Programmer Should Know For Their First Job
preface
This article is “hindsight” for me, but here are some of the lessons I’ve learned since I got into programming.
0000 – It’s easy to be liked
If you have a sense of timing, dress appropriately, smile and don’t do stupid things, at least some people will like you. The truth is, it’s easy to get your co-workers to like you. Do you want to have a lot of friends? Put a bowl full of candy on your desk and you’ll find out how many friends you have.
0001 – It’s hard to be respected
Whether you have 20 years of experience in the industry or no experience, when you enter a company, no one respects you. It doesn’t mean they don’t like you or have negative feelings for you. That’s because you haven’t done anything to give people a reason to respect you. The quickest way to gain respect is to do your best work. Being at your best is not about being flashy and amazing, it’s about being effective and unifying. Don’t be afraid to lose respect when people see that you can do your job efficiently and correctly.
0010 – Everything you learned in college is useless
You will learn more in the first six months of your first job than in your entire college. You know what? Work can be stressful. Because one day the boss is going to ask you to do all the awesome stuff on your resume. You know, what kind of things do you learn in school? If you mess up, in college you resit and flunk. I’m sorry. You’re gonna get fired here. I recently discovered this situation at work. Some people are hired for certain skills and fired for not being able to solve problems. A lot of interesting things can happen in a first job.
Most companies have a probationary period of 30 to 90 days for new hires. Basically, if you screw up a project or your boss finds out you lied on your resume, forget it and pack your bags. Just remember not to lie!
0011 – Don’t stop learning
As the new guy, going into work with the “I don’t know anything, but I want to learn” mentality helps a lot. At least it’s less embarrassing when you realize how stupid you are. Realize that almost everyone has more experience and knows more than you do. The good news is that most people will be happy to share their knowledge with you if you ask smart questions and pay attention to what they do. Everyone subconsciously assumes that their opinions and experiences are valid, so don’t hesitate to find ways to improve the way you work. You can learn from everyone you work with as long as you ask questions. Ask about techniques, methods, and other things your colleagues might be proficient in. Observe how they use the command line. Everyone does things differently, and there are many unknowns to discover. Bad (and/or older) programmers tend to think “their” way is best, so they never ask for advice. Smart programmers are willing to accept that there might be a better way to do things. This means you must be willing to switch programming languages, environments, operating systems, or text editors.
“What! ? Call me to give up
Insert your own way of doing things here
? Why is that? Everybody knows it’s the best!” You have to get over it. If you want to solve new problems, you must learn humility and accept setbacks. It sucks, but get over it! Programming is hard, and being a good programmer is even harder. Sad on their own a person hide cry.
0100 – Your editor decides whether you live or die, so choose wisely
If you think I’m exaggerating, go online and ask which editor is the best. The response will be: Vi, Emacs, and some other IDE (usually Eclipse or Xcode). In fact, you’d be surprised how many people still use Vi as their primary editor (I think they should wake up and go back to the ’80s, though I’m one of them). The point is, if you don’t know how to use one of these editors, you might run into some problems. Find the best programmer in the office and see what editor he uses. Then, nod your head in agreement with his answer, print out your cheat sheet and start learning about the editor. Quick go to!
0101 – No one really cares what college you went to
If someone asks you what college you went to, don’t worry, they’re not judging you, it’s just polite conversation. If you’re good at programming, no one cares about that diploma. Want to know what they care more about than a diploma? Your performance. Don’t tell anyone about this because it makes you look like a jerk. I can’t emphasize it anymore. I’ve said enough.
0110 – Silence is never out of style
Just started work and don’t know what to say? Then don’t say anything. Nod and smile. Do colleagues keep you out of their discussions? Yeah, it’s awkward. People don’t know you, and you don’t know people. Give each other time and most of them will come to you. It takes time to be friends. Yeah, I know it’s hard being the new guy. I know a new environment is a challenge, but you have to pull yourself together. Time will take care of these problems. If you’re not a cranky person and do your job well, you’ll eventually be part of a team. Unless you’re hot or handsome, it’s hard to fit directly into the group. Good luck.
0111 – You will encounter eccentric, negative people, deal with them
Some people just don’t like you, sometimes it’s because they have serious emotional issues, they don’t like anyone, so they subconsciously hate you. These people never change, so you have to learn and work with them. If you find an enemy quickly, you just have to make friends with him, because you don’t know what will happen in the next few years. I’ve seen this happen a few times. The guy you hate today is your boss tomorrow.
1000 – Make friends with your computer
Want to make sure you always have the best conversation topics? Make friends with a computer. Here’s a tip for new hires: most people suddenly think of computer technicians because they need them or have problems. After a while, these things can worsen your view of the world. So go to their office and talk to them regularly. Don’t complain, don’t beg, just say hello and ask how their life is. It is an investment that always pays off. (If you can fix a computer… This paragraph is a bit difficult to translate.
1001 – You will never escape office politics
As a new person (if you start low enough), you don’t have to worry too much about this. But rest assured, as your responsibilities grow heavier, you will be in the game. You can’t escape, no matter how hard you try. You can choose not to play, but you will suffer. It’s a tough lesson for diehard geeks, because we like computers better than people. Maybe you got into IT simply because you liked IT. If so, I’m sorry, but if you want to go beyond a certain professional level, you have to become a member of management and join the political arena.
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