In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:
I’m a junior software engineer who has been placed in charge of a handful of graduates and interns who have joined my team. The project is fairly technical.
For the first two weeks, the new starters were pair programming. That went well, and after talking to each new starter they were eager to start working individually.
We’re one month in and I’m concerned about the performance of one of the engineers, “Morgan” (fake name). Morgan has completed a degree from a good university we often hire from but appears to lack any knowledge of software development. As a result, Morgan seems to struggle with researching and working through problems beyond following tutorials. I got the impression that while pair programming Morgan didn’t contribute much.
Is there anything I could do to give Morgan the boost needed to start rolling? I’m sure I could spoon feed Morgan, but it would monopolize my time when I’m already spending time with the other new starters on top of my own tasks.
I want to give Morgan a shot, but I don’t know what to do. At what point do I tell my manager about my concerns?
Things I’ve encountered:
Even all these issues in aggregate would be fine with me, but the continual resemblance and behavior of a stunned mullet isn’t encouraging. After being told to research a concept, Morgan must be told the specific Google query to type in.
Thanks, and apologies for the essay!
Listener Confused Cat asks,
I spent just over four years on a team where technical growth was lacking. Recently, I transitioned to a new team within the same company, and I’m enjoying the atmosphere, the team dynamics, and the opportunity to engage in more challenging software development tasks. Fortunately, my motivation is beginning to resurface.
However, I’ve noticed that my technical skills have become somewhat rusty. While I can still deliver systems and features, I feel like I’m falling behind compared to some of my peers. This self-awareness is causing me to doubt myself, despite receiving no negative feedback from my current team or supervisor. It’s not just imposter syndrome; I genuinely feel the need to upskill.
How can I navigate this situation effectively? What strategies would you suggest for advancing my skills while holding a senior position and preventing feelings of inadequacy from affecting my performance?
Episode 234: Job hopping and untenable counter-offers
Episode 233: Manual unit testing and WFH demotivation
Episode 232: "Junior" developer and NDA'd
Episode 231: Freedom for me not for thee and optimizing for growth
Episode 230: Not seeking promotion and taking code
Episode 229: Other people's code and moving into product management
Episode 228: Unpaid team lead and banking hours
Episode 227: Junior expectations and manager flakiness
Episode 226: Declining job offers and being the outside hire
Episode 225: Stuck on the ladder and can't say no
Episode 224: Bad review from conflicted boss and questioning my career choices
Episode 223: Feedback rage and making up for lost time
Episode 222: Cowboy CTO and underpaid after promotion
Episode 221: Current boss reference and getting paid to do nothing
Episode 220: Premature leadership push and credit and status
Episode 219: Remote crickets and Manager Careering
Episode 218: Referral underperforming and take a tech lead role
Episode 217: Quitting words and double COVID internship
Episode 216: One-on-ones and inter-team power struggles
Episode 215: Many jobs in one and junior git stickler
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