This was written both as an excerpt for new software developers, software developers who are starting soon, and those who would just like to see what the future entails for them.
For Those In The Job Search 👀
At 20 years old I am able to create a better future for myself and my family. I had no interest in working at Facebook or Microsoft or any other top tech company. For me, software development has always been a passion and not a job that pays. I would rather be swamped at work working with people I love being around and making a difference rather than fixing small bugs or documenting code. This is not a statement to offend those working at big companies, but that just isn't my forte as a developer. The day I signed my offer, it was almost as if every rejection I had ever gotten was cleared from my head. My friend and fellow software developer Chris Short and Austin Woodall had told me for months that the feeling of being rejected and missed opportunity would disappear immediately once I got my first position as a software developer. I'm glad to say he was 100% right. I received over 150+ rejections, and that isn't including the 50+ companies that didn't end up even sending a rejection letter back. If you are in the job search I hear you and I know the feeling. As someone who has worked so hard to be where they are, when you get a rejection it's like someone telling you to your face; "I'm sorry, but you aren't good enough for us". It hurts and with every failure, you feel more and more down, your confidence in your skills begin to deplete, and your will to keep pushing dwindles.
Do NOT give up and do NOT stop.
What Your First Week Is Like
Usually, you will start very slow with a lot of overhead to take care of. It is different for every company but for me, the HR stuff was handled before I started. I woke up at 7 am an hour before work and went to a local franchise to get coffee from the very company I was about to start working for. Because of COVID-19, I have the ability to work remotely so I just had to be up and ready before 8 am. I was greeted with a call from my awesome new boss, set up my new email and accounts, and was directed towards the morning meeting. It will feel very awkward at first as it is when meeting any new groups of people but I just had to sit and listen to everything that was being said. After that most of my day was spent setting up my development environments and getting my workflow off the ground. Enjoy this period because it will only come once at your new job and it's one of the only days you won't feel the imposter syndrome's effects. Around 3, I was given my first set of tasks and I began to feel a major amount of imposter syndrome. What will most likely happen with you is that you will begin to feel dumb and that your skills aren't as good as your new coworkers and it can have a very negative impact on you and your level of productivity. Professional software development is much different than working on your own side projects because you are no longer your own leader; you need to let yourself accept that you will NOT know it all and you will struggle. There are many moving pieces around you and so trying to fit your work into a codebase that has so many working parts and rules can be both intimidating and difficult. Don't be afraid to ask questions and don't be afraid of not knowing something. Software development is about solving problems and that isn't always easy, sometimes it takes a lot of struggle to get a task or project to where you want it to be and that is 100% okay.
If I could give any advice I would say don't let your fears, emotions, and confidence overtake your ability to do your job because YOU made it here and they chose you.
Put your mind at ease and realize it's your very first week, and you have a lifetime of learning left ahead of you.