No one can give you better advice than yourself. – Marcus Tullius Cicero
With April upon us I’m just past the ⅓ mark of this international work term. It got off to a slow start but once I got my feet under me time has been flying! I figured at this point it might be nice to share some things that I’ve learned in the hopes that others starting new work terms, internships, full time positions or really anyone starting anything new may benefit so here goes!
1. Document EVERYTHING
Make sure to get in the habit of writing things down especially when you first start. What did Jane say in that meeting? Who do you talk to if you have a problem with x, y or z. Having a little bit of information can go a long way to making you feel more comfortable in your new space and will make you look like you have your sh*t together. A definite win-win all around.
Tech talk: When it come to debugging code you never know when that obscure error you found a solution for after hours of scouring the internet will rear its ugly head again. Having a notebook or file where you store all that type of information will definitely come in handy and save you time in the future. You’ll also be at the ready with a quick solution if anyone else has the same issue.
Remember in your programming class when your instructor talked about the importance of comments? It may have seemed a little redundant (… if my code is readable I shouldn’t need comments right?) but when the complexity and number of people working on programs increases this becomes oh so important. Not to mention throw a bone to all those people down the road who may use some or all of your code once you’ve moved on (i.e. interns). Any time I see well documented code now I thank my lucky stars. Your algorithms and variable names may make sense to you but don’t count on everyone sharing your particularly unique brainwaves.
2. Ask all the questions (don’t guess!)
If you don’t know something don’t pretend that you do. Ask for more clarification if needed or where you can educate yourself on the topic. You will never go wrong by being aware of your limits and not guessing your way around them. Guessing may work a handful of times but at one point or another playing fast and loose will get you in hot water. You may do way more damage by blindly trying things than taking the extra little bit of time to get all the right information needed to complete your task. Better safe than sorry in some respects. This being one of them.
3. Use your resources (I <3 Stackoverflow)
Guaranteed wherever you are, especially with the internet in all of our pockets (hello smartphones), there is a wealth of knowledge surrounding you. Make use of it. Do some self study on your topic or task, talk to people who have worked in a similar area, exercise your Googling skills and never forget about Stackoverflow (for the tech folks). Before asking questions it’s always a good idea to try to figure it out yourself (always remembering to double check your solution or at the very least back up the work before trying your solution just in case) that way when you do go to someone and ask a question it shows you’re not always relying on others to solve ever aspect of your problems.
4. Take the initiative/think outside the box
Finish your task early? Ask for a new one! See something you know how to improve? Share your ideas. Whoever you are, wherever you’re working I can guarantee you bring something new to the table. No one has had the unique collection of experiences that you have so use that to your advantage. Speak up! You are a valuable member of the team so act like it.
5. Be aware of your role (you don’t have to know everything right away… or ever)
It’s really important to understand where you fit in the structure of the business you’re working in. Maybe don’t charge into the CEO’s office if you’re convinced you know how to save 5 cents on toner. Is there an office manual? Have a chat with your supervisor about how is best to communicate with one another and other members of your team. You’re new and mishaps occur every once in a while. Everyone’s been the new guy so people are generally forgiving if you make a mistake early on but as always make sure to learn from it and don’t keep doing it over and over again. Also as a tech intern you don’t have to/need to know the inner workings of every aspect of the project you’re involved in. You may need to know bits and pieces and the overall concept for context and direction in your task but that may be enough. Don’t get bogged down. Division of labour is super powerful with large scale projects. Team work makes the dream work!
6. Be social and make friends
Work-life balance is real and having people around you can take breaks with, eat lunch with and socialize with after work can go a long way to make even the worst job more bearable. These folks can be a wealth of information when it comes to all those things they don’t tell you in the welcome manual and they may be the only ones who fully understand what you’re going through when you have a bad day. Think about it. For the most part you’re spending half of your waking hours at your place of work. Especially for those of us working far from home, making work friends can be a life saver!
That’s all I got for now. Maybe by the end of this work term I’ll have more to share but I think this is a good start. These are of course my own thoughts. If they make sense for you great! If not no big deal. If you didn’t find them helpful maybe someone you know will or maybe they’ll be of use to you in the future. Either way I wish you the best in your journey and for all the experiences that will help you grow and get to where you want/need/are destined to be.
Cheers,
Patti