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 169: Conspiracy theories and flexible schedules
Episode 168: Self-snooping and work from home jeopardy
Episode 167: Foosball culture and giving feedback to geniuses
Episode 166: Not the intern and fighting at work
Episode 165: I don't play videogames and quarter-career burnout
Episode 164: Fear of firing and disengaged teammates
Episode 163: Sounding a warning and negative Glassdoor reviews
Episode 162 (rerun of episode 113): Quitting Your First Job and Too Many Responsibilities
Episode 161: Trapped as a QA engineer and trapped as a generalist
Episode 160: Non-manager 1:1s and throwing away dev learning
Episode 159: Rejecting candidates and corporate image obsession
Episode 158: I accepted a counter-offer and stayed and dealing with engineers who exaggerate their contributions
Episode 157: How to deal with a consistent low performer and my architect wants me to switch from Ruby to Java
Episode 156: How to move from web development into other software engineering roles and dealing with slow code review processes
Episode 155: What do you think about employee monitoring software and how do I get un-demotivated after losing interest in software dev?
Episode 154: Why am I terrible at picking candidates and how soon can I quit my job?
Episode 153: Informal Leadership and Dealing With Burnout (rerun of episode 71)
Episode 152: How to pair program as an introvert and being mistreated as a contractor?
Episode 151: Where are all the old developers and Do I not ask enough questions?
Episode 150: How to fight imposter syndrome as a technical lead and Getting in to meetups
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