Struggling with new job.

[Captain_Ludd]

Hi All,

I recently got my degree in software engineering and out of the blue via a friend that works at a software development company I was asked to go and have a chat about a position they had going.
Basically they had been looking for some experienced in a set of programming languages and had not been able to get anyone, my friend had mentioned that I had just finished my degree and that I may have some experience using the languages, which I do but I'm by no means an expert.
I told them that although I had worked in the languages I was by no means an expert and wasn't sure I would be right for the job without a few months of hitting the books first.
Underrated by this they offered me a trial period (which I only really took because the money was good not expecting to get the job) and I was offered the job, I initially actual turned them down because I wasn't sure I was ready but after some persuasion I accepted there offer now I'm wondering if I've made the right move.
There only a small company and have never had to train any body before (they've always just head hunted experienced people) and I've basically been kinda dropped in at the deep end, with some help from a couple of colleges and I've I'm more and more just getting swamped and having to ask for help all the time and its really stressing me out.
On the one hand the people are great and its a brilliant opportunity that may never come around again but on the other I'm feeling completely out of my depth and despite there best efforts I'm going backwards.
I just don't know whats best to do, I've already been totally honest with them (including about my dyspraxia) and they don't seem bothered, but the time will come when stuff isn't happening and it will back fire on me.
Anybody have any advice please ?

[Tom fod]

Hi Captain Ludd

First of all congratulations! I very much believe you're like a lot of us in that you're being over hard on yourself. You will learn and pick things up but it will take a while to get used to and to lose the fear. How long have you been there?

Try not to let your fears hold you back, They're content with you and they've obviously recognised you have potential and get on with the job in hand. Why else would they have offered you the job. If you weren't any use they would have said thanks and good bye after the trial. The amount of work sounds a bit nightmarish but you are contributing and if after a decent amount of time you decide there's somewhere else you need to be you have something on your CV to help you take the next jump.

All the best

[PhilB]

Hi Captain Ludd,

I'm also a software developer and I actually think it fits pretty well with the way the dyspraxic brain thinks. I suspect a few other developers in the team may be similarly wired up top, and we have one other guy with severe Aspergers.

First up, for what it's worth software development is incredibly complex and you are always going to be asking questions, and you're probably going to feel out of your depth for a long time as well. It will take time just getting to grips with your own area of code, and unless you've been at the job for several decades it's pretty much impossible to understand every facet of the software and how it interacts with the machine. Provided that between you you have someone that understands each of the different components of your software, and the different levels of code then as a team you should be fine. Asking people for help when you are dealing with their code or having problems with something they understand is not failing or struggling, it's being part of a team. They are probably being paid more because of their experience and part of their job is to pass that knowledge on to you.

Secondly software development takes time - especially debugging. You don't know until you do something how long it will take and generally speaking it will take longer than you think. If you are dealing with experienced developers they should understand this. There is a vast amount of work I would like to get done, I could easily keep myself busy for the next couple of years. However, that's not the same as being snowed under, again I think it's just the nature of the job. You just need to be able to prioritise what comes first, and agree with your supevisor what that will be - then you do your hours and head home and chill out afterwards. Don't burn yourself out by trying to do too much - it's mentally intensive (especially when you are still learning) and you'll just end up staring at the screen and getting less done if you don't give yourself a break.

Feel free to PM if you want to have a chat at some point.

[Jim]

Hi Captain Ludd.

First up, well done on the degree, that's already a big feather in your cap in any organisation as it shows that you can apply yourself effectively to a project.

I think you're probably a little bit worried because you aren't entirely sure what is expected of you and the stress and anxiety this creates in you might spill out into other aspects of your work and life.

I think you should request an appraisal interview so that you can bring up some of these anxieties you have and receive clarification on exactly what it is that is required of you. You might even find that you've been trying to achieve things above your current position. Which would give you some room for comfort going forward.

Remember to focus on some positives though as well;

* They sought you for the job based on your qualifications
* They offered you the job based on your trial performance

[Captain_Ludd]

Hi all,

First up thanks for the votes of confidence, Its much appreciated.
May be I'am being a little hard on my self I am only in my third week straight out of uni coding in a language I'm not too familiar with using tools that are completely new to me.
I think Tom is right in that there is a kind of fear of the unknown going on, I don't know what they expect of me and they don't really know how to deal with graduates or training because they've never had one before.
I think a lot of the pressure I'm feeling is that I'm thinking they've always employed experienced programmers and there going to expect me to perform up to there level so I've been kind of just panicking to get things done.
I have a very methodical thorough way of doing and learning I have to be like this otherwise I just forget stuff but once I know it I know it ( if you know what I mean ) and I've been trying to rush things to get them done because I've been pressuring myself and getting stressed no one else has said anything so I think it is just me.
I've told my boss that it will take at least 6 months for me to get up to speed and he doesn't sound too worried by this, ( although when I showed him a couple of articals saying that most graduate recruitment schemes run by big software houses don't expect there new starters to be productive for at least a year he did seem quite surprised ).
Long and short of it is I'm gonna slow down a bit and try and learn properly.
Phil B your exactly right about the debugging being the hardest bit, writing the code is relatively simple trying to debug it and make it do exactly what it needs to when you don't know the language to well is a nightmare, it could take ten minutes or to days who knows.