31–40 of 58 posts
"I don't know what that means." and "Can you explain that to me?" are two of the most wonderful phrases. I use them regularly and have been programming for over 30yrs. Every time I do, I learn something new.
My coworkers know that I'll speak up if I don't understand something, and when you're finally experienced, it helps the new kids to not feel like such imposters to see that an experienced coworker doesn't know all the things.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
+1. I need to remind myself about this almost weekly.
In my first job I reached a point where every day I'd wake up and I would quite literally dread the day ahead. It was hard to realise that I was suffering from anxiety and that I actually didn't enjoy what I was doing. I was fresh out of uni and I just thought that that's what all working adults feel like. Looking back at it it's mind boggling how I didn't quit sooner. If you are in a similar position consider if you…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my first job I reached a point where every day I'd wake up and I would quite literally dread the day ahead. It was hard to realise that I was suffering from anxiety and that I actually didn't enjoy what I was doing. I was fresh out of uni and I just thought that that's what all working adults feel like. Looking back at it it's mind boggling how I didn't quit sooner. If you are in a similar position consider if you…
What if the workplace is not the problem, but me instead? I don't want to quit, it could be worse somewhere else and for me it could be bad everywhere.
That's a valid concern. Unfortunately it's one of those things that only _you_ can find the answer to. Getting experience in different companies helps here because you have something to compare your experiences with. Ask yourself what problems you're facing. Write it down; it really helps.
If you are the problem you are also the answer.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my first job I reached a point where every day I'd wake up and I would quite literally dread the day ahead. It was hard to realise that I was suffering from anxiety and that I actually didn't enjoy what I was doing. I was fresh out of uni and I just thought that that's what all working adults feel like. Looking back at it it's mind boggling how I didn't quit sooner. If you are in a similar position consider if you…
What if the workplace is not the problem, but me instead? I don't want to quit, it could be worse somewhere else and for me it could be bad everywhere.
If you're a programmer, read through some parts of the codebase, if possible, to get a sense of how your colleagues are doing their work.
Don't be afraid to admit ignorance. "I don't know what that means." and "Can you explain that to me?" are two of the most wonderful phrases. I use them regularly and have been programming for over 30yrs. Every time I do, I learn something new. My coworkers know that I'll speak up if I don't understand something, and when you're finally experienced, it helps the new kids to not feel like such imposters to see that an…
Learn about personal finance and the power of compound interest. Create a budget and start saving for retirement. Contribute to a 401k/IRA/etc. Your goal should be to save 12-15%. If you can't save that much today, start lower, but increase it every 6-12 months and every time you get a pay raise. Save 6 months of expenses for a rainy day fund -- this is especially important in 2020. Pay yourself first. Save for a vacation every year and take it. Travel the world and get a different perspective.
Every year you don't save for retirement means you'll need to work another year, or save even more when you're older (think 20-30% of your salary).
I'm making up for lost time now. I used to buy new cars and toys. I bought my current car 27 years ago; it still runs great.
I wish someone had told me this 30 years ago. I hope I would have listened.
Take care of your health. Eat well and exercise. Sleep is important. Learn about personal finance and the power of compound interest. Create a budget and start saving for retirement. Contribute to a 401k/IRA/etc. Your goal should be to save 12-15%. If you can't save that much today, start lower, but increase it every 6-12 months and every time you get a pay raise. Save 6 months of expenses for a rainy day fund -- thi…
I read the obvious subreddits, have a basic working knowledge of financial concepts, understand that I should just invest in the broad market / ETFs and not touch it for decades.
But when I go to invest, I feel I have no idea what I'm actually doing. When I look for brokers I'm bombarded with advertising and marketing and get frustrated with what I feel is a lot of dishonesty. Decades of stories about pension funds screwing people over mean I have no trust in the "systems" at all, which is probably wrong. Why would I pick one broker over another? Or a pension fund over another? Should I just go with a big name like Vanguard as I could always move it later?
For example, I've never had anyone answer this question: If a pick company Z, invest through them and one day they go bust or disappear, what actually happened to what I invested? I understand risk and that some financial instruments are like bets and so on but seemingly can't wrap my head around this concept. If I buy specific stock Y, through broker Z and broker Z disappears, what happens to my stock Y? Like where is that actual record kept that I have X quantity of stock Y?
It's really dumb questions like these that stop me doing anything and lead me to fill an account, technically losing money from inflation.
Set aside some time at the beginning of each day to buff your tools and skills. Over time these sessions compound like interest and make you wealthier in human capital and a more valuable employee. I do it for one pomodoro, 25 minutes. For me an example might be installing and learning a new vim addon or scripting a common task or focusing on a tough corner of a programming language. Something useful to the job but n…