Ask HN: I am the dumbest person in the room. What should I do?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that humility might be the best course of action.

Keep learning, and growing. It's harder for some to do that when your coworkers are lower in skill because you won't have the mix of talent and experience. You need to learn not just in your field, but everything related to it: communication and interpersonal skills, business. Taking an interest in those and putting time into practicing or reading up on them is a great way to advance yourself.

Always be open to learning from your peers, but you don't have to think that their way is the best or only way. Even if they have more experience or seem smarter they're not always right (and the fact that they have the attitude of some mid-level developers means they are likely to still make the same mistakes).

Don't get too down on yourself for screwing up. Remember that you need experience just like everyone else and there's no shortcut for that. It will just be a matter of time before you're the same level of smartness that they are right now. You might close the gap some.

Keep kindling your passion for learning and improving.

-mh

There's so much in this field that no one knows it all. I've been doing this for almost a decade and I still encounter concepts and technologies that are new to me. I've gotten deep into Haskell of late, but I still don't know what "homotopy type theory" is or much category theory beyond the superficial. That's OK. Just learn things and, if you have time, build things. You'll get better over time.

Also, the false sense of incompetence (impostor syndrome) is very common in the early years. It's depressing and brutal, but you can beat it.

[H]ow should I act in order to maintain my dignity but also be humble enough to acknowledge the co-worker's knowledge?

Find people who you are comfortable asking for help from. You have nothing to be ashamed of. No one was born knowing how Git works.

Is it normal to be hired as a junior and just being thrown to the lions, with no help or time to ramp up?

Dysfunctional but fairly common, especially in the "hot" Valley startups that are often run by adolescents. You're not alone. You'll get through it. Just keep learning, not because you feel a need to, but because you're interested. Of course, if you're not interested in learning more about programming and CS, then it's time to consider something else.

Do all star/ninja/rock-star software developers have rotten attitudes?

First, I'd bet that they aren't that good. There are plenty of people who can talk a good game, who know buzzwords and hot technologies and trends, but are mediocre programmers. They write code fast and they're great at making themselves seem smart (especially to non-technical business operators) but their code is often of low quality.

Most of the really good programmers are humble, just because it's really hard to get any good-- you have to consistently fight your way to better projects, which often gets political and that can be very draining-- and it takes a long time. Although our industry fetishizes youth, almost all of the great programmers are over 40, just because it takes so long to develop the skill.

Try being super nice to these guys. Maybe you will find that they are just as insecure as you and you can break through their shells. If you give that an honest effort and they don't break, get the hell out of there!

I was hired for just having a phd in engineering (unrelated to CS) and knowing about hacker news (it was an interview question!).

I was in over my head technically and with little time to catch up. Most of my colleagues were chill, but three or four were jerks. Nasty types, who fed on other's pain. My manager was a cool guy.

I entered a feedback loop of negativity which affected my focus at work. Eventually I quit and returned to working in my field (which I don't enjoy, but at least I can perform while I'm training in something better)

Positives:

I learned about programing practices, which is useful to my current work. Within my field, I was already a good programer. Now, for my colleagues, I'm a ninja.

Experienced start up life. The good. The bad. And the ugly.

The negative:

Wasted time.

My advise would be to figure out if you can make it for a year or so. If you can make it, hold on and move on afterwards. If you're about to break, pull the rip cord.

I pulled the cord after three months. No regrets.

1. Self-confidence is fine, as is the expectation that you will receive mentoring, especially if it has been made known that you are lacking in experience. In your immediate situation, ask open questions after trying to figure it out yourself, and be firm in the knowledge that there is NOT an expectation upon you to know all this stuff already. Some of the best engineers I know ask dumb questions all the time. It is expected, outside your area of expertise, and healthy. As a junior your area of expertise is... minimal.

2. Not in a good company, with strong leadership. Junior personnel are there to be molded and guided. You can expect to be set problems outside your comfort zone, but someone should be stepping in at some point to lend a hand.

3. Absolutely not. In my experience, supposed rock-stars with shitty attitudes are not as good as they think they are. Poor attitude is often a cover for ineptitude and/or severe self-esteem problems. People who are genuinely good are usually willing to help someone who can show that they are motivated, and not wasting their time.