Ask HN: I am the dumbest person in the room. What should I do? • Hacker News Board

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

#111

Post by eldavido » Thu, Mar 26, 2015, 4:23 PM UTC

First, recognize that this is the feeling of learning. Being the smartest in the room is great for the ego, less so for long-term growth and improvement. So be thankful.

As far as the prima donna attitude, first realize that in a typical software company everyone is insanely busy all the time and you need to negotiate some kind of mutually acceptable situation for how you can learn. Being on the receiving end of being interrupted 10x/day by a junior who doesn't know what's going on (voice of experience here) is incredibly disruptive -- so figure out what works for everyone by discussing it openly with your colleagues and manager. As long as you didn't misrepresent your skillset during the interview process, it's as much the company's job to make you successful (allowing them to get their money's worth from employing you) as it is your job to be diligent and work hard to advance your employer's interests.

It's always a give and take, that's part of working somewhere and business in general, you have to figure out how to line up your needs with the other party's (your employer in this case) for mutual benefit.

A word of caution: take all this feel-good "it's not your fault" stuff with a grain of salt. You're probably cocky because you're used to being the smartest guy in the room, but you are't anymore. That you've acknowledged this is a great first step, now work on fixing it.

Some practical tips: - Do you have a manager? Make sure you do. I define manager as "the person responsible for assessing your performance, making personnel decisions, and/or writing your review"

- Set up regular 1:1s with your manager. This is a reasonable demand and you should make it. Maybe once/month to start, 30 minutes, where you can discuss your needs. Make it a regular thing.

- Try to have the mentality of being open-minded and let it show through. You'll be surprised how far just being kind and admitting you aren't the expert will go with people.

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

#112

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Mar 26, 2015, 4:33 PM UTC

yourad_io wrote: post #109

> tons of experience > every man for himself > big egos and really rotten and bitter attitudes > co-worker ignores, despises and almost makes fun of me for your lack of experience > treat people who are not at the same level like idiots I hire. I'm on the lookout for Ninjas and Rockstars and all of that. Those mythical 12345x codars. It's easy because I'm a 67890x coder, and at around 1024x, we're all taught a secret…

[deleted]

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

#113

Post by geekamongus » Thu, Mar 26, 2015, 4:33 PM UTC

When you can truly learn to stop caring (or assuming you know) what other people think about you, you will find yourself much better equipped for this type of situation. Find that confidence that got you hired, and wear it to work every single day.

You know yourself better than any of your coworkers. If you think you can do a good job, know your stuff or can learn it, then you can. It doesn't matter what they think!

If you enjoy the work and want to succeed there, do it. If not, go somewhere else.

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

#114

Post by cyphunk » Thu, Mar 26, 2015, 4:35 PM UTC

If you are lucky you will be the dumbest in the room long after you aren't. Behaving as or even being the smartest isn't very productive toward learning. If you desperately need the job then you could be more cautious but if are you are not in a desperate situation then be the idiot, allowing you to soak up whatever you can learn or get fired by people too self-consumed to see the value in that. Keep in mind that there are probably others around you that do not understand everything but might be too shy to throw a wrench into things. And even people that do understand everything having a jester around to get to the basics has a valuable effect.

You'll only find an environment that fits you by getting booted from the environments that don't.

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

#115

Post by beat » Thu, Mar 26, 2015, 4:38 PM UTC

Normally, I'd say if you're the dumbest person in the room, you thank your lucky stars you get to learn so much.

But the problem here isn't that you're dumb. The problem is you're in a toxic (for you) culture. Get out of there! I don't know if it's them, or if it's you, but it doesn't matter. Clearly, you're not suited for the environment. Quit, and be conscious of the culture you're stepping into at the next job.

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

#116

Post by jdonaldson » Thu, Mar 26, 2015, 4:45 PM UTC

You're probably on the wrong team, can you change? The developers are probably pretty good, but talent and attitude are completely orthogonal. My guess is that there's one or two folks on the team that have this sort of negative mindset naturally, and they've infected the whole team with this style of interaction.

Maybe it's for political reasons, or maybe it's just their own personal insecurity. Bottom line is that you're not doing yourself any real favors being around them. They are not the gatekeepers for engineering expertise. There's plenty of other great developers to study, look up to, and emulate.

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

#117

Post by imgabe » Thu, Mar 26, 2015, 4:45 PM UTC

The only questions I've regretted are the ones I didn't ask. If you don't understand something, speak up and ask about. Maybe it will cause some of these "rockstars" to think less of you, but honestly I much prefer working with people who take the time to ask a question when they don't know something, rather than trying to figure it out themselves, getting it wrong, and creating twice as much work along the way.

For what it's worth, all the smartest people I've ever met are not the ones bragging about everything they know, but the ones who are constantly asking questions and trying to learn more about everything.

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

#118

Post by asafira » Thu, Mar 26, 2015, 4:46 PM UTC

A lot of people are giving you some great feedback here, and I hope, at the very least, it's giving you more confidence in your actions at the workplace. I've definitely been in a similar situation, and I empathize.

A lot of people are suggesting you leave, but I think that's rash and there isn't enough to make that obvious. Here's why:

1) Your issue is a people issue, not a work-subject-matter issue. Is it possible to switch teams? Group dynamics can vary tremendously, even with some underlying company culture.

2) My take is that you need to find that middle ground between cocky interviewee and suppressed team member. Regardless of how you think reactions might be on the team, you certainly don't want to continue what's going on now if there aren't signs that things will get better. Take the extra liberties you have as a new member of the team and ask questions; your team really should be open to them. Otherwise, try hard to get to know your teammates, and otherwise be a genuinely good person to them.

To be clear, I'm on most people's side here that something needs to change, but it might be worth considering things outside of flat-out leaving right away.

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

#119

Post by crimsonalucard » Thu, Mar 26, 2015, 4:48 PM UTC

Be cocky, but be humble too. People are more willing to help someone who admits where he is weak. Also help others when you can; they will return the favor.

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

#120

Post by rifung » Thu, Mar 26, 2015, 4:49 PM UTC

I suppose you could try looking for a new place, but seeing as you are just 4 months in I would try to make your situation work first.

My advice is to try to take advantage of this situation where you are working with people who are smarter or at least more experienced than you. This is a great opportunity to learn, except that it seems you are with people who may not be willing to teach you? But I think you just have to try to find a way to connect with them and show them that you are interested in learning.

It's scary but if they are talking about something you don't understand, make sure that you ask questions. You should be careful not to divert the conversation too much but it's important that you show them you want to learn, and that you realize you have stuff to learn from them. Most people actually do enjoy teaching others, or at least that's been my experience.

In the end you should just not try to stress too much in my opinion. After all, it's just a job! I certainly hope you are "burying yourself in intense study" because you want to learn and not because you are afraid of not doing well in your job. Your lack of success in your job isn't only your own fault, it's also up to the company to make sure you have the resources you need.

Do you have a manager you can talk to about these issues? He/she may be able to help you navigate the team better. It sounds like you are working at a big company so there may well be some programs to get you a mentor too.