Going around the sun

This year marks my 10th journey around the sun as a graduated software engineer. It hasn’t been smooth sailing, and a lot of things have changed since takeoff.

I started out as a gung-ho sponge, absorbing every bit of information and opportunity I could. I quickly surrounded myself with people who believed in me and created a safe environment for experimentation. This allowed me to work on a broad range of fringe projects, which gave me a fresh perspective on problems that others hadn’t thought to question.

My voyage has brought me many good things — promotions, shipped projects, and the friends I made along the way. But there were dark times too: being part of a layoff, self-doubt, and the persistent feeling of being an imposter. Those dark times are what shaped me the most. They forced me to sit with discomfort long enough to learn something from it, and come out the other side with a clearer sense of who I am as an engineer and as a person.

As I gain more seniority, I’m starting to see my younger self in some of the engineers I mentor. They will live through their own defeats and victories as they make their trips around the sun. I’m glad I get to help them find their footing a little faster than I found mine.