Junior devs - do you ever worry of being given a task you can't handle?

Question

My boss said to me that he will giving me a certain task, which will be quite big, and using the latest technologies which he knows I have some experience of but not inside out.

As a junior developer, do you ever feel held back by the feeling of being given something you do not know how to do?

I know that your employer will always make sure you have the experience or training in being able to complete something you are set, but in a previous job of mine, but that company wasn't prepped in software development.

How do you handle this fear (apart from talking to your boss)?

Thanks

Answer 1

As a junior developer, do you ever feel held back by the feeling of being given something you do not know how to do?

It's something that can always happen, even if your are not "junior" anymore ; don't worry ^^

What makes a good programmer is not what he knows at a given instant, especially if he is "junior", but how he can adapt, and his ability to both quickly understand new problems, and learn how to deal with them.

How do you handle this fear (apart from talking to your boss)?

You learn / study ;-)

Actually, that's one nice thing about our jobs : programming is something that always evolves, and there is always new stuff to learn.

Answer 2

I hope (for your sake) that you continue to receive projects that challenge your current capabilities. Half of the projects I'm assigned to require me to start from scratch learning about a new technology or learn about a new part of the company. I think it keeps the job interesting and fun.

Taking on projects without knowing everything is a big part of software development and is a life-long skill. Your manager will understand if you need some time to learn the new technology - it's just a cost of doing business. Just make sure to do some research along the way and verify the technology your boss tells you to use is the appropriate technology for the job. Just because a technology is "cutting edge" doesn't mean it's fit for the task.

Good luck on your new project.

Answer 3

I don't worry about it too much, because learning new stuff is exciting. But I do let the person giving me the new work know that I'll need a few days of ramp-up time to start making real progress, and longer to approach full speed. Let them know that so they can factor it into their estimate or expectations... and then get to work and read and Google like crazy!

Answer 4

When i just started programming - had those fears constantly.

Just ignore them. Instead of being afraid - learn some bits.

If you can't accomplish something - look for help as soon as possible. No need to be ashaimed to ask questions. First year i was asking questions like a machine gun. And now i'm happy that i can answer some questions to those who helped me. :)

Answer 5

Talking with your boss and honesty is definitely a good start. It is good to know that boss will supports you and it takes out some pressure of you. However it is not always the case and the boss might be unsupportive and discouraging.

But that doesn't matter since you are the person which must to resolve this problem. I would advise you to be calm and take your work with you at home. Just learn a bit more in your spare time in the place in which you feel comfortable. Read a lot about the problem. Who knows, maybe you will finish it much earlier before the deadline and had more time to come by to SO? ;-)

Also look out on your attitude towards the problem. It might be something which you don't like or find boring. If so, try to look on it in a different way and try to find something interesting in it. If you will have a bad attitude from start it will slow down your progress a lot.

Try to remember that even it is something that you don't like or don't find interesting, it probably makes you smarter and better programmer.

Good luck.

Answer 6

Well senior developers might find some tasks challenging so don't worry :)

also when you face a problem there are plenty of resources out there and you can always ask questions on SO

Answer 7

As a senior developer (28 years programming), I can tell you that many tasks can seem overwhelming before you start on them because there is often a lot to learn. It is normal to fear failure (and/or the unknown).

However, I have found very few tasks in my career that I've failed at - I can usually look back on a task and think "that was easier than I expected".

(Having said that, I failed only yesterday. Although I've installed WinXP at least 40 times over the years I failed to get a WinXP-64 installation to work yesterday - it just kept crashing. In the end I stuck Vista-64 on the machine and it worked perfectly. So even with lots of experience computers can throw you a curve ball!)

Answer 8

As a software developer you are always, by definition, building something that has never been done before. There is always an element of risk in any assignment being impossible to do for one reason or another. That said, after 30+ years of writing software, my failures have been mainly things that I taken for granted or thought would be easy because I did not understand them. It sounds like you are taking your current task seriously, so my guess is that you will be able to handle it. The first step to understanding a problem is scoping it.

The sense of challenge you are feeling is something you can use to your advantage - it should focus your analytical and lower your barriers about asking for help if you need it. There are resources to overcome the technical challenges you face - including SO.

Staying outside of your comfort zone is a good thing as a developer.

Answer 9

I would be scared if where I worked only used what I already know. There is something cool in seeing something new built and making the adjustments, bells and whistles that make it awesome. I have had this situation many times in the past and it is standard operating procedure to my mind. I don't know the APIs I'll be using in the future and I suspect some of them may not even be written yet, but that's part of the excitement of the evolving field that this is.

How do you feel about working in a methodology you don't know? This is slightly different but possibly an interesting question, I'd think.

Answer 10

The senior devs were juniors once upon a time. The only way you gain experience is by going outside your comfort zone and doing something new and challenging.

Answer 11

Of course I worry. For my first project, in my first programmer job, I had to do some software for banks, BANKS!! For crying out loud! (Quoting Tobias) Back then all my real experience was from school and a few small side projects I made as an amateur. I was the only programmer in the company, of course, we were in the process of hiring a more Sr. programmer and a Development leader.

When I was told how big the project was, and who were the prospect clients, my boss asked: "How are you feeling about the project?", I said: "To be honest, I think it's scary", and he replied: "Good!". That comment about being scared is good, turned the scared feeling into excitement, it really did, so now, every time something scares me, or worries me, I feel excited for the challenge that is up to come.

Answer 12

If you don't feel inadequate at times, then you are not human. This is true regardless the experience level.

How do you handle it? Do your best, trust your self, do your research, and ask for help when you need to.