Lately, I’ve been feeling inadequate — like I’m contributing more to the less exciting parts of the product rather than the “cool” or core engineering challenges.
On top of that, I’m an immigrant and my wife and I are expecting. Balancing that with a fully remote job has been difficult, and at times I feel like I’ve lost some of my competence or sharpness. I’m taking steps to address this — I’ll be speaking with a psychologist soon — but I genuinely wonder: how does someone overcome these feelings while working within a high-functioning engineering team?
al_borland•1h ago
Some acceptance of this and realization that you’re part of that team will come in time. When I first started working I felt like I should quit before they figured out I didn’t know anything. I felt like I always had to go ask other people questions. At a certain point, that dynamic flipped and I was spending all day answering questions from other people. These days, it’s more balanced. There are things I go to others for, and I think they’re brilliant at what they do. Those people also come to me for help on things I have more experience in. It’s a give and take. When you start, it will be more take than give, but that’s how everyone starts.