Taro has an excellent course on this topic - ["The Complete Onboarding Guide For Software Engineers"](https://www.jointaro.com/course/the-complete-onboarding-guide-for-software-engineers-succeeding-when-youre-new/)

Here Rahul speaks about stuff beyond crunching code.

From my personal experience at Mailchimp it is very important to onboard well and create a good first impression. As once people perceive you in a certain way, it is difficult to change it ( if perception is bad). No matter how hard you work afterwards. People like to talk about other colleagues , and when the tech lead talks to their colleagues about you ( in casual setting) , that impression further spreads.

The projects you get depend on the impression leads and managers have of you. This in turn affects visibility, promotion, pay. I am not sure if this is the case everywhere, I’m talking about my experience with Mailchimp ( Intuit). I’m certain good teams have a culture of feedback and the leads provide you ways to bring you up if you aren’t hitting the mark. In fact that is a very important aspect of being a tech lead - to provide feedback.

The first 6 months are hard at a new job, if you want to do well and thrive. I understand the need to set boundaries initially so that you are not shooting yourself in the foot. It would be a good idea to do this as well initially. For example, no PR reviews over weekends, no slack over weekends, and other things that are important to you to have a good WLB.

Good luck 👍🏽

Senior Software Engineer at Intuit (Ex-Netflix)

Rashmi Kishore

I like Alex's idea of a "secret manager" and I did the same for a little bit in my current role.

If this is a large enough company, I would try and switch teams or quiet-quit (or actually quit) and look outward. From my observations in the question, it looks like a startup based in India. 

Having bad leadership can take a significant mental toll. I would recommend use the resources available on Taro and look outward.

Intuit - Easy interview, 1 round of DSA, rest is craft skills.  DM me for referral. 

Honestly I could not spot it. Things looked great on all fronts in the interview and in my interactions. It took me two years to realize that the people are not who they claim they are, and it is toxic, backstabbing. If you can find an ally or an in , you can talk to them. Ask them, how it feedback provided, how does one foster a safe environment at work , what happens one someone accidentally introduces a bug/ makes a mistake ?

This is an interesting question and I will jump in to answer this one. I used to be the quiet one in meetings, and would only speak when spoken to, or if I was 1000% sure of what I was going to say. This clearly didn't bring me the right visibility. That changed as I grew as an engineer, and learnt how to ask good questions and voice out my opnions.

Here are a few things that I did and continue to do:

1. It is okay to ask a question, that you may perceive as "not important", as someone else may also be thinking of it, but may hesitate to ask.
2. Leverage chatGPT initially to frame questions in a crisp and clear way, it will then come to you naturally.
3. I would really take in the context and listen to the discussions paying attention to detail, make notes ,and say, I am not sure if we have already discussed this, but have you thought of .... ?
4. Practice, practice, practice by speaking up, that is the only way to get comfortable asking questions and sharing your opinion.

Here are few resources on Taro that will be helpful:

1. <https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/YIL3iK8fmSwhWP0PASqe/asking-questions-is-not-a-sign-of-weakness/>
2. <https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/FEK6JZqW2Jg3rdN9yeGn/masterclass-how-to-have-impactful-1-on-1-meetings/> -&gt; Presenting opinions to your manager

Hey! I want to give a detailed answer for this question, as it will touch various aspects.

1. Freezing eggs / embryos -&gt; The process of doing this will be a bit invasive and will entail hormonal changes. Does your company help cover you for a portion of costs for fertility treatments? If yes, use that option. In my experience, from my colleagues who have done this, had an understanding with their manager that they are in the process of egg freezing, but did not take many days off. Maybe a week or any sick days as needed. This will have minimal effect for time away from work. But you may need to be mindful of keeping your workload manageable, and delegating when possible.
2. Pre maternity leave -&gt; I would give heads up in second trimester, month 5-6. To enable smooth transition and develop trust.
3. Maternity Leave -&gt; I took 4.5 months off for my maternity when I was at Netflix. We got 1 year paid parental leave, but I put pressure on myself to get back in 4.5 months. In hindsight, that wasn't the best decision. I wish I had taken longer. 5 - 6 months is ideal. Second trimester is when usually most women feel most active, use this time to set up your home, hire nanny, find daycare, baby proof the house, meal prep and freeze, take classes for birth, breastfeeding and spend quality time with your partner.
4. Early Motherhood -&gt; Motherhood changed me. I became a leader, extremely confident, more empathic and I ruthlessly prioritized. All these are great goals for career growth. If you are comfortable, you can gradually get back to work after 5 months, and set expectation that you will work 20 hours per week for month 6, or share that you will gradually get back in. Take all the help you can get, either family, friends, paid. Do not skimp on a nanny, doula, therapist, and couples counseling ( if applicable) . Let your body heal, don't worry about losing weight.
5. Things do get easy with a child and life gets to be wonderful! Your perspective on what is important, and who are important will change.

**Fails**

- Working on super easy non-important tasks as work last two sprints. Felt less important/  not valued.
- Ate disgusting junk food at 10 pm while scrolling Blind 

### Wins

- because of easy work, I covered 19 Jira points while working 4 days a week 😄
- Consistently worked out

Love this!

"**The One Thing**" by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan

**Audiobook**: Yes (Audible)\
**Synopsis:** I always hated multitasking, so I wanted to see how can I use focused effort. 

“The One Thing" provides a simple yet powerful approach to achieving success by identifying and focusing on the most important task that can make a significant impact in your life or work.

Few things to consider:

1. Do you see yourself at your company long term or are you looking to change? If you are looking to change, stick with the easy one. 
2. The pay is going to be the same, if you work at a stressed out team for 60 hours a week or at the current team for 40 hours a week. 
3. If you are looking to grow in the company and stay long term, project Hero. You will need to tolerate some discomfort. And also since the reputation is second hand information, you never know, you may just like them!
4. I think understand quickly what the new manager’s expectations are , and move to project Hero, for long term safety and growth in your company. 

This video appears to be a valuable resource for those looking to find effective mentees: [Taro's Case Study on Mentoring Junior Software Engineers](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/EX9563YnxcJb62cCmetg/case-study-mentoring-junior-swes-e3-to-senior-e5-in-just-25-years-at-meta/). It offers insights into what constitutes a good mentee.

For a senior engineer who is approachable, mentoring junior or mid-level engineers can be beneficial. You're correct that a lot of information is available online, and platforms like Taro are excellent for this purpose. 

While seeking a mentor can be helpful, especially in understanding what a company values for promotion, focusing your efforts on finding a sponsor who is willing to support your career can be more impactful.

Indeed, general advice from online resources may not always apply directly to your specific situation. Given that everyone is busy, finding a high-quality mentor can be challenging. 

However, in my 11 years of experience, I have found that Taro was the first place where I felt like I had mentors who provided judgment-free and genuinely helpful advice. This makes seeking a mentor outside less necessary.

Senior Software Engineer at Intuit

I must say, I'm quite envious of your situation – I could use something like that in my life right now!

The benefits you've mentioned – company culture and teammates – account for half of what makes a job enjoyable.

Here's how I would approach your situation:

1. First, assess your salary. Are you in the 70th to 80th percentile with a good work-life balance, or do you aspire to reach the 90th percentile at the cost of reduced personal time? If there's a significant gap between your current salary and your target, and you're at a stage in life where you're ready to work hard, use your extra time to either prepare for an upward move or to switch roles at your current level at a different company.

2. If you're satisfied with your salary and enjoy working with your team enough to stay, consider the following options:

   1. Evaluate whether you're the only one with a lighter workload or if it's a team-wide situation. Understand the extent of the workload deficit and collaborate with your tech lead to set priorities. This will help you gradually expand your responsibilities. As you become more comfortable, start seeking out more challenging projects. I haven't had much luck with managers myself, so I'm not sure how much a manager can assist in this, but if you think it might help, it's worth a try.
   2. If the overall company culture is positive but you feel your current team might hinder your growth due to the nature of the work and lack of opportunities, consider switching teams within the company to find work that aligns better with your career goals.

It seems like you're in a tight spot, especially since the other person involved is a good friend. It's often easier to be straightforward and clear-cut with colleagues we have only professional ties with, rather than those we share a personal connection with.

Here's what I would suggest, depending on how comfortable you are with your friend: consider talking to them about it. For example, say something like, "I've noticed I've been spending a significant amount of time assisting with tasks x, y, and z, which detracts from my own work. I'm not sure if you're acknowledging my contribution, sharing credit, or informing my manager about my help."

If this conversation feels too awkward, I understand. Instead of always being available to assist them, offer help only when it suits your schedule. For instance, if you have 5 hours free, tell them you're only available for 2. This way, even if you end up helping for the full 5 hours, you've set boundaries to protect your time. If you do extend your help, make it clear that you'll need to compensate for this extra time later, and may not be available as a result. Encourage them to use common communication channels like Slack for assistance, where either you or someone else can pitch in when available.

Maintain this approach for a month. Your friend should start to appreciate your time more, and you'll better protect your own schedule. Regarding getting credit for your work, bring this up with your manager, explaining that you've been contributing but will now be managing your time more efficiently. This shows that you understand the importance of prioritizing and managing your workload. No need to hide your contributions.

It's unfortunate that your friend has put you in this position. Remember, it's important to safeguard your time and your peace of mind.

Ok, I’m going to be very straightforward here. 

Once you find yourself on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), it's often an indication that your manager is preparing for your departure by compiling the necessary documentation. Contesting the PIP usually isn't fruitful. Do not waste time trying to prove yourself here. You don’t want to be in a place where a manager has a poor impression of you, it will stall your professional growth. 

If you are on visa and If you're at Amazon, a well-known strategy is to apply for FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) for an interruption and use this time to actively search for a new job. Focus on each opportunity carefully. When your FMLA period ends, consider resigning. 

This approach helps maintain good relations and future opportunities within the company, rather than leaving on bad terms. That would be my recommendation.

If you don't have visa constraints, you have the option to resign immediately or use your remaining time at the company to search for a new job, without focusing on meeting the PIP requirements.

When you are about to transition to a new job. Take sometime to reflect and build your strengths so that this will not repeat. I wouldn’t recommend using this time for reflection, instead focus everyday on landing a new job.

To clarify, did you complete your undergraduate degree here, and are you now pursuing graduate studies due to the current job market? I earned my master's degree here and received job offers in 2012 when the job market was strong. Here's my advice: focus on mastering the fundamentals during your time in school; they will serve you well throughout your career. For a full-stack role, you'll need expertise in both front-end and back-end development, which is quite extensive. Consider selecting two programming languages ( eg : Java / JavaScript) to specialize in, and it's also beneficial to learn Python for interviews. Begin searching for a high-quality internship with the hope that it may lead to a full-time position, as that's often the easiest route to secure permanent employment. Additionally, during your two years of grad school, make friends and create lasting memories; they can become valuable resources in the future.

I  want to acknowledge that throughout my 11-year career, I honestly haven't come across that close camaraderie where a friendship directly leads to sponsorship or substantial career growth. However, I share this not to discourage you but rather to let you know that you are not alone in experiencing these challenges.

As a woman in the tech industry, I've encountered uncomfortable situations early in my career, but I've also learned to set boundaries and naturally seen some of these issues resolve as I've grown older ( natural weeding out process, I guess :) )  While I haven't personally experienced significant career advancements through friendships , having supportive allies and advocates, both male and female, has been crucial in making my workplace fun and lively. 

As someone who has worked at one of the MAANG's, here is what helped me.\
\
Blind 75 / Neetcode 75 -&gt; DO NOT look at the solution, start with easy, and solve it, not in your mind, but while typing it out in a IDE. Then progress to mediums.

If you are stuck, give yourself 15 mins to bucket a problem into a particular DSA, see if you can identify it as a two-pointer, graph, linked-list etc, if not, DO NOT look at the solution. Read the first line of the "solution" and see if you get the hint. Again do not solve in your mind, but type it out.

As you do this for Neetcode / Blind 75, then do targeted companies, and follow the same process as described in steps (1) and (2)

Take a few mock interviews with [interviewing.io](http://interviewing.io) ( I am in interviewer there!) or any similar websites. Talking through a problem is different skillset altogether.

1. How can we develop an executive / leadership presence, when you are trying to grow from Senior to Staff engineer?
2. How did you learn the art of communicating effectively ?
3. How did you know the "right" people to connect to for career growth?

If you have the right support, then 6 months. If you need to figure out most things on your own, 8-12 months. 

I think if you can come in at the right level and team. Intuit is a great place to grow, have a good work life balance, and pay is good, especially stocks as it grows well. 

I’m also an interviewer at [interviewing.io](http://interviewing.io), what I observed is that folks who code in Python are able to talk through their solution with coding better than others who are coding in C++. Java is okay too. My strongest Language is Java, but I’m tempted to learn Python for interviews for ease. I would spend 5 days on learning Python if you have 3-4 months. Check out neetcode’s YouTube video for Python for coding interviews.

The initial year, everything is new and you are challenged and learning. From your previous experiences, what do you think draws your to starting a new job, and being in that initial phase?\
\
Is it the steep learning curve? Is it the challenge? It is natural that things start to settle on that one year mark, you are familar with the code base, people and the pace.\
\
I would recommend, you talk to your manager find ways that you can contribute to a brand new project that your team has? That way you can maintain the excitement of being part of something new without having to switch jobs. 

If maintaining your work is important, then I would say focus on your work, wrap that up, to meet any impeding deadlines.

Take a few days off (2 days, that way you get 4 days padding on a weekend) after you have met your deadline, and jump start your interview prep. The initial days of interview prep are the hardest because you are training your brain to focus, solve things outside of your regular job.

Multi-tasking in my opinion is the way that one does multiple things poorly. Love the book, [the ONE thing](https://www.amazon.com/ONE-Thing-Surprisingly-Extraordinary-Results/dp/1885167776).

Another thing to note, what jobs can you outsource? Food delivery? Office tasks? Instacart? This can free you up from some mental load.

I'm sorry you are going through a rough phase, do something that brings you joy for 30 mins -&gt; non- negotiable!

Are you able to talk it out with someone? Meet people you are comfortable sharing?

I hope you feel better and your circumstances improve.

Hey, the way I learnt Java was to build out projects back in the day. I personally think most learning happens just via practice, regardless of any of the books / youtube videos I have seen. \
\
An alternative: Instead of figuring out what project to build, simply open up Leetcode, and pick easy questions, and start solving them to learn the language. Don't worry about solving the question itself, you can take a peek at the solution, and solve it using Java on an IDE, like IntelliJ.

This sounds stressful.

What is causing the stress? 

This is a deeper question -&gt; \
\
1\. Have you received any feedback or  is it to maintain a perception of a high achiever in a competitive work environment?

1. That mental stress soon makes our patience run thin when it comes to young kids ( when they have their own meltdowns)
2. Are you filling your cup before you attend to your responsibilities?
3. Can you carve out 30mins - 1 hour a day to do what you love, if it is to workout / watch TV/ read? Where you are not needed by anyone. Try this for a week, and see how you feel. As managing everything with an empty tank, can get very overwhelming.
4. Take a few days off work ( with kids in daycare / school) , and see whats out there and how you can ground yourself.
5. If you still want to change your job, go for it, without quitting. One never knows how work-life balance is, unless you start the job. Grass seems greener on the other side. 

 

I can share some of thoughts here. \
Having been through a layoff in the past, this was my concern as well.

> **and expecting layoff in the coming month.**

It can be hard to be deterministic of whether one will be laid off or not, and Intuit (IMO) is doing well.

> I am thinking to take a break to give myself enough time to prepare and land a good opportunity instead of just accepting something which is below my calibre

I had the same thought : Do I accept something now versus do I wait for the right opportunity? Since you are okay with a 6-8 month gap, I can conclude you are not limited by the visa issues. \
\
Here are some key points I would consider:

1. What are straight up no-gos? Like you would not accept pay below a certain amount, or wont accept a role below L4 or no relocation etc.
2. What are nice to haves? Like maybe getting into a FAANG+ / promising startup / 2X salary / L5+ role
3. What are acceptable conditions?
4. Besides ***getting additional time to prepare for interviews*** **and** **taking a break** for maybe traveling, spending time with family, ***one cannot really time the market.***
5. What I would do?
   1. Give myself a month / two, to process the layoff and prep, relax.
   2. Look for a job which is acceptable ( mid way point between no-go and nice to have)
   3. Keep looking to get the dream job with a job in hand.
   4. I believe one has higher leverage when looking for a job while being employed.
   5. Also, you never know, you might just like your "in-between" job and grow there

Good luck!

I’m currently leading an UI automation effort in addition to my dev project. Here are some of my take aways :

1. It depends on how mature the product is, have they finalized the design, and only adding new features or are they still updating the UX Design. As with tools like playwright, if the UI devs have not properly identified the locators, they UI test will fail each time there is a design change.

2. Can you do a combination of API and UI tests, build out a basic UI setup, call this setup via an API, and UI test core functionalities.

3. What is the composition of the team? Are devs expected to write end to end tests or is there a dedicated SDET team for the same.

Hey OP,

At the risk of revealing my identity, I would still like to share my experience, so that you have a perspective from an ex-FAANG.

I was also affected by layoffs and I had to take &gt; 50% paycut when I switched jobs last year. Though I got a job within a month, I think I was fortunate ( was on H1B visa ) 

The TC is definitely lower than what it used to be. As currently, FAANG+ are not hiring as much. I would say, take a job that pays you a decent living wage, so that you have access to health insurance, etc.  

If TC is not an issue, then wait to get back into a FAANG+ Adjacent. Or else, bite the bullet and take the paycut, if the role is interesting & people seem kind. 

Senior Software Engineer

Taro Community Member

Promotion is incredibly important and acts as the foundation for your career at top engineering levels. This course will cover how you can master the promotion process by leveraging the tactics Alex taught to grow his mentees to high-performing TLs with $500k+ TC by their mid-20s.