By Gregorio Rojas, Co-Founder Sabio.la
What does one do when they finish up their 12 weeks of intense training? Below I have some highlights of what we tell our Fellows as they enter this phase of their careers.
Day 1 After Your Boot Camp
The developer habits need daily reinforcement so keep coding! Often people will want to take a break between the end of their training period and the start of their new job. That would be a big mistake. Your new employers will probably be happy to give you a vacation a few months into job so that you can get your break then. Going on vacation with the whole “job” thing taken care of allow for much more enjoyable vacation.
Before Your First Day at Your New Tech Gig
Try to get an idea of the exact set of tools and API’s that you will be working with. Many of these may be new to you or the company’s focus may be applied in a manner that is unfamiliar to you. Do your best to prepare for these known factors. This will help you clear your mind for what may be an overwhelming day 1 on the job.
Day 1 at Your New Job
Clearly establish who will be your point of contact for questions regarding your technical responsibilities. Some employers may bury you in HR and company wide on-boarding meetings but those quickly come to an end and you need to exit that phase with a clear sense of direction.
Other places will not have an HR department and just throw you in front of your new computer. See to it that you get help setting up your machine. If the company is young, they will not have a good process for getting you set up and this task is going to be best handled by someone that knows their way around. Get help. Don’t be shy about this.
Communication Is Key
It is important to establish yourself as a great communicator from day one. Doing so will allow you to set expectations correctly throughout your team. “What is Susan working on?” Everyone is going to know and that is going to make them feel better. It is going to let them know, maybe before you want to admit it, that you need help. It is going to show them before you even realize it, how great you are doing.You might find that your communication will also surface the fact their systems need some attention. That is a good thing, just don’t rub it in.
This post originally appeared on Sabio’s blog.
