Software Industry - is this normal to feel lost in first month?












12














I've been working with software development for nearly 3 years, but always in small companies with 6 employees at most. In Dec 2018, I started to work in a big company and I'm still feeling completely lost.



When I started, no one told me about who was my manager or what project I'll working on. I started with configuring my computer and then I asked people who was my manager, what I'll do etc.



My manager finally shows up. He told me that I'll be out of external projects for now, but when this happens here, they ask for the employees to work in an internal project. I finished all my tasks in about 2 days, which was 1 week ago, and since then I don't have any work to do again.



I sent a message to my manager today at morning to ask for more tasks to do, including suggesting new things. But I think he's on vacation.



I don't know if what I'm doing in the meantime is correct e.g. studying in this free time. It's really annoying me be without things to do, just sitting here and being useless.



What do you all recommend that I do with my time?



Obs:
Sorry for grammatical errors, english is not my native language and I hope you guys can understand me.






software-industry management software-development developer







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  • 22




    I'm 30 years into it, I'll let you know when that feeling changes.
    – Richard U
    7 hours ago










  • AHHAHAHA, I mean in last companies, was always easy: In first days I've already so much work to do. Now its almost 1 month and "nothing" (the inside project maybe count) yet
    – LMaker
    7 hours ago






  • 5




    I answer questions on StackExchange in my free time...
    – jcmack
    6 hours ago










  • A month is way, way too long dude. Anyone who says otherwise is being nice to you. *AGGRESSIVELY ask HR and management what you should do next!
    – Fattie
    3 hours ago








  • 1




    Most of this seems normal, as mentioned in the answers. But not being told who your manager is seems very strange. I've always met my expected manager during the interview process.
    – Barmar
    3 hours ago
















12














I've been working with software development for nearly 3 years, but always in small companies with 6 employees at most. In Dec 2018, I started to work in a big company and I'm still feeling completely lost.



When I started, no one told me about who was my manager or what project I'll working on. I started with configuring my computer and then I asked people who was my manager, what I'll do etc.



My manager finally shows up. He told me that I'll be out of external projects for now, but when this happens here, they ask for the employees to work in an internal project. I finished all my tasks in about 2 days, which was 1 week ago, and since then I don't have any work to do again.



I sent a message to my manager today at morning to ask for more tasks to do, including suggesting new things. But I think he's on vacation.



I don't know if what I'm doing in the meantime is correct e.g. studying in this free time. It's really annoying me be without things to do, just sitting here and being useless.



What do you all recommend that I do with my time?



Obs:
Sorry for grammatical errors, english is not my native language and I hope you guys can understand me.






software-industry management software-development developer







share|improve this question









New contributor




LMaker is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 22




    I'm 30 years into it, I'll let you know when that feeling changes.
    – Richard U
    7 hours ago










  • AHHAHAHA, I mean in last companies, was always easy: In first days I've already so much work to do. Now its almost 1 month and "nothing" (the inside project maybe count) yet
    – LMaker
    7 hours ago






  • 5




    I answer questions on StackExchange in my free time...
    – jcmack
    6 hours ago










  • A month is way, way too long dude. Anyone who says otherwise is being nice to you. *AGGRESSIVELY ask HR and management what you should do next!
    – Fattie
    3 hours ago








  • 1




    Most of this seems normal, as mentioned in the answers. But not being told who your manager is seems very strange. I've always met my expected manager during the interview process.
    – Barmar
    3 hours ago














12












12








12







I've been working with software development for nearly 3 years, but always in small companies with 6 employees at most. In Dec 2018, I started to work in a big company and I'm still feeling completely lost.



When I started, no one told me about who was my manager or what project I'll working on. I started with configuring my computer and then I asked people who was my manager, what I'll do etc.



My manager finally shows up. He told me that I'll be out of external projects for now, but when this happens here, they ask for the employees to work in an internal project. I finished all my tasks in about 2 days, which was 1 week ago, and since then I don't have any work to do again.



I sent a message to my manager today at morning to ask for more tasks to do, including suggesting new things. But I think he's on vacation.



I don't know if what I'm doing in the meantime is correct e.g. studying in this free time. It's really annoying me be without things to do, just sitting here and being useless.



What do you all recommend that I do with my time?



Obs:
Sorry for grammatical errors, english is not my native language and I hope you guys can understand me.






software-industry management software-development developer







share|improve this question









New contributor




LMaker is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











I've been working with software development for nearly 3 years, but always in small companies with 6 employees at most. In Dec 2018, I started to work in a big company and I'm still feeling completely lost.



When I started, no one told me about who was my manager or what project I'll working on. I started with configuring my computer and then I asked people who was my manager, what I'll do etc.



My manager finally shows up. He told me that I'll be out of external projects for now, but when this happens here, they ask for the employees to work in an internal project. I finished all my tasks in about 2 days, which was 1 week ago, and since then I don't have any work to do again.



I sent a message to my manager today at morning to ask for more tasks to do, including suggesting new things. But I think he's on vacation.



I don't know if what I'm doing in the meantime is correct e.g. studying in this free time. It's really annoying me be without things to do, just sitting here and being useless.



What do you all recommend that I do with my time?



Obs:
Sorry for grammatical errors, english is not my native language and I hope you guys can understand me.






software-industry management software-development developer




software-industry management software-development developer






share|improve this question









New contributor




LMaker is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




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Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 6 hours ago





















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asked 7 hours ago









LMaker

1646




1646




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LMaker is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






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Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 22




    I'm 30 years into it, I'll let you know when that feeling changes.
    – Richard U
    7 hours ago










  • AHHAHAHA, I mean in last companies, was always easy: In first days I've already so much work to do. Now its almost 1 month and "nothing" (the inside project maybe count) yet
    – LMaker
    7 hours ago






  • 5




    I answer questions on StackExchange in my free time...
    – jcmack
    6 hours ago










  • A month is way, way too long dude. Anyone who says otherwise is being nice to you. *AGGRESSIVELY ask HR and management what you should do next!
    – Fattie
    3 hours ago








  • 1




    Most of this seems normal, as mentioned in the answers. But not being told who your manager is seems very strange. I've always met my expected manager during the interview process.
    – Barmar
    3 hours ago














  • 22




    I'm 30 years into it, I'll let you know when that feeling changes.
    – Richard U
    7 hours ago










  • AHHAHAHA, I mean in last companies, was always easy: In first days I've already so much work to do. Now its almost 1 month and "nothing" (the inside project maybe count) yet
    – LMaker
    7 hours ago






  • 5




    I answer questions on StackExchange in my free time...
    – jcmack
    6 hours ago










  • A month is way, way too long dude. Anyone who says otherwise is being nice to you. *AGGRESSIVELY ask HR and management what you should do next!
    – Fattie
    3 hours ago








  • 1




    Most of this seems normal, as mentioned in the answers. But not being told who your manager is seems very strange. I've always met my expected manager during the interview process.
    – Barmar
    3 hours ago








22




22




I'm 30 years into it, I'll let you know when that feeling changes.
– Richard U
7 hours ago




I'm 30 years into it, I'll let you know when that feeling changes.
– Richard U
7 hours ago












AHHAHAHA, I mean in last companies, was always easy: In first days I've already so much work to do. Now its almost 1 month and "nothing" (the inside project maybe count) yet
– LMaker
7 hours ago




AHHAHAHA, I mean in last companies, was always easy: In first days I've already so much work to do. Now its almost 1 month and "nothing" (the inside project maybe count) yet
– LMaker
7 hours ago




5




5




I answer questions on StackExchange in my free time...
– jcmack
6 hours ago




I answer questions on StackExchange in my free time...
– jcmack
6 hours ago












A month is way, way too long dude. Anyone who says otherwise is being nice to you. *AGGRESSIVELY ask HR and management what you should do next!
– Fattie
3 hours ago






A month is way, way too long dude. Anyone who says otherwise is being nice to you. *AGGRESSIVELY ask HR and management what you should do next!
– Fattie
3 hours ago






1




1




Most of this seems normal, as mentioned in the answers. But not being told who your manager is seems very strange. I've always met my expected manager during the interview process.
– Barmar
3 hours ago




Most of this seems normal, as mentioned in the answers. But not being told who your manager is seems very strange. I've always met my expected manager during the interview process.
– Barmar
3 hours ago










3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















18














It's completely normal to feel lost as a new job the first month



It sounds like you're doing the right thing




Waiting, studying in this free time, and looking for be busy




Keep studying. You will get better.



A few things I do when I start a new job/project



1) Spend personal time reading a book on their technology stack



2) Volunteer for grunt work that will show me more of the system



3) Find a mentor on the team I can go to for help






share|improve this answer

















  • 3




    What annoying me its no one have spoke with me or something, maybe they were more interesting in their vacation
    – LMaker
    7 hours ago






  • 3




    @LMaker To be honest, you might be right about people being more interested in their vacations. Most white-collar businesses get pretty quiet in late December as most employees go on Christmas vacation. Now that the holiday season is over, I predict that you'll find things become a lot more lively - and it will be easier to get the onboarding help you need.
    – Kevin
    2 hours ago










  • Learn as much as you can about the business and the product/s.
    – Criggie
    2 hours ago










  • @Kevin Indeed. I ended up being the only person on my entire floor for a week when I was an intern at an oil & gas company. Taking a solid vacation and completely turning off your phone was a big perk of that particular large corporate lifestyle.
    – mbrig
    1 hour ago










  • +1 for find a mentor. To expand, I would definitely talk with other team members if you don't have tasks from your manager. They may have things you can help with or at least validate what you're doing with the down time
    – aw04
    24 mins ago



















8














Some level of feeling lost is normal. But most of what you're going trough is probably related to starting right before the company semi-shut down for the holidays. I'd expect a return to something normalish by next week since even people who burned 2 weeks of time off via Christmas and New Years weeks should be back in the office.



That said, it's still not a good situation for them to have put you in. You shouldn't've been given a mid-December start date without someone committing to be at least minimally available at a level to keep you from being totally unproductive. If nothing else, saying something on the line of "if you finish your first batch of project XYZ tasks, the general backlog is here, feel free to skim off anything that looks obviously valid and which would be appears to be strait forward to implement. Generally this means minor cosmetic issues and quality of life improvements that don't require changing back end logic.



What's done is done though. In the mean time, I'd suggest trying to find anyone involved in the project you did a few days work on, and ask if there's anything else you could do to help them out.



Failing that, if you know where the backlog is, you could still look for other simple tasks. Alternately studying/practicing with the tech stack you'll be using so that when your manager is back in the office you'll be better placed for whatever you are assigned.






share|improve this answer





















  • exacly what I think! Look, I've received R$1700 for have worked for 2/3 days, tbh. Its a Junior Dev wage for a month. "Oh, but you received so much money to be there doing nothing". I dont feel comfortable with that, really.
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • If I read the OP correctly, he's been there for 6 months. If I'm correct, his problem is much deeper than the firm being 'semi-shut' for the holidays.
    – dan.m was user2321368
    6 hours ago










  • @dan.mwasuser2321368 nah, I'm here for less than 1 month
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • my first day was Dec 17
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago












  • I've worked Software Development at a few big companies, and not one of them has had a "general backlog" pool of work that developers could just dip into on their own initiative. I once got chewed out because a manager (incorrectly) thought I'd picked a new task for myself while he was on vacation without talking to a more senior engineer about it.
    – T.E.D.
    2 hours ago





















7














Relatively new employees (and I include someone with 3 years experience in this category) often think that their manager(s) have "super powers" - that their managers always know what they are working on, how busy they are, how much work they have left, etc. Anyone who has ever been in the manager's chair, though, knows that this is far from the truth.



New employees also think that they shouldn't bother their manager, or keep him/her informed of their status, where they are having problem, etc. This is also very far from the truth.



The best way to be successful at work is to establish a good, open, dialogue with your manager, so that you know what is expected of you, and so that he/she can learn what you are strong with, where you need support, etc. You cannot be successful without this, and your manager cannot be successful unless you are.



Now that the holidays are over, ask to have a meeting with your manager, and ask to have her fully explain what your responsibilities are, what her priorities are, whom you should be working with, how and from whom you should seek assistance, etc. Most importantly, establish a regular meeting with your manager (I recommend weekly) so that you can keep each other in touch.






share|improve this answer























  • Thanks for your advice mate, I always try to give feedbacks to my manager. Its like "Who is not seen is not remembered"
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • I think in english is something like "out of sight, out of mind"
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • It's sometimes the case at big companies that when a team is 'in the weeds' that they will be 'given' new team members to help. The problem is that the last thing a team needs when they are behind is to have to bring a new team member up to speed. This is a bad situation for all involved and it might be what you've been dropped into. Ask your manager if there are some low-priority defects or technical debt items that you can address without slowing anyone down significantly. This will keep you busy and help you become a contributor.
    – JimmyJames
    3 hours ago











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3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes








3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









18














It's completely normal to feel lost as a new job the first month



It sounds like you're doing the right thing




Waiting, studying in this free time, and looking for be busy




Keep studying. You will get better.



A few things I do when I start a new job/project



1) Spend personal time reading a book on their technology stack



2) Volunteer for grunt work that will show me more of the system



3) Find a mentor on the team I can go to for help






share|improve this answer

















  • 3




    What annoying me its no one have spoke with me or something, maybe they were more interesting in their vacation
    – LMaker
    7 hours ago






  • 3




    @LMaker To be honest, you might be right about people being more interested in their vacations. Most white-collar businesses get pretty quiet in late December as most employees go on Christmas vacation. Now that the holiday season is over, I predict that you'll find things become a lot more lively - and it will be easier to get the onboarding help you need.
    – Kevin
    2 hours ago










  • Learn as much as you can about the business and the product/s.
    – Criggie
    2 hours ago










  • @Kevin Indeed. I ended up being the only person on my entire floor for a week when I was an intern at an oil & gas company. Taking a solid vacation and completely turning off your phone was a big perk of that particular large corporate lifestyle.
    – mbrig
    1 hour ago










  • +1 for find a mentor. To expand, I would definitely talk with other team members if you don't have tasks from your manager. They may have things you can help with or at least validate what you're doing with the down time
    – aw04
    24 mins ago
















18














It's completely normal to feel lost as a new job the first month



It sounds like you're doing the right thing




Waiting, studying in this free time, and looking for be busy




Keep studying. You will get better.



A few things I do when I start a new job/project



1) Spend personal time reading a book on their technology stack



2) Volunteer for grunt work that will show me more of the system



3) Find a mentor on the team I can go to for help






share|improve this answer

















  • 3




    What annoying me its no one have spoke with me or something, maybe they were more interesting in their vacation
    – LMaker
    7 hours ago






  • 3




    @LMaker To be honest, you might be right about people being more interested in their vacations. Most white-collar businesses get pretty quiet in late December as most employees go on Christmas vacation. Now that the holiday season is over, I predict that you'll find things become a lot more lively - and it will be easier to get the onboarding help you need.
    – Kevin
    2 hours ago










  • Learn as much as you can about the business and the product/s.
    – Criggie
    2 hours ago










  • @Kevin Indeed. I ended up being the only person on my entire floor for a week when I was an intern at an oil & gas company. Taking a solid vacation and completely turning off your phone was a big perk of that particular large corporate lifestyle.
    – mbrig
    1 hour ago










  • +1 for find a mentor. To expand, I would definitely talk with other team members if you don't have tasks from your manager. They may have things you can help with or at least validate what you're doing with the down time
    – aw04
    24 mins ago














18












18








18






It's completely normal to feel lost as a new job the first month



It sounds like you're doing the right thing




Waiting, studying in this free time, and looking for be busy




Keep studying. You will get better.



A few things I do when I start a new job/project



1) Spend personal time reading a book on their technology stack



2) Volunteer for grunt work that will show me more of the system



3) Find a mentor on the team I can go to for help






share|improve this answer












It's completely normal to feel lost as a new job the first month



It sounds like you're doing the right thing




Waiting, studying in this free time, and looking for be busy




Keep studying. You will get better.



A few things I do when I start a new job/project



1) Spend personal time reading a book on their technology stack



2) Volunteer for grunt work that will show me more of the system



3) Find a mentor on the team I can go to for help







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 7 hours ago









sevensevens

9,71531938




9,71531938








  • 3




    What annoying me its no one have spoke with me or something, maybe they were more interesting in their vacation
    – LMaker
    7 hours ago






  • 3




    @LMaker To be honest, you might be right about people being more interested in their vacations. Most white-collar businesses get pretty quiet in late December as most employees go on Christmas vacation. Now that the holiday season is over, I predict that you'll find things become a lot more lively - and it will be easier to get the onboarding help you need.
    – Kevin
    2 hours ago










  • Learn as much as you can about the business and the product/s.
    – Criggie
    2 hours ago










  • @Kevin Indeed. I ended up being the only person on my entire floor for a week when I was an intern at an oil & gas company. Taking a solid vacation and completely turning off your phone was a big perk of that particular large corporate lifestyle.
    – mbrig
    1 hour ago










  • +1 for find a mentor. To expand, I would definitely talk with other team members if you don't have tasks from your manager. They may have things you can help with or at least validate what you're doing with the down time
    – aw04
    24 mins ago














  • 3




    What annoying me its no one have spoke with me or something, maybe they were more interesting in their vacation
    – LMaker
    7 hours ago






  • 3




    @LMaker To be honest, you might be right about people being more interested in their vacations. Most white-collar businesses get pretty quiet in late December as most employees go on Christmas vacation. Now that the holiday season is over, I predict that you'll find things become a lot more lively - and it will be easier to get the onboarding help you need.
    – Kevin
    2 hours ago










  • Learn as much as you can about the business and the product/s.
    – Criggie
    2 hours ago










  • @Kevin Indeed. I ended up being the only person on my entire floor for a week when I was an intern at an oil & gas company. Taking a solid vacation and completely turning off your phone was a big perk of that particular large corporate lifestyle.
    – mbrig
    1 hour ago










  • +1 for find a mentor. To expand, I would definitely talk with other team members if you don't have tasks from your manager. They may have things you can help with or at least validate what you're doing with the down time
    – aw04
    24 mins ago








3




3




What annoying me its no one have spoke with me or something, maybe they were more interesting in their vacation
– LMaker
7 hours ago




What annoying me its no one have spoke with me or something, maybe they were more interesting in their vacation
– LMaker
7 hours ago




3




3




@LMaker To be honest, you might be right about people being more interested in their vacations. Most white-collar businesses get pretty quiet in late December as most employees go on Christmas vacation. Now that the holiday season is over, I predict that you'll find things become a lot more lively - and it will be easier to get the onboarding help you need.
– Kevin
2 hours ago




@LMaker To be honest, you might be right about people being more interested in their vacations. Most white-collar businesses get pretty quiet in late December as most employees go on Christmas vacation. Now that the holiday season is over, I predict that you'll find things become a lot more lively - and it will be easier to get the onboarding help you need.
– Kevin
2 hours ago












Learn as much as you can about the business and the product/s.
– Criggie
2 hours ago




Learn as much as you can about the business and the product/s.
– Criggie
2 hours ago












@Kevin Indeed. I ended up being the only person on my entire floor for a week when I was an intern at an oil & gas company. Taking a solid vacation and completely turning off your phone was a big perk of that particular large corporate lifestyle.
– mbrig
1 hour ago




@Kevin Indeed. I ended up being the only person on my entire floor for a week when I was an intern at an oil & gas company. Taking a solid vacation and completely turning off your phone was a big perk of that particular large corporate lifestyle.
– mbrig
1 hour ago












+1 for find a mentor. To expand, I would definitely talk with other team members if you don't have tasks from your manager. They may have things you can help with or at least validate what you're doing with the down time
– aw04
24 mins ago




+1 for find a mentor. To expand, I would definitely talk with other team members if you don't have tasks from your manager. They may have things you can help with or at least validate what you're doing with the down time
– aw04
24 mins ago













8














Some level of feeling lost is normal. But most of what you're going trough is probably related to starting right before the company semi-shut down for the holidays. I'd expect a return to something normalish by next week since even people who burned 2 weeks of time off via Christmas and New Years weeks should be back in the office.



That said, it's still not a good situation for them to have put you in. You shouldn't've been given a mid-December start date without someone committing to be at least minimally available at a level to keep you from being totally unproductive. If nothing else, saying something on the line of "if you finish your first batch of project XYZ tasks, the general backlog is here, feel free to skim off anything that looks obviously valid and which would be appears to be strait forward to implement. Generally this means minor cosmetic issues and quality of life improvements that don't require changing back end logic.



What's done is done though. In the mean time, I'd suggest trying to find anyone involved in the project you did a few days work on, and ask if there's anything else you could do to help them out.



Failing that, if you know where the backlog is, you could still look for other simple tasks. Alternately studying/practicing with the tech stack you'll be using so that when your manager is back in the office you'll be better placed for whatever you are assigned.






share|improve this answer





















  • exacly what I think! Look, I've received R$1700 for have worked for 2/3 days, tbh. Its a Junior Dev wage for a month. "Oh, but you received so much money to be there doing nothing". I dont feel comfortable with that, really.
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • If I read the OP correctly, he's been there for 6 months. If I'm correct, his problem is much deeper than the firm being 'semi-shut' for the holidays.
    – dan.m was user2321368
    6 hours ago










  • @dan.mwasuser2321368 nah, I'm here for less than 1 month
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • my first day was Dec 17
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago












  • I've worked Software Development at a few big companies, and not one of them has had a "general backlog" pool of work that developers could just dip into on their own initiative. I once got chewed out because a manager (incorrectly) thought I'd picked a new task for myself while he was on vacation without talking to a more senior engineer about it.
    – T.E.D.
    2 hours ago


















8














Some level of feeling lost is normal. But most of what you're going trough is probably related to starting right before the company semi-shut down for the holidays. I'd expect a return to something normalish by next week since even people who burned 2 weeks of time off via Christmas and New Years weeks should be back in the office.



That said, it's still not a good situation for them to have put you in. You shouldn't've been given a mid-December start date without someone committing to be at least minimally available at a level to keep you from being totally unproductive. If nothing else, saying something on the line of "if you finish your first batch of project XYZ tasks, the general backlog is here, feel free to skim off anything that looks obviously valid and which would be appears to be strait forward to implement. Generally this means minor cosmetic issues and quality of life improvements that don't require changing back end logic.



What's done is done though. In the mean time, I'd suggest trying to find anyone involved in the project you did a few days work on, and ask if there's anything else you could do to help them out.



Failing that, if you know where the backlog is, you could still look for other simple tasks. Alternately studying/practicing with the tech stack you'll be using so that when your manager is back in the office you'll be better placed for whatever you are assigned.






share|improve this answer





















  • exacly what I think! Look, I've received R$1700 for have worked for 2/3 days, tbh. Its a Junior Dev wage for a month. "Oh, but you received so much money to be there doing nothing". I dont feel comfortable with that, really.
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • If I read the OP correctly, he's been there for 6 months. If I'm correct, his problem is much deeper than the firm being 'semi-shut' for the holidays.
    – dan.m was user2321368
    6 hours ago










  • @dan.mwasuser2321368 nah, I'm here for less than 1 month
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • my first day was Dec 17
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago












  • I've worked Software Development at a few big companies, and not one of them has had a "general backlog" pool of work that developers could just dip into on their own initiative. I once got chewed out because a manager (incorrectly) thought I'd picked a new task for myself while he was on vacation without talking to a more senior engineer about it.
    – T.E.D.
    2 hours ago
















8












8








8






Some level of feeling lost is normal. But most of what you're going trough is probably related to starting right before the company semi-shut down for the holidays. I'd expect a return to something normalish by next week since even people who burned 2 weeks of time off via Christmas and New Years weeks should be back in the office.



That said, it's still not a good situation for them to have put you in. You shouldn't've been given a mid-December start date without someone committing to be at least minimally available at a level to keep you from being totally unproductive. If nothing else, saying something on the line of "if you finish your first batch of project XYZ tasks, the general backlog is here, feel free to skim off anything that looks obviously valid and which would be appears to be strait forward to implement. Generally this means minor cosmetic issues and quality of life improvements that don't require changing back end logic.



What's done is done though. In the mean time, I'd suggest trying to find anyone involved in the project you did a few days work on, and ask if there's anything else you could do to help them out.



Failing that, if you know where the backlog is, you could still look for other simple tasks. Alternately studying/practicing with the tech stack you'll be using so that when your manager is back in the office you'll be better placed for whatever you are assigned.






share|improve this answer












Some level of feeling lost is normal. But most of what you're going trough is probably related to starting right before the company semi-shut down for the holidays. I'd expect a return to something normalish by next week since even people who burned 2 weeks of time off via Christmas and New Years weeks should be back in the office.



That said, it's still not a good situation for them to have put you in. You shouldn't've been given a mid-December start date without someone committing to be at least minimally available at a level to keep you from being totally unproductive. If nothing else, saying something on the line of "if you finish your first batch of project XYZ tasks, the general backlog is here, feel free to skim off anything that looks obviously valid and which would be appears to be strait forward to implement. Generally this means minor cosmetic issues and quality of life improvements that don't require changing back end logic.



What's done is done though. In the mean time, I'd suggest trying to find anyone involved in the project you did a few days work on, and ask if there's anything else you could do to help them out.



Failing that, if you know where the backlog is, you could still look for other simple tasks. Alternately studying/practicing with the tech stack you'll be using so that when your manager is back in the office you'll be better placed for whatever you are assigned.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 7 hours ago









Dan Neely

3,26811529




3,26811529












  • exacly what I think! Look, I've received R$1700 for have worked for 2/3 days, tbh. Its a Junior Dev wage for a month. "Oh, but you received so much money to be there doing nothing". I dont feel comfortable with that, really.
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • If I read the OP correctly, he's been there for 6 months. If I'm correct, his problem is much deeper than the firm being 'semi-shut' for the holidays.
    – dan.m was user2321368
    6 hours ago










  • @dan.mwasuser2321368 nah, I'm here for less than 1 month
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • my first day was Dec 17
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago












  • I've worked Software Development at a few big companies, and not one of them has had a "general backlog" pool of work that developers could just dip into on their own initiative. I once got chewed out because a manager (incorrectly) thought I'd picked a new task for myself while he was on vacation without talking to a more senior engineer about it.
    – T.E.D.
    2 hours ago




















  • exacly what I think! Look, I've received R$1700 for have worked for 2/3 days, tbh. Its a Junior Dev wage for a month. "Oh, but you received so much money to be there doing nothing". I dont feel comfortable with that, really.
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • If I read the OP correctly, he's been there for 6 months. If I'm correct, his problem is much deeper than the firm being 'semi-shut' for the holidays.
    – dan.m was user2321368
    6 hours ago










  • @dan.mwasuser2321368 nah, I'm here for less than 1 month
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • my first day was Dec 17
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago












  • I've worked Software Development at a few big companies, and not one of them has had a "general backlog" pool of work that developers could just dip into on their own initiative. I once got chewed out because a manager (incorrectly) thought I'd picked a new task for myself while he was on vacation without talking to a more senior engineer about it.
    – T.E.D.
    2 hours ago


















exacly what I think! Look, I've received R$1700 for have worked for 2/3 days, tbh. Its a Junior Dev wage for a month. "Oh, but you received so much money to be there doing nothing". I dont feel comfortable with that, really.
– LMaker
6 hours ago




exacly what I think! Look, I've received R$1700 for have worked for 2/3 days, tbh. Its a Junior Dev wage for a month. "Oh, but you received so much money to be there doing nothing". I dont feel comfortable with that, really.
– LMaker
6 hours ago












If I read the OP correctly, he's been there for 6 months. If I'm correct, his problem is much deeper than the firm being 'semi-shut' for the holidays.
– dan.m was user2321368
6 hours ago




If I read the OP correctly, he's been there for 6 months. If I'm correct, his problem is much deeper than the firm being 'semi-shut' for the holidays.
– dan.m was user2321368
6 hours ago












@dan.mwasuser2321368 nah, I'm here for less than 1 month
– LMaker
6 hours ago




@dan.mwasuser2321368 nah, I'm here for less than 1 month
– LMaker
6 hours ago












my first day was Dec 17
– LMaker
6 hours ago






my first day was Dec 17
– LMaker
6 hours ago














I've worked Software Development at a few big companies, and not one of them has had a "general backlog" pool of work that developers could just dip into on their own initiative. I once got chewed out because a manager (incorrectly) thought I'd picked a new task for myself while he was on vacation without talking to a more senior engineer about it.
– T.E.D.
2 hours ago






I've worked Software Development at a few big companies, and not one of them has had a "general backlog" pool of work that developers could just dip into on their own initiative. I once got chewed out because a manager (incorrectly) thought I'd picked a new task for myself while he was on vacation without talking to a more senior engineer about it.
– T.E.D.
2 hours ago













7














Relatively new employees (and I include someone with 3 years experience in this category) often think that their manager(s) have "super powers" - that their managers always know what they are working on, how busy they are, how much work they have left, etc. Anyone who has ever been in the manager's chair, though, knows that this is far from the truth.



New employees also think that they shouldn't bother their manager, or keep him/her informed of their status, where they are having problem, etc. This is also very far from the truth.



The best way to be successful at work is to establish a good, open, dialogue with your manager, so that you know what is expected of you, and so that he/she can learn what you are strong with, where you need support, etc. You cannot be successful without this, and your manager cannot be successful unless you are.



Now that the holidays are over, ask to have a meeting with your manager, and ask to have her fully explain what your responsibilities are, what her priorities are, whom you should be working with, how and from whom you should seek assistance, etc. Most importantly, establish a regular meeting with your manager (I recommend weekly) so that you can keep each other in touch.






share|improve this answer























  • Thanks for your advice mate, I always try to give feedbacks to my manager. Its like "Who is not seen is not remembered"
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • I think in english is something like "out of sight, out of mind"
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • It's sometimes the case at big companies that when a team is 'in the weeds' that they will be 'given' new team members to help. The problem is that the last thing a team needs when they are behind is to have to bring a new team member up to speed. This is a bad situation for all involved and it might be what you've been dropped into. Ask your manager if there are some low-priority defects or technical debt items that you can address without slowing anyone down significantly. This will keep you busy and help you become a contributor.
    – JimmyJames
    3 hours ago
















7














Relatively new employees (and I include someone with 3 years experience in this category) often think that their manager(s) have "super powers" - that their managers always know what they are working on, how busy they are, how much work they have left, etc. Anyone who has ever been in the manager's chair, though, knows that this is far from the truth.



New employees also think that they shouldn't bother their manager, or keep him/her informed of their status, where they are having problem, etc. This is also very far from the truth.



The best way to be successful at work is to establish a good, open, dialogue with your manager, so that you know what is expected of you, and so that he/she can learn what you are strong with, where you need support, etc. You cannot be successful without this, and your manager cannot be successful unless you are.



Now that the holidays are over, ask to have a meeting with your manager, and ask to have her fully explain what your responsibilities are, what her priorities are, whom you should be working with, how and from whom you should seek assistance, etc. Most importantly, establish a regular meeting with your manager (I recommend weekly) so that you can keep each other in touch.






share|improve this answer























  • Thanks for your advice mate, I always try to give feedbacks to my manager. Its like "Who is not seen is not remembered"
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • I think in english is something like "out of sight, out of mind"
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • It's sometimes the case at big companies that when a team is 'in the weeds' that they will be 'given' new team members to help. The problem is that the last thing a team needs when they are behind is to have to bring a new team member up to speed. This is a bad situation for all involved and it might be what you've been dropped into. Ask your manager if there are some low-priority defects or technical debt items that you can address without slowing anyone down significantly. This will keep you busy and help you become a contributor.
    – JimmyJames
    3 hours ago














7












7








7






Relatively new employees (and I include someone with 3 years experience in this category) often think that their manager(s) have "super powers" - that their managers always know what they are working on, how busy they are, how much work they have left, etc. Anyone who has ever been in the manager's chair, though, knows that this is far from the truth.



New employees also think that they shouldn't bother their manager, or keep him/her informed of their status, where they are having problem, etc. This is also very far from the truth.



The best way to be successful at work is to establish a good, open, dialogue with your manager, so that you know what is expected of you, and so that he/she can learn what you are strong with, where you need support, etc. You cannot be successful without this, and your manager cannot be successful unless you are.



Now that the holidays are over, ask to have a meeting with your manager, and ask to have her fully explain what your responsibilities are, what her priorities are, whom you should be working with, how and from whom you should seek assistance, etc. Most importantly, establish a regular meeting with your manager (I recommend weekly) so that you can keep each other in touch.






share|improve this answer














Relatively new employees (and I include someone with 3 years experience in this category) often think that their manager(s) have "super powers" - that their managers always know what they are working on, how busy they are, how much work they have left, etc. Anyone who has ever been in the manager's chair, though, knows that this is far from the truth.



New employees also think that they shouldn't bother their manager, or keep him/her informed of their status, where they are having problem, etc. This is also very far from the truth.



The best way to be successful at work is to establish a good, open, dialogue with your manager, so that you know what is expected of you, and so that he/she can learn what you are strong with, where you need support, etc. You cannot be successful without this, and your manager cannot be successful unless you are.



Now that the holidays are over, ask to have a meeting with your manager, and ask to have her fully explain what your responsibilities are, what her priorities are, whom you should be working with, how and from whom you should seek assistance, etc. Most importantly, establish a regular meeting with your manager (I recommend weekly) so that you can keep each other in touch.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 4 hours ago

























answered 6 hours ago









dan.m was user2321368

1913




1913












  • Thanks for your advice mate, I always try to give feedbacks to my manager. Its like "Who is not seen is not remembered"
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • I think in english is something like "out of sight, out of mind"
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • It's sometimes the case at big companies that when a team is 'in the weeds' that they will be 'given' new team members to help. The problem is that the last thing a team needs when they are behind is to have to bring a new team member up to speed. This is a bad situation for all involved and it might be what you've been dropped into. Ask your manager if there are some low-priority defects or technical debt items that you can address without slowing anyone down significantly. This will keep you busy and help you become a contributor.
    – JimmyJames
    3 hours ago


















  • Thanks for your advice mate, I always try to give feedbacks to my manager. Its like "Who is not seen is not remembered"
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • I think in english is something like "out of sight, out of mind"
    – LMaker
    6 hours ago










  • It's sometimes the case at big companies that when a team is 'in the weeds' that they will be 'given' new team members to help. The problem is that the last thing a team needs when they are behind is to have to bring a new team member up to speed. This is a bad situation for all involved and it might be what you've been dropped into. Ask your manager if there are some low-priority defects or technical debt items that you can address without slowing anyone down significantly. This will keep you busy and help you become a contributor.
    – JimmyJames
    3 hours ago
















Thanks for your advice mate, I always try to give feedbacks to my manager. Its like "Who is not seen is not remembered"
– LMaker
6 hours ago




Thanks for your advice mate, I always try to give feedbacks to my manager. Its like "Who is not seen is not remembered"
– LMaker
6 hours ago












I think in english is something like "out of sight, out of mind"
– LMaker
6 hours ago




I think in english is something like "out of sight, out of mind"
– LMaker
6 hours ago












It's sometimes the case at big companies that when a team is 'in the weeds' that they will be 'given' new team members to help. The problem is that the last thing a team needs when they are behind is to have to bring a new team member up to speed. This is a bad situation for all involved and it might be what you've been dropped into. Ask your manager if there are some low-priority defects or technical debt items that you can address without slowing anyone down significantly. This will keep you busy and help you become a contributor.
– JimmyJames
3 hours ago




It's sometimes the case at big companies that when a team is 'in the weeds' that they will be 'given' new team members to help. The problem is that the last thing a team needs when they are behind is to have to bring a new team member up to speed. This is a bad situation for all involved and it might be what you've been dropped into. Ask your manager if there are some low-priority defects or technical debt items that you can address without slowing anyone down significantly. This will keep you busy and help you become a contributor.
– JimmyJames
3 hours ago










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