You’re going to put some plates in toasters

Dear new developer,

I saw this insightful tweet:

My friend taught her son how to use the toaster recently. she explained all the notches to him, how each turn on the knob increases the minute count, etc. She received a text from her husband the next day saying that he found a plate in the toaster.

— Nora Jones (@nora_js) February 5, 2020

The whole thread is worth reading, but you get the basic idea. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know.

When I think back over the years, I am amazed at how many things I can do without thinking now that would have been baffling to me at the beginning of my career, including technical and non technical knowledge). This list includes:

• navigate files and directories work
• examine an HTTP call
• determine the performance characteristics of an application
• refactor an application
• architect a large application
• run a meeting
• plan a project
• exit vi

The road is long. And I still put plates in toasters periodically.

Recently at work, I energetically revised a planning document, adding what I thought was a ton of insight and value. Later I found out that the value I added was actually negative and that I’d done more harm than good to the organization’s goals when adding my thoughts. Man, was that a humbling and learning experience. Actually, that was more like putting a fork in a electrical socket than putting a plate in a toaster.

Much of what I know is at a high level with the idea that I can dive in (using resources like Google or Stackoverflow or a mentor) if I determine a need. Just knowing that something exists means that I can leverage all the great learning resources available if I see a place where it might appy. I also do a lot of pattern matching, where I compare how one system or process worked and see if and how that knowledge applies to a new problem.

So when you find yourself floundering, take a deep breath, forgive yourself, and dig in to learn. Foundational competence is something that you will acquire with time and study. But until you do, you’ll be putting plates in toasters.

Sincerely,

Dan