move around. If your current place does not have people who are significantly better than you are, get another job elsewhere. Repeat until you are surrounded

move around. If your current place does not have people who are significantly better than you are, get another job elsewhere. Repeat until you are surrounded by people who are better than you are. Develop humility. (False humility is almost always good enough.) remember, If you have not gotten into a place full of people better than you, then you have failed the previous goal. In the technical side of things, almost always it is best to error on the side of humility. (the opposite is true on the business side of things.) talking about your accomplishments is okay, but it's usually good to acknowledge that you are just learning, or otherwise downplay it. Ask what you can do to help try to be useful. There are many good people who actively look for mentors. The hard part is finding them. If you do find someone good willing to help you out, take advantage of it. When I was a little younger than you, I got to work with Paul Vixie. My great regret is that I did not take advantage of the situation as much as I could have; he was willing to mentor me a lot more than I took advantage of. there is a place for doing it all yourself (and certainly, that is the only way to go if you can't find good mentors.) but if you find good people willing to help you, let them help you. And lastly, choose a mentor who really is better than you. Getting mentored by a mediocre has, eh, mediocre value.