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I've tried opening up to a couple peers, there's definitely a culture gap where they're successful bay area dev guys who aren't used to hearing about people fai

I've tried opening up to a couple peers, there's definitely a culture gap where they're successful bay area dev guys who aren't used to hearing about people failing (like really failing, not "my startup ran out of money so I joined a FAANG") or being vulnerable. Agree about merging smaller PRs, I did recently find a backlog of stuff I can crank out to keep myself sane.

richk449 5y ago
It doesn’t seem like your use of the word “failing” is helpful. You should be going to senior devs and telling them that you are finding it surprisingly difficult to get traction, and that you could really use some guidance and mentoring to make the team as effective as possible. And you should bring them a specific plan that they can critique and provide you feedback on. Pick one PR, write out a plan to get it merged, and ask them to review your plan. Maybe they will tell you that you picked a bad area to focus on, because Bob is really particular about that code and he only approves changes by senior engineers - then ask the mentor what a better area to focus on is. Maybe they will say the area is good, but your plan is all wrong. Then ask them how you can improve the plan. Maybe they will say you are crazy if you expect to be be touching the code base in your first year. Then ask what you should focus on to best contribute. Then schedule regular follow ups to review how your plan is working out. Come prepared to discuss what you accomplished, and what you haven’t been able to accomplish. Make it easy for people to help you.