Totally agree. Helping novice programmers through that time of "Oh my god, I know nothing, I will never be good at this" as their world is expanding is crucial.

Totally agree. Helping novice programmers through that time of "Oh my god, I know nothing, I will never be good at this" as their world is expanding is crucial. I think having a support system can make a big difference here -- and it might last months or even years until you feel confident enough to work full-time, when you'll re-enter the desert (since the tools your job uses probably include at least one thing you're not familiar with). One thing that I think separates senior engineers from juniors is a level of confidence and willingness to tackle the unknown and learn new things, tempered by pragmatism that they don't all need to be tackled and learned right away.