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Episode 117 – Action Over Anxiety: The Playbook for Early-Career Engineers

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Manage episode 502386678 series 3510457
Content provided by Steve & Jake Maxey - The Impactful Engineers and Jake Maxey - The Impactful Engineers. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Steve & Jake Maxey - The Impactful Engineers and Jake Maxey - The Impactful Engineers or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Stepping into your first engineering job? The anxiety is real—but it doesn’t have to own you. In this episode, Jake and Steve Maxey break down the exact playbook for engineers in their first year on the job. Not theory—practical, tactical advice to cut through the noise, avoid rookie burnout, and start stacking wins that actually build confidence.

Key Topics Covered

  • Why pretending to know everything kills trust and slows your growth
  • How to show confidence through curiosity and learning, not posturing
  • The 30/60/90-day framework to crush your first year on the job
  • Aggressive patience: working hard while letting mastery compound over time
  • Systems new engineers should build early to boost efficiency
  • How to network internally without wasting time or looking like a social climber
  • The trap of chasing salary and status symbols instead of skills
  • Why confidence is a skill, not a personality trait—earned only by action
  • Handling perceived failure and self-doubt when you feel behind
  • How to position yourself for your first promotion the right way

Actionable Steps

  • Accept upfront you’ll be bad at new things—confidence starts there
  • Carry a notebook, take notes, and summarize key learnings daily
  • Leverage AI tools early to speed up your ramp without cutting corners
  • Ask sharp, layered questions that prove you’re paying attention
  • Focus your first 30 days on listening and absorbing, not “being right”
  • Build small systems to make repetitive tasks faster and cleaner
  • Create a simple list of what you can do—offer it to teammates as overflow help
  • Meet people across the company; build advocates before you need them
  • Study the next role above yours and practice those tasks early
  • Track and share your small wins—stack evidence that you’re growing

Who This Episode Is For

  • New grads walking into their first engineering role
  • Engineers stuck in anxiety or imposter syndrome cycles
  • Burned-out early-career ICs who feel invisible at work
  • Ambitious engineers ready to accelerate into leadership

Why It Matters

Engineering isn’t about faking confidence—it’s about building it. Every win stacked, every system built, every new connection made adds real evidence you can’t shortcut. This episode shows you how to turn the first 12 months of your career into a launchpad for visibility, mastery, and long-term impact.

Where to Listen

Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Or wherever you get your podcasts

Share

If this episode hit home, send it to someone. The Impactful Engineer grows by word of mouth—just like the best careers do.

  continue reading

117 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 502386678 series 3510457
Content provided by Steve & Jake Maxey - The Impactful Engineers and Jake Maxey - The Impactful Engineers. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Steve & Jake Maxey - The Impactful Engineers and Jake Maxey - The Impactful Engineers or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Stepping into your first engineering job? The anxiety is real—but it doesn’t have to own you. In this episode, Jake and Steve Maxey break down the exact playbook for engineers in their first year on the job. Not theory—practical, tactical advice to cut through the noise, avoid rookie burnout, and start stacking wins that actually build confidence.

Key Topics Covered

  • Why pretending to know everything kills trust and slows your growth
  • How to show confidence through curiosity and learning, not posturing
  • The 30/60/90-day framework to crush your first year on the job
  • Aggressive patience: working hard while letting mastery compound over time
  • Systems new engineers should build early to boost efficiency
  • How to network internally without wasting time or looking like a social climber
  • The trap of chasing salary and status symbols instead of skills
  • Why confidence is a skill, not a personality trait—earned only by action
  • Handling perceived failure and self-doubt when you feel behind
  • How to position yourself for your first promotion the right way

Actionable Steps

  • Accept upfront you’ll be bad at new things—confidence starts there
  • Carry a notebook, take notes, and summarize key learnings daily
  • Leverage AI tools early to speed up your ramp without cutting corners
  • Ask sharp, layered questions that prove you’re paying attention
  • Focus your first 30 days on listening and absorbing, not “being right”
  • Build small systems to make repetitive tasks faster and cleaner
  • Create a simple list of what you can do—offer it to teammates as overflow help
  • Meet people across the company; build advocates before you need them
  • Study the next role above yours and practice those tasks early
  • Track and share your small wins—stack evidence that you’re growing

Who This Episode Is For

  • New grads walking into their first engineering role
  • Engineers stuck in anxiety or imposter syndrome cycles
  • Burned-out early-career ICs who feel invisible at work
  • Ambitious engineers ready to accelerate into leadership

Why It Matters

Engineering isn’t about faking confidence—it’s about building it. Every win stacked, every system built, every new connection made adds real evidence you can’t shortcut. This episode shows you how to turn the first 12 months of your career into a launchpad for visibility, mastery, and long-term impact.

Where to Listen

Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Or wherever you get your podcasts

Share

If this episode hit home, send it to someone. The Impactful Engineer grows by word of mouth—just like the best careers do.

  continue reading

117 episodes

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