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

The Impactful Engineer Project - Mentorship, Career Growth, and Personal & Professional Excellence for Aspiring Engineers

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29d ago 22:52

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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

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