Stepping Up from a Fledgling Engineer
There is a Point of Growth
Are you studying every day to grow as an engineer? Being an engineer is a job that requires continuous learning, much like when you were just starting out. You may find yourself studying after work and on weekends, and I’m sure you’ve heard stories like this. But how long will this kind of study last? When will we be able to get out of the state of “I don’t know at all”?
What I want you to remember this time is the “tipping point.”
Understanding the Tipping Point
A tipping point is a moment where small changes or movements accumulate and suddenly cause a huge change. There is always a critical point where rapid growth occurs.
The Importance of the Tipping Point
If you want to grow as an engineer, understand that tipping points exist. Depending on the time of year, there are times when the “amount of action” is important and times when “strategy” is important.
Let’s delve into this concept with an example.
The Moment of Maximum Effort
I have a question for you: When is the moment when an airplane uses the most fuel? The answer is when it takes off. Airplanes use the most energy during takeoff, and this is when we feel the most shock while on board.
Tipping points are easy to understand when compared to airplanes. It is necessary to use the most energy before taking off — in other words, it is about the amount of action. Once in the sky, the aircraft stabilizes, and the focus shifts to “strategy,” such as avoiding air currents and birds.
Applying this to your Engineering Journey
As an engineer, the first tipping point might be when you can create something from 0 to >1. It is said that it takes around 1000 hours of study to reach this point (though this is just an estimate).
Often, fledgling engineers start experimenting with various technologies before reaching this tipping point. It is very important to gain experience in creating something from scratch with as little technology as possible at the beginning.
Personally, I found that tackling both backend and frontend simultaneously can be overwhelming. Instead, focusing on the frontend and using tools like MicroCMS for the backend can help you cross the tipping point sooner. This focus allows you to gain the “experience of making things,” which leads to the next phase of “strategy.”
From Action to Strategy
Once you have the experience of creating something, the focus shifts to strategy. What technologies should you learn to build your career? What learning methods should you use? What should you create and output?
Strategizing helps you move towards your destination (goal) and guides your continued learning.
When You Feel Like Giving Up
There will be times when you get discouraged by the long road ahead. At such times, I want you to remember this graph:
You never know when the tipping point will come. It could be that at a certain moment, the development of your app will suddenly progress more smoothly. Tipping points are different for everyone, but they absolutely exist. It is extremely important to work hard every day to achieve this goal.
My Tipping Point Experiences
Fledgling to Junior
For me, the first significant tipping point was when I created a simple web application by myself. At that time, I was using React. When I successfully implemented a simple application on my own by applying what I learned from videos, I realized I had overcome a significant barrier.
Junior to Middle
The next major tipping point came when I built a CI/CD pipeline using AWS and implemented Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with CloudFormation by myself. This experience was a tremendous level-up and has greatly contributed to my current job capabilities.
Final Thoughts
Remember, tipping points are essential milestones in your growth journey as an engineer. Embrace them, work diligently, and focus on both action and strategy at the right times. Your dedication will lead to those moments of significant change and advancement. Keep pushing forward, and you’ll find yourself stepping up from a fledgling engineer to a more confident and skilled professional.
