britton thinks out loud

What a difference that little word makes.

The last time I started a new job, back in 2004, I had quite literally half the industry experience I have now. Expectations were low when I started my contract with Silicon Labs; I was going to help out in a few key projects that no one had time for, and then go on to the next job. Because expectations were low, however, I was able to blow them out of the water, and I ended up with a permanent offer within a couple months.

Now here I am, back at Silicon Labs, starting afresh in a new division. But this time, I've got the word "senior" on my business card. Senior Firmware Engineer. As in, "this guy knows what he's doing". For the first time, I feel as though I'm expected to take a leadership position right out of the starting gate, despite the fact that I'm still familiarizing myself with the architecture and the black magic that my new team employs on a daily basis. I can't afford to fade into the background until I bring myself up to speed, at my own pace; my teammates are counting on me to help solve their current problems as quickly as humanly possible. So I'm coming in to work early and remoting in from home at night, playing catch-up. All because of one little word on my business card.

And I gotta say -- it's hard work, but it's fun.