From Teaching to Tech — What I’ve Learned so Far

From Teaching to Tech — What I’ve Learned so Far

My First Month at Esri

Well, I made it through my first month in my new career! Just over four weeks ago, I started my new position as a Developer Advocate at Esri. I’d like to share all of the exciting things I have learned from this experience thus far. Since I’m still quite the newbie, I’m sure this article will look very different in a year or even a couple of months from now, which will work nicely for future posts!

Before I get into everything, let me give a little background to my story (or you check out my other article here). I was a math and computer science teacher for the last 10 years. It was very rewarding but also quite draining. I realized a few years ago that I needed a change. So, I took several online web development courses and built a portfolio of projects, all while teaching full-time. I then started applying for jobs, took some interviews, and ultimately landed my new position! So, as you can imagine, I’ve had an interesting and exciting first few weeks considering I hopped careers at 32 years old. Without further ado, let’s jump into it.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Yes, this is one of my weaknesses that I’ve been working on. I think it goes without saying, no one likes to look unintelligent or appear stupid. I’ve always been one to go all in on my work. Producing content to the best of my ability is what I strive for. So, when I hopped into my new role, I learned very quickly that I needed to ask a lot of questions if I was going to continue to hold myself to such a standard. It’s a humbling experience going from a field where you feel like an expert, to one where you feel like a novice. But this is where true learning happens! I’ve caught on to some things quickly, like navigating through Github issues and using Slack, Teams, etc. However, Esri’s entire ArcGIS Platform is a whole other ballgame, which leads me to my next lesson.

You don’t know yet, what you don’t know.

After several online courses, many hours of practice, and a few sessions with my mentor, I thought I had adequately prepared myself to take on a new role. And the truth is, I had done about as much as I could. However, no amount of online learning, boot camps, or courses can fully prepare you for the real deal. I’ve felt a bit like a fish out of water in my new role. There’s a lot to learn about the company’s products, offerings, customers, history, etc. I’m quickly figuring out that rather than trying to consume everything all at once, I need to slow down and put all my focus on one thing at a time. So my current focus is on one small piece of the ArcGIS Platform: ArcGIS REST JS. This has proven to be a good starting point for me as I have a solid JavaScript background and some backend development experience. So, the lesson I’ve learned here is, when dealing with a huge task, it’s best to find a starting point that plays to one of your strengths.

Keep a running vocabulary list.

My new company has a plethora of lingo that’s very unfamiliar to me. Esri is a global leader in GIS software, location services, and mapping. So when it comes to the software technical side of things, I’m doing pretty well. But the GIS and mapping side of things is where my major learning curve lies. For context, GIS stands for Geographic Information System. This is a spatial system that creates, manages, analyzes, and maps all types of data.

Since my time starting at Esri, I’ve got to read through lots of documentation and listen in on many meetings. I started to identify that I had a major language gap with the terminology being thrown around. After the first few days of this, I decided to start a vocabulary terms list. This is probably one of my best ideas in my new job so far! Words like geocoding and spatial analysis made the list first. Now, whenever I hear a term I’m hesitant about, I check the list first. If it’s not there, I tack it on. This process has proven to be much more effective for me than just googling the word each time. It has saved me time, and even better, I’ve found myself committing more words to memory.

Don’t stress when your “to-do list” doesn’t get finished each day.

As an educator, it was my job to plan and lead each day. Since I was in control, most things on my lesson plan were accomplished each day. Now, each day isn’t quite as predictable. I’m a pretty organized person who likes to plan out each day before it happens. In teaching, this structure worked pretty well. Sure, I was adaptable to fluke situations, but for the most part, we’d stick with my schedule. Each day now, I start with two to three actionable items that I tell myself are “must get done items” for the day. However, I think I’ve only completed that list twice so far. Between attending meetings, talking with coworkers, and this pretty big learning curve, I’ve learned to take my “must-do” task list each day with a grain of salt. In fact, the list has become just an ongoing one where I celebrate finishing any task!

Attend lots of meetings.

It’s kind of funny enjoying being a part of meetings in the workplace. In my previous role, I remember joking about how every meeting could’ve been an email. As the “new kid on the block”, I’ve very much enjoyed filling my first few weeks with conversations between colleagues. I’ve learned a lot of things about Esri and have met several people. This lesson is certainly a short-lived one though, as I’m being given more tasks with time.

Collaboration is necessary but can be tricky.

Since we’re all unique, so too are our ideas and opinions. This is both a blessing and a curse. Since I’m still a newbie, I’ve been doing a lot of learning, but I have been given a small set of tasks thus far. Throughout my work on these various tasks, some time has been dedicated to listening to others’ guidance. What’s been quite tricky is figuring out how to implement all of this feedback when the comments and ideas sometimes conflict. Although not easy, it’s been very rewarding working with multiple colleagues and gaining insight into their perspectives and knowledge. It will take time, but I’m confident eventually I’ll find my stride and be able to rely less on others and more on their taught wisdom.

Each mistake is a learning opportunity.

Imposter syndrome is very real. Nearly every day over the last few weeks I’ve had moments of doubt in myself. In fact, my emotions have been a bit sinusoidal in nature. Hehe, there’s my mathematical side showing! 😎 Don’t get me wrong, I love to be challenged. But often when I struggle, slivers of anxiety take over. Growth isn’t easy, and when the going gets tough, it’s been tricky to be gentle with myself. However, I’ve learned to celebrate even the smallest milestones, since each little piece is a key part of the overall puzzle.

Summary

It’s crazy how quickly the first month in my new role has gone by. I’ve still had the occasional teacher nightmare, and that’s when I remember how much my life has improved since I switched careers. Sure, there have been days where I’ve worked 12 hours, but those have been by choice! I’ve already learned so much and can’t wait to learn a great deal more. I’m just getting started, so let’s see where this road takes me!

If you’re considering a career switch, looking to get into tech, or curious about what it’s like to work at Esri, then please stay tuned for my future posts! You can also check out Esri’s careers page or this video for more information.