Introduction
First impressions matter.
We get a gut feeling of what it is like to work somewhere based on our experience, from being recruited for interviews to the onboarding process. What about the enduring impression of your first 90 days starting a new job? I want to share key aspects from my first 90 days of experience as an Associate UX Developer at Mindset Consulting.
Training as an Associate UX Developer
The first day I came into the office, I wasn’t alone. I was fortunate to learn the ropes with a colleague, who had studied at the same Bootcamp as me, Prime Digital Academy. From the beginning, collaboration was encouraged.
The Associate UX Developer training we went through was entirely new for Mindset’s Minneapolis Headquarters. Over the initial 90 days, we covered a variety of subjects.
- Design Thinking
- Fiori Design Guidelines
- SAP UI5 Components
- SAP UI5
- Fiori Elements
- OData
- CAPM (Cloud Application Programming Model)
- ABAP RAP (Advance Business Application Programming – RESTful Application Programming Model)
Was I an Expert after the 90 days of training? No, but thankfully we have Experts on the team to lead and mentor newer Associates.
Expert Team
Right from the start, I met with my manager, Ethan, in person throughout the week. In addition to being my boss, he is also one of the leading experts in the field. It was a wonderful experience to check in with a bona fide SAP Mentor while starting this new role. Ethan is far from being the only “Expert” on the team.
I’ve found it incredibly inspiring to be working with Leaders in the industry who are not only knowledgeable but accessible. If I needed to ask a question, I felt encouraged to ask. I believe this is because we didn’t only talk about technical problems. Leaders on our small but growing team had carved out time for us to get to know each other personally.
Events like a (virtual) team happy hours helped facilitate these insightful interactions. It’s only at events like this that I would learn about the tech team’s overwhelming interest in baking, how many musicians are on the team, and even one Leader’s mild obsession with classic cars.
Community Involvement
This next section is a big one for me.
I was able to participate in our Earth Day clean-up event! This may seem small, but I’ve spent years indoors on Earth Day wondering if the company I worked for even cared about being advocates for the environment.
Being on a team that takes time to give back and clean up is fantastic. This might not be the most productive use of our time in a business sense, but I feel strongly that an Earth Day clean-up is an amazing ROI for employee engagement.
We picked up some trash, got some fresh air, and built stronger, more trusting relationships with each other. That’s a win in my book.
Conferences
Being a part of the company doesn’t mean just sitting behind a computer screen daily. As a brand new teammate, I had the opportunity to attend a local ASUG event and represent Mindset Consulting out in the world.
I wasn’t the keynote speaker or even a breakout session speaker, but I was able to learn from and engage with others in the industry. This was a chance to learn about their pain points and wins. I also got a chance to meet a couple of tech team coworkers I had never met in person.
Conclusion
Over the first 90 days, I had a wide variety of experiences, from training with colleagues and learning from experts to attending conferences and community events. Because of these remarkable experiences, I feel incredibly grateful to have found such a great place to start my developer career.
Thank you for taking the time to read my first blog post. You can find me on LinkedIn if you want to connect or learn more about my journey.
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