4 lessons I learnt at a startup
“Growth, Learning, Exciting, Rigorous, Challenging, Like-Minded Folks”, “1 year of experience at startup is like 10 years of experience at a regular 9–5 job”. and a lot more statements you must have heard about working at a startup; at least I did, and it’s true!
Well, for sure working at startup is amazing. You get to learn a lot, interact with diverse group of people, and sometimes get a chance to write the rules. I got an opportunity to work at a startup and I was the very first employee (Yeah, and I am grateful for it).
I believe I had a great opportunity to not only lead, but also to set the grounds of a startup. But this rollercoaster ride is something that I would embrace for the rest of my life.
In this article, I share my experience of working at a startup as a fresher: what mistakes I committed, what I learned, and how I corrected them.
About myself: I’m an electronics and telecommunications engineer. Soon after, I completed my post-graduate certificate in data science and landed a job as a data scientist during the pandemic. I had experience in making data science projects using public datasets from Kaggle and other similar public resources. Other than that, I had no prior industry experience.
Mistake #1: Over-board
Initially when we started off, we discussed what the product is, what it would do and what are the technical requirements are. Based on which, I devised a strategy to build an infrastructure. I was, obviously, very excited to implement my first real-world project. So, I made a presentation, with an infrastructure plan (of what and how the product should work) and what we would need to do. I thought “Oh wow! This is great. Let’s present it. We can do this.”
Soon after, I realized that I went over-board and presented things which I DID NOT know how to do. And when my manager asked “Looks good, but how do you plan to implement it?” I was clueless. “I hadn’t learnt to implement these”, I said to myself. DAMN IT! I felt ashamed for blathering, and sort of lost confidence.
Lesson: Don’t say “This is what we should do” when you have no clue about it. Be analytical, not emotional.
PS. This was my first week at the startup
Mistake #2: “I don’t think this is possible”
Remember: your manager has more experience that you do, generally. So if he/she comes up with a strategy or an idea, don’t reject it immediately by saying “No, it’s not possible” without researching about it. Chances are you may get into their bad books. Because think about it, would you like to hear an immediate “No” for an answer? Thankfully, my manager understood me and knew how to challenge and get the work done (in an urbane way).
Yes, there could be scenarios where what they are suggesting may actually not be possible. But avoid dismissing it just yet. Take those points, think about them, research online, or ask your acquaintances, and then tell them WHY those ideas are possible/not possible. Also, you never know; you may as well find a solution!
Lesson: Wait before rejecting their suggestions. Search about it, and let them know why it is possible or not possible. Most of the times, there is always a solution.
Mistake #3: Assuming others know what you are doing
Tech industry is an ever-changing industry. Every month, week or day you would discover something new. Same is the case with data science. Not everybody knows what data science lifecycle is; the steps that we data analysts, data engineers, ML engineers, and data scientists follow in order to implement a data science project. In a wider sense, data science is still fairly new concept for people (as of 2021); be it clients, experienced professionals or even our managers.
You may come across clients who do not know how to use their data productively. It is our job to help them understand “their data” and prospective business opportunities (Yes, you read that right!)
Sometimes your manager may not have robust technical background. For them to understand the preprocessing steps may be very challenging! It is OUR JOB, our responsibility, to help them understand what is actually going on.
Lesson: Be gentle with them. Take some time to help them understand why some steps are needed to be taken, what is/are its significance. They may not understand it entirely, but it will help them gain confidence and deepen the faith in whatever you do. Let there be mutual trust!
Mistake #4: Not curating your points effectively
Imagine a situation where the team is discussing the plan, and strategies for the next steps. You may find a step that should be performed in a different way, but you don’t communicate it then and there, because you think “we can handle this later on.” Don’t do this. You are wasting the firm’s and your time and efforts.
Startups have fast-paced environments. The decisions to be made should be swift, yet be faultless. There are series of meetings held with cross-functional teams in a day. There ain’t no time to waste on re-strategizing the plans again and again and again. On-the-go improvements are inevitable, but that would be on select steps, not on the entire project plan.
Sure! One may as well have debates or heated arguments over the call with the teammates. Be it! There would be instances where you are right and the team would alter the plan. There would ALSO be instances where you are wrong, and which is absolutely fine. Own it, accept it and move on!
Lesson: Be frank and present your thoughts clearly, but subtly. Your one suggestion could optimize the project lifecycle.
Everybody, including you, is working toward creating a successful company, be it a startup or an established organization. Nobody is doing a favor on anybody. Your company needs you, you need your company; collaborate and keep progressing.
“Some mistakes will be made along the way. That’s good, coz at least some decisions are made along the way”
-Steve Jobs, 1997 Worldwide Developer Conference.
Final words
Make mistakes, learn from them, be willing to fail-forward, and do have some beers with your colleagues! 🍻
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