ZachOverflow

How Do I Overcome Code Fear?

How to overcome a paralyzing technical fear in order to meet — and exceed — expectations at work as a new data professional or programmer.

ZachOverflow is a recurring column in which I attempt to answer one frequently asked data science question thoroughly and honestly. No oversaturated topics. No listicles. No clickbait. Just my (mostly) unfiltered responses based on professional experience, technical exposure and, yes, the occasional unsubstantiated opinion.

One of the defining memories I have from my first week at work involves sausage pizza. Thin crust from Dominoes. Not that frozen rising crust stuff. My wife had gotten it for me after she noticed that, despite landing an enviable first data role, I was stressing out about my ability to keep up, technically, with the rest of the team.

I spent so much time trying to “figure out” data engineering in my first several weeks on the job that I would, on occasion, skip a meal. Hence my wife’s intervention with flaky, greasy comfort food.

I started putting in extra time after work coding practice SQL problems, revisiting Python concepts and learning about data engineering principles. I wanted to contribute and, in my mind, quickly become the asset the team (or at least hiring manager) saw me as and not burden everyone with my learning curve.