Some things I learned at Square

1: When you’re given a chance, knock it out of the park

Right before I left Square, we hired a new grad to our team. I felt really bad that we’d never have the chance to work together, so I wrote some stuff down. Square was my first job out of college as well, and so I wanted to pass along…

2: Always err on the professional side

I always told new hires that Square was a trap. I’m not trying to scare you — just trying to give you fair warning because no one told me when I started.

Square (like I’m sure is true for most startups out there) is full of young…

3: You are the only one that will hold yourself back

For two years at Square I felt sorry for myself. I was in a job I didn’t want to be in and wasn’t moving up in any significant way. I had every excuse in the book for why I was being held back — I didn’t have the experience and the hiring…

4: The “unimportant stuff” can be the most important

After a few weeks, you will get so busy with your core work that you’ll want to stop participating in the “unimportant stuff.” These are the social events and guest speakers and hack week projects. They may seem like a waste of time (at…

5: When you know what you want, make it clear

You may not know exactly how you want to progress in your career right off the bat. That’s fine. Actually, you shouldn’t know. You should take the first six months to a year to master your current role. During this time, you should be observing the…