Open Source Wisdom

Imagine opening a pull request as a freshly hired developer, knowing it will be reviewed by a staff engineer with 15+ years of experience.

For better or for worse, that was my first real experience after being hired full-time out of an internship. I was placed on a team that touched a codebase overseen by one of the most respected developers at the company. I was terrified the entire time — but once he started leaving thoughtful comments on my pull requests, I quickly realized how valuable the experience really was. I was learning lessons that had probably taken him years to master, just because I happened to have the chance to work alongside him.

I've been thinking about that more lately, now that I'm in a position to offer mentorship to junior developers. I realized I'm just passing forward some of the wisdom I received and hopefully encouraging a culture where this sharing continues. I also realized how lucky I was to have had that opportunity early on in my career. Not everyone gets that chance so it makes me feel a responsibility to pay it forward.

Whether we're giving advice or receiving it, sharing experience is essential to collaboration. It makes us better at our jobs — and it's fulfilling seeing others grow or invest in your own growth. All it takes is a willingness to share and an openness to learn.

Experience is hard-won. It takes time, mistakes, and a lot of unseen work. But it's surprisingly easy to pass on — whether through mentorship, small comments, or code review. I'm still learning how to be a patient mentor, and how to take advice better. But it feels like the kind of effort that's always worthwhile.