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I just passed a job interview with a development company, and I'm trying to figure out whether taking this job will help or hinder my career. I'm fairly new to the field and the job will require a great deal of self-learning and independance. I'm concerned that the opportunity could be overwhelming rather than merely challenging.

Some Details:

The job is for Ruby On Rails developer, the company primarily uses the .Net platform and its related technologies. The company has a client with a business application built upon Ruby On Rails. The client's application needs many optimizations and improvements. Given the company's main competency in .Net, they searched for a Ruby On Rails developer who can take on the whole responsibility of this client job.

Knowing nothing about the work at hand, I applied for the Ruby on Rails position. I am new to Ruby On Rails, and I saw this as an opportunity to learn more about Ruby On Rails and sharpen my skills in that field. I wanted the opportunity to work on real projects within a development team, regardless of the salary.

They called me for that interview, I passed it, and received an offer, which included a description of the opportunity. I am now afraid that I do not have the necessary skills and experience to assume responsibility and succeed in this work. This isn't at all what I expected.

I know that this will not be the last job that for a Ruby on Rails developer. Ruby On Rails is in high demand, and if I sharpen my skills I will get more chance to get better positions.

Given that this is my first job, and that I am not well prepared, I don't know what will be my benefits/risks in case I take the job. Options I've considered include:

  • Take the position
  • Fill my portfolio with more applications from personal projects

I don't want to lose the opportunity but I don't want to put my self in a situation that may have a negative impact on my full career in the future.

What advise would you give me? take this adventure or take the second way?

bethlakshmi
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Nafaa Boutefer
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  • Did you say anything about your concerns when they explained the position? – DKnight Jun 30 '13 at 01:00
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    @JimG: This is not a duplicate -- the difference being that he will be the "expert" for a technology he doesn't know, which is entirely different from coming up to speed on project using a technology that you do know. – jmoreno Jun 30 '13 at 03:18
  • @JimG: this is not a duplicate, just because the situation is different. In my case, I am the only RoR developer in the company and I will take the whole responsibility of maintaining that app code, improving it and proposing better solutions. Their will not be any mentor or pair programmer that knows RoR, it will be my full responsibility, mine and only mine. At first, I though their is a team, and by working with them I will gain more skills, I am just a little junior in the field, and it would be easier to catch up if their is a team, but the situation is different. – Nafaa Boutefer Jun 30 '13 at 04:27
  • This is not a duplicate, and i'm not sure why it has so many close votes for being one. – acolyte Jul 01 '13 at 12:58
  • @acolyte: 3 duplicate votes and 1 off-topic. – Jim G. Jul 01 '13 at 16:00
  • @JimG. exactly. 3 is a fairly high number, when 5 are needed to close. – acolyte Jul 01 '13 at 16:51
  • Best case scenerio for the op is this is not a duplicate... it is still a which job should I take question which has been defined as off topic. the question this could be edited to to save it is the duplicate of the question linked. – IDrinkandIKnowThings Jul 01 '13 at 17:46
  • While there are some minor differences, I suspect a top answer for either would apply to the other. The key point here is how much is one assuming about the company and to what extent does one want to view this in a negative light before actually experiencing anything yet. – JB King Jul 04 '13 at 22:19

2 Answers2

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I think this comes down to a judgement call. They vetted you, you passed the interview. So the company believes you are sufficiently qualified. You didn't lie or cheat in the interview process, so I'd say 50% of the responsibility for figuring out if you are a good fit is the company's responsbility, and they are willing to take the chance. Thus far, you really don't know how hard the work will be. Sometimes optimazation is quite easy (when the code is horrific) sometimes it's very hard (although you'll learn a LOT). You really won't know until you try.

The reason to say no to this would be if you have your focus set on working in a team and getting mentoring from senior engineers. That's not unreasonable - and it's certainly possible in the software industry to get that sort of help. This job offer does not include that as a feature of the job, and you are within reason to hold out for what you really want. A solitary job isn't for everyone, and if you know you won't thrive, don't take it.

I really wouldn't worry about not being qualified. Every job has a learning curve. If they are willing to pay you, clearly they think you'll do a good enough job for the salary they've offered you.

bethlakshmi
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  • Exactly what I was thinking. – HLGEM Jul 01 '13 at 15:42
  • The job description is a wishlist for an ideal candidate - chances are they won't ever be able to find a perfect candidate who can meet every single item for what they are willing to pay, and thus must compromise - if this is your best (or only) offer, I would highly suggest you take it, and work on a training/development plan to learn what you are not too familiar with – user2813274 Aug 04 '14 at 17:46
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Join the club. A LOT of computer work is people being asked to do things they aren't qualified to do. What matters in this situation is whether you have a good grasp of software fundamentals, and whether you have an approach to understanding problems and business processes. It won't take long for them to understand that they overestimated your capacity, however if you patiently chip away at it and start to produce any result at all, they are likely to keep you around. The only reason they will let you go is if you appear to be completely clueless. Quitting on them and going somewhere else will put you back in the same situation. Leave it up to them to make the first move.

I was working for someone in 1976 that was telling me about a computer deal he closed in 1963, where the customer bought a computer with a printer, three tape drives, and three reels of tape. It was the company's first computer, they had no idea what they were doing, and the sales rep couldn't offer them any guidance.

I had taken two accounting courses in college, and having done so I was asked to write a General Ledger application for a minicomputer. I had no idea where to start. At that, I had an unusual requirement - the user had minority ownerships in various companies, so we had to do consolidated balance sheets as well as multiple income statements. I happened to see someone else's implementation in the same language, suddenly understood how this would translated to code, but wrote something completely different since their solution couldn't possibly work for what I was trying to do.

When bigger organizations are dealing with large amounts of uncertainty, they use tools: Program Evaluation and Review Technique and Critical Path Method. During the 1950s, the US was trying to develop ballistic missile submarines, at a time when nuclear submarines alone were only a few years old and the military considered a 'successful' rocket launch one that didn't blow up on the pad. Launching a missile from a submarine at that point was a real stretch. Did any of them know what they were doing? No. Could they get on a discussion board and ask questions about launching nuclear warheads from submerged ballistic missiles? Good luck with that.

Meredith Poor
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  • Meredith is right. However, I'd add one thing: How good of a business analyst are you? Remember, you have to not only learn the technology, but the business you're using it for. If you're young, then it would be entirely reasonable to ask for a seasoned Business Analyst to be assigned to the client with you. That way you can learn the tech while the B.A. nails down the work, and you can learn a lot from a veteran B.A. – Wesley Long Jul 01 '13 at 16:00
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    @MeridithPoor - Answers should explain why not be a relation of anecdotes. The anecdotes can be used to back up your answer but they should not be the focus of the answer themselves. – IDrinkandIKnowThings Jul 01 '13 at 16:35
  • @Chad - the first two paragraphs support the third. The third answers the question. Most of the programming and computer related classes I've taken have had storyteller teachers. These stories contain important lessons. – Meredith Poor Jul 01 '13 at 18:38
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    I suggest working on starting your answer with the answer to the question. Then use anecdotes to back it up rather than putting the answer at the end of your anecdote. Even knowing where to look for your answer I find it very difficult to understand your point. The answers seem to us to be a reason to relate your story rather than a valid attempt to answer the question. I think this is just a matter of appearance so if you start your answer with explaining the answer rather than starting with the anecdote I think your answers will be better received. – IDrinkandIKnowThings Jul 01 '13 at 19:05
  • This could still be slimmed quite a bit. I think the content could probably come down to a paragraph, maybe 2, and be more relevant in the making. – bethlakshmi Jul 02 '13 at 15:01
  • @bethlakshmi - probably. However, the point of all this is to illustrate that such situations are the norm rather than the exception, have been for ages, and aren't limited to people fresh out of school. – Meredith Poor Jul 02 '13 at 19:51
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    I disagree that 3 stories from one individual prove that this is the norm. – bethlakshmi Jul 03 '13 at 13:47