Don't Be The Superhero (seriously)
It all started with "Sure. I can do that!" 😒
The constant dilemma
Maybe it was all the sneers and passive comments made during our planning meeting:
"He won't get it all done. He's a novice."
"Pfffttt that's light work! I can do THAT in 10 mins. No problem."
"Give him the scraps. Let him burn out if not he won't learn."
This type of shit used to go on in my head all the time. The team assigned something to me to complete so immediately, without hesitation, I went into superhero mode:
"Fuck it, i'll take that. And that. And yea that TOO. And... and yeah.. and .. aw fuck."
It's over. It's all ready midway thru the sprint and I'm starting to realize I can't finish all of this crap. Why didn't I see this was way too much for me to handle? Why did I say yes? Who am I trying to impress? Why do I give a fuck? Do they care if i'm drowning?
But then I remembered..
This is all a learning exercise. We're not supposed to be heroes or wizards who have a crystal ball that will tell us how long something will take. It could take 3 days, it could take 3 weeks. What we must practice is estimating based on experience, based on familiarity with the functionality, and knowledge of any nuances that might come into play in the development process. We have to learn to be agile and be flexible. Only then can one learn how to properly deliver in a systematic way.
Moral of the story, don't be fucking Superman be Clark Kent. Stay in the background, learn as much as you can and when you see a shit avalanche coming after you, you say:
"I think i'm maxed out this sprint. Let's follow up for the next one!"