In July I will be starting my first full time job as an SRE after graduating college, at an awesome company of large size. I’m looking for general advice (or granular!) for how to make the most of my first days and weeks, as well as what to do and not do as I transition.
Furthermore, I haven’t had an SRE internship before, so I’ll be learning a great deal on the way :-)
Every time I've left a job out of frustration with the work culture I've been told "It'll be like that everywhere." That statement has been wrong 100% of the time.
Actively seek out data to challenge the status quo. Does one have to work long hours to get promotions? Does one have to work long hours to get good pay? Do you have to compete with your colleagues to get a promotion? Do you have to have thick skin and take abuse for career growth? If you're failing is the solution to buckle down and try harder?
For all these questions look around at other roles in the company and in other companies. Don't believe any conclusion based on your own experience.
The answer to all these questions is No, but if your work culture believes the answer is yes you may be limited in your career growth.
Always give reasonable notice before taking time off or quitting, and try not to burn bridges. Your colleagues will be a valuable resource for your professional future.
Don't be "that guy". Politics, religion, your sex life - keep them outside. While at work, focus on your work and avoid divisive or potentially alienating speech (I would also include workplace relationships here - as a general rule, just don't do it, #1 source of drama and unpleasantness).
Don't be a jerk.
You don't need to win every conversation.
And finally, just make it a year. Later you can always find a better job, but that first year is essential
So the only way you can definitely "know how you're doing" and not become an anxious mess is to work towards developing your own grading system, with your own rules, principles, and standards. You don't have to rush it - you have your whole career to perfect that system, but it's actually the basis of how you operate, and not whatever specific thing you've been hired for or assigned to.
My first job was quite dead end but I'm still reaping the results of that hard work 10 years later. It snowballs, not just skills but the people you come across who end up working in different places later. Everyone knows a guy and when you have 3-4 seemingly unrelated people talk well about you, you can get anywhere you like.
Have the next person revise it when they start.
2) Keep a daily log of what you did, errors you troubleshooted, or any other peice of information that might be useful in the future.
3) If your team doesn't do retrospectives regularly, do them for yourself. It's the best way to ensure you make progress towards your personal goals.