The Worst Mistake You Can Make as an Intern | Hacker News Reader

The Worst Mistake You Can Make as an Intern

surajjain.tumblr.com

8 pointsSuraj75714 comments

Dropping the production database ranks up there.

Of course, giving an intern privileges on production might be the biggest mistake an employee can make.

One mistake is working with people who say things like "don't make the same mistake twice." This type of fear-based motivation is counter-productive for both the employee and the employer. The new employee's self-confidence is already shot if they make a mistake. "You better not mess up again!" further undermines their self-confidence and starts a downward spiral. The employee feels progressively worse, their lack of confidence increases the probability of mistakes on the job and the employer's investment in the new hire is largely flushed down the drain.

I'm definitely not advocating berating or trying to diminish the intern's confidence. I'm just suggesting that making the same mistake over and over again is a major red flag and something interns (and new hires and pretty much everyone) should actively try and avoid.

I probably should have added something in the post about having the full-time employee actively teach the way to fix/correct the mistake, which is something that should always happen.

"you better not mess up again" != "don't make the same mistake twice"

Mistakes happen... we all know that. But the article is talking more about what it says about a person who doesn't learn from that mistake. If you have made a mistake, you should be fearful of making it again. So fearful that you are compelled to figure out why/how you made the mistake and figure out how to avoid making it again.

Thanks, this captures most of the mentality of what I was trying to get at. However, I don't know if "so fearful" is the right mentality that I would focus on.

I would turn it around and say that the intern should have enough pride in their work to be "compelled to figure out why/how you made the mistake and figure out how to avoid making it again."

True. I probably would not have used the word fearful if the parent post had not. Having pride in your work is better.

At some point in life, you ought to develop self-confidence that comes from..... self, and not other people appraisal of you.

If you made a mistake, you should most definitely try harder not to make that same mistake because there is a limit to how many times you can fail in a work environment.

No one wants to stand around correcting someone on the same error more than once.

I don't think the post is suggesting that employers give their interns this advice directly, just as I wouldn't expect an employer to tell an intern to "go out drinking if anybody offers."

IMO I don't tell interns to "go out drinking if anyone offers". Generally, we invite people out and let them make up their own mind.

I think the biggest mistake I made as an intern was accepting an internship . . . I quit my internship last week and am running my own company full-time now.

I believe that mistake is called over-confidence. (just kidding)

Spoiler Alert: The article says the biggest mistake an intern can make is making the same mistake twice.

I think it is safe to say that that can be applied to pretty much everybody.

True. You can definitely expand the message to be for everyone. I just was thinking about our interns when I wrote it.

Letting the coffee pot go dry.

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