{"id":91725,"date":"2019-09-10T09:13:54","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T16:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/?p=91725"},"modified":"2025-07-21T13:35:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T20:35:26","slug":"stranger-in-a-tech-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/stranger-in-a-tech-land\/","title":{"rendered":"Stranger in a Tech Land"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Silicon<\/p>\n

I never considered myself to be extremely techy. My family and friends would occasionally come to me with computer problems that I could solve with the help of Google and FAQ pages, but I would not go much further than that.<\/p>\n

When I came across Backblaze\u2019s job posting for a marketing position, I applied mostly on a lark. My background looked similar to the job description, but I never expected to hear anything from them. When I received the email that I had gotten an interview with Backblaze<\/a>, my initial thought was, how<\/em>? Backblaze was the type of company I feared when first arriving in the Bay Area from Ohio. Worry began to bubble up in me about being in a room filled with people who were all smarter or more experienced than me. My family teased me that I would walk into my first day and it would be an episode of Punk\u2019d.<\/p>\n

Silicon Valley has a stigma for most everyone who isn\u2019t located in the Bay Area. We assume it will be filled with competitive geniuses and be too expensive to survive. \u201cYou may be Ohio smart, but that\u2019s a different kind of smart,\u201d is something I have heard in actual conversations. And I, too, had similar thoughts as I considered trying to fit in at a startup.<\/p>\n

Having watched the HBO show, Silicon Valley<\/em><\/a>, my perspective of how my future coworkers would act could not have been more different from reality. The show portrays Silicon Valley workers as smug, arrogant, anti-social coders who are ready to backstab their coworkers on their way to the top of the industry. At Backblaze, I have found the opposite to be true: everyone has been supportive, fun to be around, and team-oriented.<\/p>\n

Now that I live in Silicon Valley, rather than watching it, I have to say I let the intimidation get to me. One of my favorite quotes that helps me during times of high stress is by the Co-Founder of Lumi Labs, Marissa Mayer, in reference to how she\u2019s succeeded in her career, \u201cI always did something I was not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow.\u201d That\u2019s an important thing to remember when you are starting a new job, adventure, or experience: On the other side of the challenge, no matter how it goes, you\u2019ll have grown. Here are some of the things that I have learned during my first few weeks of growth at Backblaze and living in the Bay Area. Hopefully, they\u2019ll help you to try something you\u2019re not ready for, too.<\/p>\n

Nine Lessons Learned<\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t be Thrown by Big Words<\/h3>\n

Write them down.<\/em> Google is your best friend. There may be words, companies, software, acronyms, and a bunch of other things that come up in meetings that you have never heard before. Take notes. Research them and do research on how they apply to your company or work position. Most of the time it\u2019s something you might have known about but didn\u2019t know the correct word or phrase for.<\/p>\n

No One Understands Your Thought Process<\/h3>\n

Show your work.<\/em> Something that\u2019s hard when it comes to talking to your boss or your team is that they cannot see inside your brain. Talk them through how you got to where you are with your thoughts and conclusions. There are plenty of times where I have had to remind myself to over-explain an idea or a thought so the people around me could understand and help.<\/p>\n

You Don\u2019t Have to Know Everything<\/h3>\n

Own up to your lack of knowledge.<\/em> This one is tough because when you are new to a position you have the inclination to not lift the veil and reveal yourself as someone who does not know something. This could be something as big as not knowing how a core feature works or as small as not knowing how the coffee machine works. When you are new to a company you are never going to walk in and know exactly how everything works. At the moment you don\u2019t understand something, admit it and most people you work with will help or at least point you in the direction of where and how to learn.<\/p>\n

Living in Someone\u2019s Backyard in an In-Law Suite is Normal<\/h3>\n

Look everywhere before choosing where to live.<\/em> Moving to Silicon Valley while trying to establish a stable income sounds impossible, and indeed it is very hard. When talking to people before my move everyone would say, \u201cugh, the housing payments!\u201d This was not encouraging to hear. But that doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t creative ways to lower your housing costs. While living with roommates to drive housing costs down, I found a family that wanted to make a little extra money and had an unused in-law suite . While it\u2019s not owning your own home or having a full-size apartment to yourself, it\u2019s different and that can be fun! Plus, like with roommates, you never know what connections you will make.<\/p>\n

Not Understanding the Software Doesn\u2019t Mean You Don\u2019t Get It<\/h3>\n

You have the experience, use it.<\/em> I came to Backblaze with a very surface-level idea of coding, no idea about the different ways to back up my computer<\/a>, and no knowledge of how the cloud actually works, but I did understand that it was important to have backups. Just because you don\u2019t understand how something works initially doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t understand the value it has. You can use that understanding to pitch ideas and bring an outside perspective to the group.<\/p>\n

Talk to People with Important Titles<\/h3>\n

They all have been in your shoes.<\/em> The CEOs, presidents, directors, and managers of the world all have been in your position at one point. Now they hold those titles, so obviously they did something right. Get to know them and what they enjoy. They are human and they would love to share their wisdom with you, whether it’s about the company, their favorite food places nearby, or where they go to relax.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Let Things Slip<\/h3>\n

Follow up.<\/em> If someone said they were going to show you something in a meeting or in the hallway, send them a note and see if you should schedule a chat. Have a question during an important meeting that you didn\u2019t want to ask? Follow up! Someone mentioned they knew of a class that could teach something you wanted to learn? Make sure they send you a link! All work environments can feel busy but most people would rather you follow up with them rather than let them forget about something that might be important later on.<\/p>\n

Soak In the Environment<\/h3>\n

Be a fly on the wall.<\/em> Watch how the office operates and how people talk to each other. Get an idea of when people leave for lunch, when to put your headphones on, and what\u2019s normal to wear around the office. Also, pay attention to who talks in meetings and what it is like to pitch an idea. Observing before fully immersing yourself helps you figure out where your experience fits in and how you can best contribute.<\/p>\n

Know Yourself and Know Your Worth<\/h3>\n

You can figure it out.<\/em> It may take time, patience, research, and understanding to stand confidently in a room full of experts in the field and pitch ideas. You\u2019ve done it before. Maybe when you were little and asked your parents to take the training wheels off your bicycle? It took a few falls but you figured it out and you can do it again.<\/p>\n

We hope that this was a little bit helpful or informative or at least entertaining to read! Have you ever joined a company in an industry you weren\u2019t familiar with? What are some tips or hints that you wish you had known? Share them in the comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our new Marketing Associate, Nicole, describes her fears, expectations, and what it’s really like to work for her first Silicon Valley tech company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"featured_media":91824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[131],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-backblaze-bits","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 Tips for Surviving Your First Job in Silicon Valley<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Silicon Valley has a stigma for most everyone who isn\u2019t located in the Bay Area. 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