Core Concepts
An Amazon engineer shares unexpected experiences, effective work habits, important career lessons, and evolving priorities over the course of their 3-year tenure at the company.
Abstract
The author reflects on their 3-year career journey at Amazon, sharing insights gained through conversations with other Amazonians.
Key highlights:
The author did not expect the significant amount of documentation required as an Amazon engineer, such as writing and reviewing 2-pagers, design documents, SOPs, and wikis. Effective writing and storytelling are crucial skills.
The author maintains a weekly/daily work journal to stay organized and focused on top priorities, as priorities can shift frequently at Amazon.
Important lessons learned include: being proactive and vocal regardless of one's background, prioritizing mental and physical health, treating feedback as a gift, understanding the "why" and "so what" behind tasks, and influencing the team culture.
The author's priorities have evolved over time, shifting from caring about how others judge their work and fear of mistakes to viewing feedback constructively and being less concerned about making mistakes.
The author was inspired by the quote "An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field", which they keep as a reminder on their Amazon phone.
Stats
One third to half of the author's work involves writing and reviewing documents.
The author maintains a weekly/daily work journal to stay organized and focused on top priorities.
Quotes
"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field."