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How To Behave At a Software Company?
dawilcox writes "I'm a recent grad and am going to begin work at a software company. I want to make a good impression on my boss and coworkers. I know that performance is usually tracked, but there are also innate personality traits of good software developers that bosses just want to have around. What are those personality traits? What should I be trying to do in order to make a good impression on the people at my work?" (Appropriate side question: What behavior traits would you like your co-workers to exhibit?)
Be confident without being overconfident.
Know how to communicate and also when to leave other people alone.
Don't be too pessimistic or too optimistic when setting goals.
Don't be a pushover, but don't be a dick, either.
Be productive, positive, and competent.
Always work to improve yourself.
Also, read this: http://samizdat.mines.edu/howto/HowToBeAProgrammer.html
Bullshit.
I have a co-worker who constantly pulls the "dude, RTFM" on everyone like he knows the answer. But when you pin him to the wall, frankly, he constantly doesn't.
He frequently chortles when someone asks a question "dude, didn't you learn this in 4th grade?" but he then gets the same thing wrong the next time he has to do it because he can't ask the same question (having teased someone for asking it before).
Knowing a lot is very different from being a jackass, which is what is implied in the GP's answer.
Asking credible questions incorporating the previous steps you attempted to answer your own question gains you a lot of support and will make you a wiser person in the long run.
Simply being a turd and thinking you already "know it all" just impresses people who don't know any better. Those who do know just roll their eyes and quietly check you off in their head as a know it all turd.