First, recognize that this is the feeling of learning. Being the smartest in the room is great for the ego, less so for long-term growth and improvement. So be thankful.
As far as the prima donna attitude, first realize that in a typical software company everyone is insanely busy all the time and you need to negotiate some kind of mutually acceptable situation for how you can learn. Being on the receiving end of being interrupted 10x/day by a junior who doesn't know what's going on (voice of experience here) is incredibly disruptive -- so figure out what works for everyone by discussing it openly with your colleagues and manager. As long as you didn't misrepresent your skillset during the interview process, it's as much the company's job to make you successful (allowing them to get their money's worth from employing you) as it is your job to be diligent and work hard to advance your employer's interests.
It's always a give and take, that's part of working somewhere and business in general, you have to figure out how to line up your needs with the other party's (your employer in this case) for mutual benefit.
A word of caution: take all this feel-good "it's not your fault" stuff with a grain of salt. You're probably cocky because you're used to being the smartest guy in the room, but you are't anymore. That you've acknowledged this is a great first step, now work on fixing it.
Some practical tips:
- Do you have a manager? Make sure you do. I define manager as "the person responsible for assessing your performance, making personnel decisions, and/or writing your review"
- Set up regular 1:1s with your manager. This is a reasonable demand and you should make it. Maybe once/month to start, 30 minutes, where you can discuss your needs. Make it a regular thing.
- Try to have the mentality of being open-minded and let it show through. You'll be surprised how far just being kind and admitting you aren't the expert will go with people.
Another small practical tip: Instead of asking questions 10x/day, arrange a daily chat (maybe half an hour) so you can combine them and interrupt only once a day.
As far as the prima donna attitude, first realize that in a typical software company everyone is insanely busy all the time and you need to negotiate some kind of mutually acceptable situation for how you can learn. Being on the receiving end of being interrupted 10x/day by a junior who doesn't know what's going on (voice of experience here) is incredibly disruptive -- so figure out what works for everyone by discussing it openly with your colleagues and manager. As long as you didn't misrepresent your skillset during the interview process, it's as much the company's job to make you successful (allowing them to get their money's worth from employing you) as it is your job to be diligent and work hard to advance your employer's interests.
It's always a give and take, that's part of working somewhere and business in general, you have to figure out how to line up your needs with the other party's (your employer in this case) for mutual benefit.
A word of caution: take all this feel-good "it's not your fault" stuff with a grain of salt. You're probably cocky because you're used to being the smartest guy in the room, but you are't anymore. That you've acknowledged this is a great first step, now work on fixing it.
Some practical tips: - Do you have a manager? Make sure you do. I define manager as "the person responsible for assessing your performance, making personnel decisions, and/or writing your review"
- Set up regular 1:1s with your manager. This is a reasonable demand and you should make it. Maybe once/month to start, 30 minutes, where you can discuss your needs. Make it a regular thing.
- Try to have the mentality of being open-minded and let it show through. You'll be surprised how far just being kind and admitting you aren't the expert will go with people.