I was pacing around the room, refreshing my email every 2 minutes, and trying to distract myself with pushups and whatever else I could do to keep my mind busy. This was me on October 18th, 2023. I just finished my final round interview with Square the day before and was told that I would find out today if I got the role or not.
If you know me, then you know I don’t handle the waiting game well. But, I was trying to keep an open mind and remind myself that I was proud of even making it this far.
Around 11am I was getting ready to take Scotch out on his afternoon walk and was just about to put on my shoes when I got a message from my recruiter saying “I have good news!” Followed up with “We’d love to extend an offer to you for this role!”
I felt a huge rush of relief, yelled for Celeste, and cried a few tears of joy. After months of preparation, countless practice interviews, and what felt like endless waiting, it had finally happened. I got the role!
My first day was exactly one year ago from today. I still remember having those first day of school vibes where I could hardly sleep the night before. I was so excited to start my new job.
I also remember how overwhelmed I was in the first couple of weeks. My imposter syndrome showed up and told me, “You don’t belong here,” and “It’s going to be way too challenging for you.” Truthfully, I almost listened to this voice. I was having self-doubt and feeling like I wouldn’t be a good fit.
But, thanks to my wonderful team who showed me nothing but kindness and support from day one. I reminded myself that I found my place. It takes time to ramp up, but this is where I was meant to be.
I’ve grown a ton this year, and a lot of that is due to my leads and team for pushing me outside of my comfort zone. To give myself autonomy but also to know that if I needed help, I could ask for it.
Looking back, I'm proud of the projects I've been able to contribute to:
One of the highlights was traveling to St. Louis for our team offsite. While I've grown to love working remotely, there's something magical about connecting in person. Between strategy sessions and team dinners, we even squeezed in a highly competitive mini-golf game.
And while this year was not without its challenges, both personal and professional, I still have these pinch-me moments. Just recently I caught myself thinking, "A year ago, I was nervously refreshing my email hoping to get this job. Now I'm here, doing the work, and loving it."
We've all gone through a lot together, and I'm grateful to be able to do it all alongside this incredible team. From that anxiety-filled morning waiting for the offer to today, it's been quite a journey.
Here’s to many more years ahead!
Thank you for reading,
Max
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Congrats!
Congrats bro! Square has been on my eyes as a job site for awhile, great company from what I’ve seen. I look forward to picking your mind about community building!