I'm a 21-year-old DevOps intern who recently transitioned to a new project. In this role, I'm responsible for some tasks, but my mentor mainly reviews my work. The problem is my mentor expects me to have a deep, associate-level understanding of everything. When I make mistakes, he points them out without explaining, and he rarely elaborates even when he fixes something himself. I'm not looking for hand-holding, but a brief explanation when I'm accountable would really help. As I'm still learning and trying to find my footing, I'm not sure how to approach this situation. What should I do?
2 Answers
It’s totally normal to feel this way! Performing complex tasks and explaining them are two very different skills. Not everyone can do both effectively, so don’t be too hard on your mentor. It’s fine to be confused but remember that you’re learning. Just keep pushing forward.
What I recommend is to reach out and ask for a one-on-one meeting if you’re feeling lost. When you do ask for help, try and consolidate your questions into a single thoughtful message. It makes it easier for your mentor to focus on your concerns. Just remember, it’s okay not to know everything, but you do need to try your best to figure things out on your own first.
This actually helps! I try reading up on docs and articles, but sometimes I get lost, especially with Terraform code and resource blocks. It’s frustrating when I get blamed for things I didn’t realize earlier. Is that kind of confusion normal?