Ask That Question

One of the biggest regrets I have from my college years is not asking enough questions to teachers in class or during office hours. I always felt compelled to pretend that I already understood the subject or assume that I should go ahead and find all the answers by myself. I thought that was part of the college experience, to find answers on your own. Well, that's not entirely false. What I didn't realize is that teachers are there with their expertise to answer questions when you don't understand something. I built the habit of withholding questions and instead collaborating with friends and college mates to figure things out rather than addressing the issue or confusion head-on with my teacher.

I lost that habit pretty quickly once I started my career in the tech industry. There are just so many things you won't know, especially at the beginning of your career. Realistically, you won't have the answers all the time. You're well-equipped to find them, but to have a useful and constructive conversation or technical discussion, asking questions is fundamental. I went through a phase early in my career where I just wanted to demonstrate that I knew much more than I actually did, so I danced around things I wasn't sure of until I could go back home and get the answers myself. When I think about it now, this is counter-intuitive based on how my career and habits have evolved.

Nowadays, I feel incredibly comfortable asking questions, no matter how advanced or basic I think they are. I do not hold back. I find this to be counter-intuitive because you would expect that early in your career you should be encouraged to ask more questions because you know less, and later in your career you might ask fewer questions because you've been around long enough that you might have an answer or good intuition for it. Even writing this down sounds silly, that a lot of people are afraid to ask questions.

At MongoDB, we have a really good internship program. The first piece of advice that I always give is to ask questions constantly. There's a fine line between asking a question lazily and asking a question out of lack of knowledge. I always recommend making an effort initially, but not being afraid to ask questions and also inquiring how you could get those answers on your own. That's part of the growth, especially for interns or junior hires. The expectation is that they don't know much, but they have the will to find out and discover. It's normal and expected that they should ask questions. The main concern should not be to look like you already know a lot but rather your work ethic, your ability to collaborate, and your ability to adapt to a work environment.

Early in your career, the need to ask questions is mostly based on learning and knowledge at a basic level. In order to be able to contribute meaningfully, you have to have a better understanding. While you can pursue that on your own, you're encouraged to ask questions. Later in your career, this is something that I found especially true for leaders and even veterans at a company: the nonchalant way of asking questions, no matter how basic they may sound. The goal is to ensure that when in a conversation or discussion with others, there's no misalignment on understanding of what is being discussed. The main goal is clarity. If something is not clear or unknown, the question will be asked. If there's a fear that someone else in the room might not have the knowledge, good leaders will ask the question to make sure that everybody knows, to level the playing field and make sure that everybody has the same amount of knowledge so that we can have a constructive conversation.

Thoughts

Never fear asking questions no matter where you are in your career. Sure, there might be some questions that could feel too basic, but I cannot remember in my career anyone asking a question that was so basic that my assessment of their expertise or professionalism changed. To this day, if you were to ask me, "Do you remember anyone asking a stupid question?" my answer would be no.

Don't overthink it. People won't remember anyway that you asked that question even if you're worried about it. People won't make a big deal out of it, and you probably won't either. If somebody asks you, "How do I define a pointer in Go?" you give the answer and then move on with your life and never think about it again. Your worries are misplaced.

It's important to use questions. No matter where you are in your career, early on you have to build up knowledge and fill the gaps. Later on, that is still true, but in addition to that, as you evolve into a tech lead or any leadership figure, it's important that you make sure clarity is king. In order to do so, asking a question is one of the many tools you have at your disposal to reach the highest level of clarity for the room. Ask away, don't overthink it.