When I started my Outreachy internship working on Servo, I thought I had everything figured out. I brought in the same mindset and approach that had worked for me in the past, confident that I knew how things should be done.
But as the weeks went on, I realized something important: everyone struggles. And that’s not a weakness it’s part of the journey.
In my first week, I kept clinging to my usual way of doing things, even when there was a simpler, more effective approach right in front of me. I resisted it. Eventually, I had to go back, refactor, and remove a bunch of unnecessary code I had written. It was humbling but it taught me that being open to change matters more than being “right.”
🚧 Letting Go of Control
The turning point wasn’t dramatic. It came quietly, when my mentor gently pointed out a better way. They didn’t insist or criticize. They simply offered space for me to reflect. And because they didn’t push, I was able to realize the problem on my own.
That moment stuck with me. It reminded me that good mentorship isn’t just about answers it’s about helping you see differently. It’s about creating an environment where you feel safe enough to fail, reflect, and grow.
💡 Vocabulary Insight
I received a review on one of my pull requests suggesting that I update the CLI command’s help description to use the word “emit.” That feedback got me searching about the differences between terms like emit, put, and dispatch.
From what I’ve learned, “emit” is commonly used in event-driven systems to indicate that something is being triggered, often with data included. Using that term made the help message more precise and aligned with the behavior of the command.
🧠 How I Dealt with the Struggle
What helped me the most was giving myself permission to slow down. I realized I don’t need to rush to understand everything immediately sometimes I just need more time to process the information, and that’s okay.
I started rereading documentation more intentionally, and taking notes to track what I was learning. Instead of forcing myself to “keep up,” I focused on steady progress, even if it felt slow.
That shift in mindset helped reduce the pressure and reminded me that understanding deeply is more valuable than pretending to move fast.
I’m especially grateful to my mentors, Martin Robinson and Mukilan, who’ve already played a big role in helping me grow during this internship. Their thoughtful feedback and support have helped me see things from new perspectives and I know there’s still a lot more to learn in the weeks ahead.