Imagine opening a pull request as a freshly hired developer, knowing it will be reviewed by a staff engineer with 15+ years of experience.

For better or for worse, that was my first real experience after being hired full-time out of an internship. I was placed on a team that touched a codebase overseen by one of the most respected developers at the company. I was terrified the entire time. But once he started leaving thoughtful comments on my pull requests, I quickly realized how valuable the experience really was. I was learning lessons that had probably taken him years to master, just because I happened to have the chance to work alongside him.

I've been thinking about that more lately, now that I'm in a position to offer mentorship to junior developers. I realized I'm just passing forward some of the wisdom I received and hopefully encouraging a culture where this sharing continues. I also realized how lucky I was to have had that opportunity early on in my career. Not everyone gets that chance so it makes me feel a responsibility to pay it forward.

Whether we're giving advice or receiving it, sharing experience is essential to collaboration. It makes us better at our jobs and it's fulfilling seeing others grow or invest in your own growth. All it takes is a willingness to share and an openness to learn.

Experience is hard-won. It takes time, mistakes, and a lot of unseen work. But it's surprisingly easy to pass on - whether through mentorship, small comments, or code review. I'm still learning how to be a patient mentor, and how to take advice better. But it feels like the kind of effort that's always worthwhile.