A junior engineer joins the team and starts doing the job better than everyone else.
They get praise.
Leadership notices them.
People start talking about their work.
And somewhere, as a senior engineer, insecurity kicks in.
You don't show it in meetings. You don't say it out loud.
But you know it's there.
You start disliking the junior.
Then the team.
Then the manager.
Then the company.
Suddenly, nothing feels right anymore.
If you've ever been in this situation, this post is for you.
The truth is, it's a very human emotion.
Most of us don't like it when someone moves faster than us. Our competitive side takes over, and before we know it, we're comparing ourselves to them every day.
The problem is that comparison rarely helps.
It only increases stress and steals the joy from your work.
The first step is to acknowledge what's happening.
Take a breath.
Remind yourself why you're a senior engineer in the first place.
You didn't get there by accident.
You have solved problems.
You have delivered results.
You have helped teams succeed.
Your value didn't disappear just because someone else is doing well.
Then ask yourself:
What exactly is triggering this feeling?
Maybe the junior engineer is better at a specific skill.
That's okay.
If it's a skill you want to develop, make a plan and work on it.
A little progress every day compounds over time.
Remember the idea from Atomic Habits?
Just get 1% better each day.
Most importantly, don't judge yourself for having these emotions.
Acknowledge them. Understand them. Learn from them.
After all, we're human.
And growth often starts with uncomfortable feelings.
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