“I usually use terms like “I don’t see why not” or “shouldn’t be too hard”. You may not know how to do it right away, but you should have the tools (Google!) and intelligence needed to figure out how to get it done. I like to avoid actually saying “yes” unless I know I can actually do what is being asked. “

I would usually avoid overconfidence if at all possible. I’m a fairly recent grad and it seems as if everything is a crash course on a new technology. In addition to expanding my Java Ive had Struts 1 & 2, Spring, Spring MVC, Hibernate, CVS, subversion, Maven, oracle Db’s, as well as becoming certified in Jboss AS and becoming a lead design for our new portal platform. It is a lot to keep up with so chances are you will feel overwhelmed. One problem I have noticed is that often people say “No problem” then come back days later with not much to show. I usually respond with a “Well, I’ve never done that before but I’m sure I can figure it out. If I have any questions I’ll let you know.” It is all about managing expectations while getting the tutelage you need to succeed.

Also, on a side note Meetup is a great place to connect with tech oriented groups to discuss more professional level technologies that can’t be gotten from books.

My story is one of frustration and grief. Out of college, I immediately worked on an enterprise-level implementation of Oracle Identity Manager. This application is wickedly complex and nigh on impossible to understand without being taught many of the concepts by a long-time practitioner.

Fast forward one year and I am much more comfortable with coding on an enterprise level and learning lots of new things every day. It helps to remember that no obstacle is insurmountable. You have to buckle down, never stop learning, and never be discouraged.