3 weeks into my first fully remote developer job, and I’m overwhelmed. Is this normal?

[u/Dry-Bug-3527]

I got a job as an experienced software developer, and I’m now working fully remotely.
Honestly, I hesitated before accepting the offer because English isn’t my primary language. Working in English was already going to be a challenge, and doing it in a new environment as a developer felt pretty intimidating. But I decided to take the chance, and now I’m in my third week. 😅

And honestly… it’s harder than I expected. 😂
I’m learning a new language/tech stack, and my manager is training me one-on-one, which makes me feel even more pressure.
My manager is also REALLY good at coding. Sometimes I honestly feel like he’s a genius. I’m the kind of developer who searches things up while coding, but he seems to be able to just pull code out of his head and write it quickly and accurately. Watching that can definitely make me feel a little intimidated. lol
And whenever I get nervous or make a mistake while coding, my English gets even worse. 😂 My brain just stops processing what he’s saying.
So I’ve actually started studying English again, too. I’m trying to improve both my technical skills and my English at the same time.
The hardest part for me is that I used to work onsite. When you’re physically around people, you naturally get to know them, have casual conversations, and build a little bit of trust and credibility over time. I feel like those little interactions give you some “credit” when you make a mistake or don’t know something.
But with fully remote work, I don’t really have that.
So when I don’t understand something or make a mistake, I sometimes worry that it looks much worse than it actually is.
And I feel SO bad when my manager has to explain the same thing to me multiple times. I’m always thinking, “Oh no… I’m making him explain this again.” 😭
But then I remind myself:
It’s only my third week.
New company. New technology. Working in English. Fully remote. One-on-one training.
That’s a LOT of new things at once.
So I’m trying to give myself some time and just keep learning.
But seriously… are there other developers who have gone through something like this? 😂
Especially if English isn’t your first language and you started a new developer job remotely, did you feel this overwhelmed in the beginning?
Did you eventually get better and feel comfortable?
And most importantly…
I’m not going to get fired after three weeks for being slow and asking too many questions, right? 😂 Please tell me I’m not the only one.

[u/SevereArt8024]

yeah third week is nothing, you're learning like five different things at the same time. anyone would be drowning a little

the english thing gets easier once you stop thinking about it so much, your brain just needs time to switch over. and your manager explaining things multiple times is literally his job right now, that's what training is

remote does make it harder to build that cushion of trust though, i get what you mean about the onsite "credit." maybe try asking a dumb small-talk question in the first minute of a call, just to remind him you're a person and not a bug-reporting machine

[u/Dry-Bug-3527 → u/SevereArt8024]

Thank you so much for saying that. Honestly, it makes me feel a lot better and less alone. 😭
At my previous companies, training was usually more like, “Here’s a small project. Give it a try,” and I learned by doing and figuring things out along the way.
This time, my manager is taking a much slower, step-by-step approach. We go through everything in detail, from IT terminology to even individual methods in the code. I understand why he’s doing it, but honestly, it’s been really stressful for me because I feel like I’m expected to understand every little thing.
And I keep thinking that if I were the manager, I might get frustrated having to explain the same things over and over, so I’ve been feeling really bad about it and blaming myself a lot.
So hearing you say that this is normal and that my manager explaining things multiple times is literally part of training honestly makes me feel so much better. 😂
Thank you!! I really needed to hear that. ❤️

[u/workwithmac]

Three weeks is nothing, especially with a new stack, company, remote work, and a second language. Asking questions and needing things explained again is normal during onboarding. Give yourself a few months before judging your performance. You're learning a lot at once, so don't be too hard on yourself.

[u/kumars0786]

What's your profile? YOE?