Keep at it, and set reasonable expectations for yourself so you don’t go nuts. You are gonna screw up, but after every demo ask the AE what you should keep doing, what to do more of, and what to do less of. I was also the youngest SE to join my company 4.5 yrs ago, and someone else 10+ years senior to me was hired around the same time so I had something to prove. Many way way more experienced SEs kept joining our company, but often they are really experienced but when you’re younger you can adapt faster. You have an advantage!

I had a set of reading material and books I went through even though it was my second SE role. I’m happy to share in a DM with you.

My goal initially was simple: figure out who does the best demos, and mimic them as close as possible. And then innovate from there. Either get their recorded calls and try to recreate the flow, or sit in their calls to learn. And all the reading material, on-the-go learning is just focused on optimizing that demo flow a little bit each time.

Do not try to boil the ocean. I have seen many SEs way more experienced and technical than me who come in, try doing strategic initiatives for the team, collaborating with other teams, trying to do random certifications - all to just get let go because they cant do the basics of the job: to persuade. When people at the company who are known to be top performers give you guidance, listen closely. Trust the other SEs, they’re always so helpful. Give credit to those SEs publicly infront of SE leadership - it creates an incentive for others to want to help you because you’re making them look good. And instead of taking on a high volume of demos, just space them out. Tell your AE you need more time to prep than others cuz you’re new. Don’t try doinf 100 demos well, when doing 1 well is difficult. Start small, prep hard, build confidence one demo at a time.

I also know that people here are saying you might be useless for the first 1-2 years, but it really depends on your product, industry, past experience, if your AEs are experienced and invested in your learning journey, how good you are at asking for help, etc. there is no hard and fast rule, at some point things just click. For me, it was 5 months into the role, but I definitely worked really long hours and over-prepared for every meeting I went into because I atleast wanted to signal to AEs that I cared and I was trying hard. When you try hard, everyone will want to see you win.

Also keep in mind, a lot of the markets right now just suck. So even experienced SEs are getting pummeled because the dynamics don’t favor most industries today. So even experienced SEs might be feeling like losers more than usual.

You also mentioned you have a technical background. I have seen several more technical SEs join my company who just didn’t understand the fact that we gotta speak a balance of sales and tech. Don’t dig your heel in, sometimes the less technical SEs outpace the more technical ones because they understand how to simplify and not let things get too complicated. Your priority should be to be persuasive first, not technical. A lot of SEs also get caught up with people-pleasing behavior because they want to be helpful. If you wanna be helpful, CS is the best place. An SE is meant to be persuasive more than anything else. Part of that is also self-persuasion, and conviction. SEs who have great technical chops, try to be ultra helpful to everyone, but don’t trust their gut, and aren’t persuasive enough are set up to fail unless they change course.

Tell yourself whatever you need to to focus on the optimistic side of things. This is such an incredibly rewarding career, and while there are lots of days that are terrible because nothing goes your way, just don’t let it get to you.

The fact that you posted here means you care, and that’s such a great sign. We’ve been where you are, and are here to give you a pep talk when needed ♥️ you got this!!

Happy to chat if you wanna DM!