Ask Questions!! I know this seems quite obvious, but I have been in many situations where I was in a group with colleagues, talking about a specific technical topic and using all kinds of abbreviations that I didn't know yet. I was afraid to ask, because I didn't want to seem like the dumb one. But it is not like that. All of us started somewhere and our colleagues at Nokia know that as well. If I just had asked questions right away, it would have helped me immensely.

Your dreams show what you can become. They are your hopes, what you love, and the future you want. Always be ready to learn new things. Learning helps you grow. Identify your fears and challenge them. Don't let fear hold you back from pursuing your goals and taking risks. Take responsibility for your growth, development, and success. Don't wait for others to empower you; empower yourself. Don't be afraid to ask questions, even if you think they might sound basic. Asking questions demonstrates curiosity and a desire to learn.

My top advice to someone starting is to build a strong foundation in the basics of IP networking. Spend time thoroughly understanding the fundamentals by reading and revisiting classic texts like those by Tanenbaum and Widjaja—they pay dividends throughout your career. Depending on whether you’re working in the control, data, or management plane, go deep into the details and truly understand the bits and bytes of how a feature works and the problem it is solving. Be open to taking on all kinds of work; no task is insignificant, as even seemingly small pieces often support critical components of the system. Especially in a small team, every member pulls their weight, and each contribution matters—both for the product and for your own growth.