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brrrTrrrDrrr
3y

Hey ranters who once shared my inability to just announce when I don't understand something, how did you get over it and just embrace pointing out that you're confused at this point in time?
I tend to just brush stuff off and figure I'll have time to properly investigate and figure it out later, which usually works, but it does mean I will keep quiet if something isn't entirely clear.
I think this is bad and I'd to stop doing it. At the same time, it doesn't seem worth interrupting a discussion / explaining to ask what something is when I can look it up now or later and fill in the mental gap. I guess there's a balance to be found. Any tips? Any slaps to the face?

question

asking dumb questions

betterment
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  • 4
    3y
    Good people don't care. If they're going to judge you because you don't know something, they're assholes. Find better people.

    Once you figure that out and internalise that, it gets easier.
  • 9
    3y
    Note your dumb questions down, and then you might work out / be told the answers later on in the same conversation without you having to raise it.

    If you do have to ask the dumb questions, that's fine. Generally people don't get fed up with answering dumb questions, they get fed up with answering the *same* dumb questions *constantly.* So ask them once, make sure you really understand the answer, and then make sure you write the answer down somewhere (even if you maintain a "dumb_questions.docx" file or something) so you never have to ask that question again.
  • 6
    3y
    The only stupid question is an unasked one - that said, I get it, you don't want to suggest you're lacking some elementary knowledge when you're getting paid to have it.

    Just ask here. We won't judge. We've probably got a load of 'stupid' questions that you could answer in turn.
  • 4
    3y
    I had a manager who I'd ask if he was busy, he'd point out that's the wrong question. The right question was could I interrupt. The answer was almost always yes. That helped.
  • 5
    3y
    Maybe don't bring it up in a meeting of 40 people, but part of our job is to enable you to do yours.
  • 5
    3y
    If unsure of something, dig deeper to try and work it out.
    If it still doesn't make sense, feel free to ask.

    It's only a stupid question if you keep asking it and don't take on board the previous answer(s), and this is where it becomes tedious to keep responding with the same "it's this......" like you could have recorded it and press play to respond.
  • 2
    3y
    Take a huge rock, a hammer and hit that rock until it says "it's always their fault if I don't understand something, it's all because they're talking bullshit or not explaining good enough". Now, as it is set in stone, continue living as usual
  • 1
    3y
    I seldom think that there are stupid questions other than (as another ranter said) those that are not asked. If confused then just pull your hand up and state your confusion. Things that are extremely obvious to some are unknown to others.

    A question is not stupid if the intention is to understand how to do your job better. A statement made out of not knowing <x> because <y> was not asked, now that is stupid.
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