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Ramp Up Guide for New Engineers

Starting your first engineering job—or joining a new team—is overwhelming. You're staring at thousands of lines of unfamiliar code, trying to understand the architecture, and afraid to ask "dumb" questions.

This guide will help you become productive in weeks, not months.

Quick Summary​

PhaseTimelineFocus
Week 1Days 1-5Environment setup, meet the team, first small task
Weeks 2-4Days 6-30Understand core systems, ship small features
Months 2-3Days 31-90Independent contributions, deeper expertise

The First Week: Foundations​

Day 1: Setup & Orientation​

Your only goal on Day 1 is to get your development environment working.

Checklist:

  • Clone the main repository
  • Install dependencies
  • Run the application locally
  • Run the test suite
  • Make a trivial change and verify it works

If you can't get the app running, ask for help immediately. This is expected.

Days 2-3: Explore the Codebase​

Don't try to understand everything. Focus on:

  1. Entry points — Where does the app start? (main(), index.js, etc.)
  2. Core data models — What are the main entities? (Users, Orders, etc.)
  3. Request flow — Follow one request from start to finish

Use The RAMP Method:

  • Recognize patterns in the folder structure
  • Ask questions (use Ramp's voice mode to ask without interrupting anyone)
  • Map the high-level architecture
  • Practice by making small changes

Days 4-5: Your First Task​

Ask your manager for a "good first issue"—something small that:

  • Touches only 1-2 files
  • Has a clear definition of done
  • Can be completed in a day

The goal isn't impact. The goal is to learn the contribution workflow:

  1. Creating a branch
  2. Making changes
  3. Running tests
  4. Opening a PR
  5. Responding to code review
  6. Merging

Weeks 2-4: Building Context​

Focus Areas​

  1. Core systems — Understand the 2-3 most important parts of the codebase
  2. Testing patterns — Learn how the team writes tests
  3. Code review norms — Study merged PRs to understand expectations
  4. Architecture decisions — Ask "why was it built this way?"

Weekly Goals​

WeekGoal
Week 2Complete 2-3 small tasks, understand one core system
Week 3Ship your first feature (even if small), pair with a senior
Week 4Contribute to a larger project, write your first design doc

Common Mistakes to Avoid​

  • Working in isolation too long — If stuck for 30 minutes, ask for help
  • Not taking notes — Document what you learn for future reference
  • Trying to learn everything — Focus on what you need for your current task
  • Fear of breaking things — That's what tests and code review are for

Months 2-3: Independence​

By now you should:

  • Ship features independently
  • Review others' code
  • Propose technical improvements
  • Mentor newer team members (yes, even at month 3)

Signs You've Successfully Ramped Up​

  • You can explain the system architecture to someone new
  • You know which person to ask for which topic
  • You can estimate how long tasks will take
  • You contribute to technical discussions with useful input
  • You've shipped something you're proud of

How Ramp Accelerates This​

Ramp is designed specifically for this scenario. Instead of:

  • Searching through docs for 20 minutes
  • Interrupting a senior engineer
  • Guessing and getting it wrong

You can:

  • Ask questions out loud in natural language
  • Get instant answers with code context
  • Build understanding without social friction
# Install Ramp
npm install -g @anthropic/ramp

# Point it at your codebase
ramp init

# Ask questions naturally
ramp voice
> "Where is user authentication handled?"
> "How does the payment flow work?"
> "What's the pattern for adding a new API endpoint?"

Starting a new engineering role? Try Ramp free →