Remote onboarding: the first 90 days

The first 90 days at a remote engineering role determine whether you slot into the team or drift toward isolation. The pattern that works for most engineers is structured and slightly extroverted. ## First two weeks Schedule one 30-minute call with every direct teammate and every interface partner. Ask the same three questions: what is broken, what are you proud of shipping recently, what do you wish a new engineer would do differently. ## First month Ship something small but visible. A polish PR, a small feature, a docs improvement. The point is to demonstrate working speed and earn early trust. ## Month two Take ownership of a moderate piece of scope. Run it end to end. Communicate progress publicly more than feels natural. ## Month three Have a documented opinion on at least one architectural decision in the team's scope. Without an opinion, you read as a senior IC without conviction. ## What to avoid Long stretches of solo work without check-ins. Suggesting major changes before two months in. Going dark for any reason.