Just survived my first coding job where the 'sink or swim' mentality nearly drowned me

Tbh, I joined this startup as a junior dev fresh out of a bootcamp, super pumped to learn React and Node.js. But within weeks, I was handed a full-stack feature with a deadline that even senior devs would struggle with. My manager kept saying 'figure it out' without any guidance, and when I asked for help, I was labeled as not being a 'self-starter'. It led to all-nighters, constant anxiety, and my code quality plummeted because I was just hacking things together. I almost quit coding entirely because I felt so incompetent and isolated, especially working remote with zero mentorship. Looking back, I realized the company had a culture of throwing juniors into the deep end without life jackets. For other beginners, please vet the onboarding process and ask about mentorship during interviews. Don't let a bad first experience define your career, there are supportive teams out there.

3 comments

3 Comments

kevin_davis7d ago

Classic "sink or swim" culture, where swimming means miraculously not drowning. Hope your next gig comes with floaties.

nelson.dakota7d ago

You know, @kevin_davis, that sink-or-swim vibe hits hard. In my last role, I started blocking off an hour each morning to just map out dependencies, which sounds simple but prevented so many last-minute fires. It didn't fix the culture, but it gave me enough air to keep paddling until I found better water, so to speak.

graysullivan6d ago

Wait, an HOUR every morning just to map out dependencies? That's wild. I can't believe the culture was so bad that you needed that much time just to stay afloat. Kevin's right about needing floaties, but it sounds like you built your own life raft. Still, it's messed up that companies expect people to sink or swim instead of just teaching them to swim. Glad you found a way out, though.