Being a junior developer is tough. You’re new to the game, trying to navigate the world of coding and development while also trying to impress your employer with your skills and knowledge. But what happens when you’re sucked from a remote job only 2 weeks after starting the job? It can be devastating, especially when the reasons for getting sucked seem petty or insignificant.
In my case, I was sucked from my first remote job as a junior developer after only 2 weeks. The reasons given to me were that my commit messages were poor, I was using a line spacing of 2 instead of 4 and I took long to deliver a working login page which was more of a backend problem than mine because the API endpoint was not working. I was confused at first and hurt by these reasons, I tried to ask for a second chance but it was too late because my replacement was already on standby. I was new to this job and this was my first time working remotely. I didn't realize that these small things could cause such a big problem.
As time passed, I began to see why my employer was unhappy with my performance and I knew it was over for me the day I received a long voice note from my boss. My commit messages were indeed long and poor, it made it difficult for my team to understand what I was working on or what changes I had made. This made it challenging for them to review my work and offer feedback. On top of that, using a line spacing of 2 instead of 4 may have seemed harmless, but it made my code difficult to read, edit and merge with the main branch. My last two commits before getting sucked were much better and I thought I was progressing well but maybe it was already too late to make things right
As a junior developer who was still learning how to communicate my work effectively and present my code in a readable format. But my employer and seniors had a responsibility to share feedback on areas where I could improve, even if it seems small or insignificant.
Getting sucked from a remote job as a junior developer taught me valuable lessons about the importance of attention to detail, collaboration, and communication which was my biggest problem, I didn't know how to effectively express myself and explain what was going on or what I was up to. It also taught me the value of taking ownership of my mistakes and working hard to correct them.
In conclusion, being sucked from a remote job as a junior developer and worse after only 2 weeks can be discouraging, but it's important to take the situation as a learning experience. Be keen on small details, and work on your soft skills as much as your hard skills, soft skills like effective communication, and collaboration with your team ensure that expectations are met. In the end, it will be worth the effort to become a better developer and excel in your career.
Top comments (2)
In my opinion it look like they wanted an intermediate developer for the price of a junior. It happen sometime that we find junior dev fresh out of school that have amazing skill. But most aren't. I'm not saying most junior are bad developer, I'm saying they lack experience by the very definition of "Junior".
I've had interns (so not even junior yet) for the last year end a half in a remote position. I always do my best to let them learn the job give them feedback and allow them to make mistake. But in the end, I really think as an intern/Junior you should look at a in person position. Being able to see a junior dev struggling a few desk away help a lot to move forward and see how it's going and thus be able to give help when it matter. And as a junior we usually fear asking question(we should really not), in a remote position i feel this is worst. And this clearly show, every time a speak with my intern I end the discussion saying "write to me if you have any question" then 2 day later in our scheduled call I learn that they are still struggling on the exact thing we discussed on the previous call and have a long list of question. Being in person help in those situation.
And don't get me wrong I love remote work, i don't even remember the last time I've been at the office, it just make the mentorship relation harder.
My suggestion for your next position (even if remote) ask your team lead that you should interview with how they handle mentorship and internal training for new Junior Dev. If they don't have an answer, look at something else. I believe a dev need at least a full year of experience to learn all those small thing that do matter but are actually quite insignificant once learnt. Also they change from place to place!
Good luck looking for your next opportunity.
I totally agree, I also felt like I had a lot to offer and alot to prove but the suck came too soon. I believe I am a better developer now and in my next role I will flourish.