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I don't like this kind of article that presumes that their readers have a choice in this matter. Reminds me of a friend of mine who once naively advised me to

I don't like this kind of article that presumes that their readers have a choice in this matter. Reminds me of a friend of mine who once naively advised me to only take a job at a company that I would invest my own money in. I said are you kidding me? I've been grinding for months and failing interviews left and right just to get this job and you're telling me don't do it because it's not Google or something? A huge portion of humans don't have the luxury to say "hmmmm, this startup is ok but myyyeehhh, I kinda like this one better, err idk maybe i'll just go to GiantCorp". I took jobs because they paid me to write code. The story is probably the same for 90% of humans who are doing the best they can in their own situations. Oh yeah, and the crappy companies I wrote code for years ago? Those are the places that gave me a foundation for a successful career as a programmer. I absolutely could not have done it without them because they were actually willing to invest a little bit in me-- which (in my experience) might not have happened, even at megacorps or unicorn startups.

quanticle 11y ago
I totally agree. My first job was exactly as you describe. I graduated in 2009, in the teeth of the recession, and every company I applied to had a hiring freeze... except for one, which was known to be a miserable place to work, and known for chewing up programmers and spitting them out after six months to a year of grinding labor. I signed on anyway, because, at the time, I needed a job, any job on my resume. So I took the job, but I was cognizant of the fact that it was a "gig", not a career, and I spent time burnishing my portfolio outside of work, and kept looking. The moment the job market started to thaw, I jumped ship for a modest improvement in pay and a massive improvement in working conditions. That said, I think you're underestimating how good the job market is for programmers right now. Yes, your first job might suck. But if it does, try to recognize that fact early and make plans to switch companies at the earliest possible moment. Look in other cities (or even other countries) if you must. This is, after all, advice for young programmers, so they're not likely to have houses, family, etc. tying them down to a single location.

quanticle 11y ago

I totally agree. My first job was exactly as you describe. I graduated in 2009, in the teeth of the recession, and every company I applied to had a hiring freeze... except for one, which was known to be a miserable place to work, and known for chewing up programmers and spitting them out after six months to a year of grinding labor. I signed on anyway, because, at the time, I needed a job, any job on my resume. So I took the job, but I was cognizant of the fact that it was a "gig", not a career, and I spent time burnishing my portfolio outside of work, and kept looking. The moment the job market started to thaw, I jumped ship for a modest improvement in pay and a massive improvement in working conditions. That said, I think you're underestimating how good the job market is for programmers right now. Yes, your first job might suck. But if it does, try to recognize that fact early and make plans to switch companies at the earliest possible moment. Look in other cities (or even other countries) if you must. This is, after all, advice for young programmers, so they're not likely to have houses, family, etc. tying them down to a single location.