I've been there. I was hired for just having a phd in engineering (unrelated to CS) and knowing about hacker news (it was an interview question!). I was in ov

I've been there. I was hired for just having a phd in engineering (unrelated to CS) and knowing about hacker news (it was an interview question!). I was in over my head technically and with little time to catch up. Most of my colleagues were chill, but three or four were jerks. Nasty types, who fed on other's pain. My manager was a cool guy. I entered a feedback loop of negativity which affected my focus at work. Eventually I quit and returned to working in my field (which I don't enjoy, but at least I can perform while I'm training in something better) Positives: I learned about programing practices, which is useful to my current work. Within my field, I was already a good programer. Now, for my colleagues, I'm a ninja. Experienced start up life. The good. The bad. And the ugly. The negative: Wasted time. My advise would be to figure out if you can make it for a year or so. If you can make it, hold on and move on afterwards. If you're about to break, pull the rip cord. I pulled the cord after three months. No regrets.