That just sounds like a shit environment to work in. I know it's easier said than done, but find somewhere else to work. These guys sound like dicks. They are n

That just sounds like a shit environment to work in. I know it's easier said than done, but find somewhere else to work. These guys sound like dicks. They are not stars. A star would mentor you and help you to get a leg up. That said... there is a certain amount of karma being dished out because you were cocky in the interview. Perhaps they think you should be able to hold your own. I guess you learned your lesson :P Of course, you have to have a certain amount of confidence in an interview to get your foot in the door - don't make the mistake that confidence and cockiness are the same thing. Perhaps they genuinely liked your cockiness - it sounds like it fits in with their culture. 1. Handle it the way you would handle anyone else being a dick in your life. Hold them accountable for their behaviour - call them on it. 2. Yes, it's quite common to be thrown to the lions - in fact, it's more common for this to happen than not to happen. A certain amount of this career is an ability to dig in and figure it out - for right or wrong. It's not ideal and it's certainly not in anyone's best interest for it to happen this way, but more often than not, that's exactly what happens. The sooner you get comfortable with this, the better. If you honestly care about your craft, the first few weeks/months of any job worth having is uncomfortable as you get up to speed. The only thing you can do here is learn to cope with that discomfort and try not to let it stress you out until you're up to speed. Don't make any decisions, nor let anyone voluntold you to do something within a timeline that adds additional discomfort during this time. 3. No. People with big egos have this rotten attitude. "Star/Ninja/Rock-stars" usually get big egos by being treated like the world revolves around their [often exaggerated] abilities are the only thing that holds the company together. If you treat someone like a superstar long enough, eventually they succumb to thinking they can act however the hell they want. This is why "popular" kids at school act like brats - because nobody holds them accountable for their behaviour.