How Not To Get Fired From Your First Developer Job

🎉 Join Discord - / discord
🐦 Follow On Twitter - / thedonofcode
🤝 Get Help From Me - calendly.com/donthedeveloper
❤️ Become A Member - kzbin.info...
-
Apply to my official frontend mentorship program:
forms.gle/Y9zuGxzVZe154uSz8
Disclaimer: The following may contain product affiliate links. I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links. Also, I will only provide affiliate links for apps that I've used and highly recommend.
My #1 recommended FRONTEND course:
scrimba.com/?ref=donthedeveloper
My #1 recommended BACKEND course:
boot.dev?via=donthedeveloper
Want to come onto my podcast and ask me a few questions? Just fill out this form: forms.gle/esQMbaRjQt9SkD1XA
My favorite todo app (Todoist): get.todoist.io/lbibntzmg4yg-H
---------------------------------------------------
Are you wondering what your first day will be like when you finally land your first developer position? I was scared. I thought I’d get fired and found out as a fraud. In this podcast episode, I shared what it was like for me. I left no stone unturned and shared an excessive amount of advice for people that might feel anxious about their first job.
As a bonus, I shared my experiences with my 2nd and 3rd developer jobs too. I hope this episode helps!

[@DonTheDeveloper]

If you enjoy the content, we'd love to have you as part of our junior-friendly Discord community. Feel free to join us here: discord.com/invite/H69QqZ8MVJ

[@meldinradoncic412]

What about developers with disabilities, like vision problems? Any experience with them?

[@dsinghr]

If you are the one in the team with lesser experience , trust me, as a senior engineer I can tell you, no one is expecting shit from you. If you just keep good behaviour, say good morning every day in the stand up, and smile all the time, no body cares if you are doing anything or not. I can tell you as a 15 years Java developer, we all understand that you are in the learning phase, and don’t expect you to deliver much. So chill.

[@Josh-ge1cr]

I definitely feel this now as I'm 1.5 months into my job. I am a complete junior with no degree, but graduated from hack reactor and making way more money than ever (went from 25k/yr to over 100k). I did feel like an imposter the first 2 weeks, but after that I got used to the codebase and various teams like QA and devops and then just hit the ground running and my manager says I'm exceeding expectations so far. Maybe it has to do with my love for react, but either way, as long as you do your best on the job and show you're reliable and can learn quickly, people will respect you. Good luck to all the job seekers and coders!

[@Girlgirls12233]

as a JUNIOR you earn 100k? 1.5 months?

[@Josh-ge1cr]

@@Girlgirls12233 Yeah it's for a NYC company fully remote. 125k to be exact not including bonuses. Unfortunately no equity.

[@keifer7813]

@@Josh-ge1cr Hey man similar boat. Junior on a fully remote team. I try and ask my team to share their screen so I can see how they handle a ticket and kinda just explain the codebase a little but they said no. They don't seem too receptive but I'm on an amazing salary so it's hard to look elsewhere lol. Any tips?

[@dannylaza1326]

@@keifer7813 I'm in the opposite position. I'm @ nearly a year in my first dev job and make significantly less than you guys. However, my team is super helpful and nice. I ask to share screen and explain stuff and they won't hesitate. It's not a small company either. I would say that's not a great situation because my other friends say the same as me. I know 1 friend who is in a similar situation and I know she is miserable and hoping not to get fired like every day lmao. I don't really have any tips for you other than just stick it out and grind as long as you can. If they fire you, they are to blame. That's pretty messed up they won't help you. I'd be gaining experience and looking for a better job in the future if I was you. I'm kinda stuck in a situation myself because I'm definitely getting super underpaid especially since I had a lot of experience during college and could have probably landed a much higher paying job. I don't want to leave because my team is amazing but at the same time, I'm not getting paid what I should be. I guess I'm following the same advice I just gave you, but it's easier for me to stick around since my team is friendly.

[@dannylaza1326]

@@rl6382 Was that question for me or someone else?

[@RippanCSGO]

I'm 14 months into my first job as a developer (worked 15 years prior in other fields) and I still expect to be fired every morning. Still can't believe they pay me.

[@Coder_Amateur]

wow thats Adrenaline right there bro

[@bethshebaovercame5587]

Same!!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@kenmtb]

Hope you are doing well in your career. Expectations are crazy and sometimes unfair.

[@kiyokumabear]

that's actually incredible because I hear this a lot and Im hoping this is my experience, too. ... The working somewhere for a full year without getting laid off/fired, I mean. Im honestly gonna be working short term because I plan to retire in 2-3 years.

[@caminari1522]

I am still struggling with mentality "I would rather eat glass than ask for help". Working on it but it's difficult to change old mentality.

[@lancebowersjr.8897]

I felt like this is like 85% of what I wanted to know about what the step into the field is going to be like. I am even sharing your content with my cohort to help set proper expectations and experiences. Keep pushing out the good content man. You are making a difference in peoples lives, at least mine I can say for certain.

[@DonTheDeveloper]

I appreciate that!

[@FitintheWild]

I love your transparency with your struggles in the beginning of your career. ❤ I have imposter syndrome and I put others who have more experience than me on a pedestal and it has messed with me mentally but I’m working on being more patient with myself and not comparing myself to others in the field.

[@keronwilliams5392]

Just landed my first Web Dev job so excited and nervous at the same time! Thank you for all the tips and advice.

[@nitrogenonxbox]

Hi im about to finish my bsc honours in computer science happend to stumble onto your video, the information and topics you discussed are incredibly reassuring ive been very stressed lately about how the first day and atmosphere may be as ive dabbled with various code langs / other fields but concerned with sitting down on that first day and looking like a fool regardless of the journey taken. Thank you for your incredibly honest video, you gaind another sub.

[@dd-v]

you have been so helpful during my job search man, thank you

[@tourdesource]

Very helpful. Thanks Don!

[@TheSoulCrisis]

Thank you soooo much for making this video Don! Hits the heart of every junior and would be junior developer. 😅

[@cnfticon8838]

Wise lessons, Thank you!

[@nareshp6648]

Good talk Don all the points you method are very perfect and got all of the motivation from your talk Thanks Again!!

[@webdevcoursestv]

LOVE THAT THUMBNAIL!

[@mfrancisco_850]

great talk loved it

[@vectorNull]

Great video! I'm a backend developer but remember my first job 3 years ago doing react. You're absolutely right. Ask questions, spend time making connections (set up a Team's meeting with different departments and learn), and take courses/read books. Imposter syndrome is real but it doesn't have to be debilitating.

[@bodrulsingh2141]

Thank you, I am looking to change career, and most of the things highlighted were my concerns.

[@audizul]

Dude something tells me youre going to be my lifesaver. I am about to be at that position now, FINISHED bootcamp at feels like I KNOW NOTHING.

[@Ray_TambaBudol_Marcos]

Thank you for this video this is exactly how I feel right now, I even talk to my wife how insecure I am and I feel like I'm the dumbest in the group, I'm even getting ready to learn more skill just in case the company will fire me it's ridiculous how self-talk can sometimes sabotage you.

[@MaxAlonso]

I'm trying to get my first developer job and I found your experience useful.

[@MrJoshthegentleman]

Thanks for this, I’m a month in on my first role as a frontend engineer and can relate to everything you’re talking about.

[@DonTheDeveloper]

Congrats on breaking into the industry.

[@damianjack8]

I wish I could like this video a thousand times. Literally my first day as a dev today. Just set up but I already felt the imposter syndrome setting in

[@alexjosesilvati]

great video!!!

[@victorpazb]

Your content is really helpful, Don.

[@victorpazb]

this video almost describes my first week in about 100% LOL

[@james_zedd]

I had imposter syndrome for the first 6 months when I started working for a software company. Don's points about sticking with it and doing your best are spot on - you will learn as you work.

[@Winter_Wyvern1]

so RELATABLE, as if i hear myself lol, like my inner voice, glad i'm not alone.

[@kiyokumabear]

12:26 Be that as it may, you can say the same for most other job positions. The key difference is that most other positions don't get paid the same amount of money, so there's a bigger risk/loss if they make a bad hire here. Because most people work something else, they won't see the risks associated from the employer's part--some people have been in my shoes where they make a company hundreds of MILLIONS per year and still get laid off. It happens. (Can happen in tech, too, but it looked like it only happened at the massive companies. I haven't seen a decline in the slightest in market demand otherwise).

[@erisboxxx]

Wish I had this video before I got let go from me first software job. But good video,

[@apiro123]

I would love to speak to every person personally , as i week 1 in to my first developer role and I a career changer from finance to Tech.

[@nicholasmaniccia1005]

This would have been great advice for me 2 years ago... well after a year of being out of the industry I have been keeping good habits for 5 going on 6 months and I am getting back out there.

[@prico3358]

1:25 i feel You bro.. but 35min bro!?

[@aramv898]

This is VERY GOOD as usual! Don finally authentic real experience on the internet - most of the other channel ALL what they talk about on the first day is dinner and caffee. I mean fine but I know how to cook haha

[@DonTheDeveloper]

Lol yup. I had to filter through so many of those videos when I was starting. Glad you liked this one.

[@JohnSmith-yt8di]

How bad is a 2 year job gap if I have a year of experience?

[@dylanthomas3140]

I’m just tryna get the first job

[@iwouldchange1t]

I got hired a month ago and my mentor is to busy to train me. So I've been doing nothing for a month

[@martinoland1]

Hows it going buddy

[@bethshebaovercame5587]

I still have anxiety every day (after 18 months) . I think its because im with SDE 3’s and a Sr. and they are freakin PHENOMENAL 😭

[@eshw23]

I'm first tryna get that first developer job lmfaoo

[@ImranKhan-ft7ns]

Good luck

[@mornemarais4198]

Thank you so much, made a big imact on my life and career so valuable

[@jamols09]

How old are you?

[@Pavel-on-youtube]

😊

[@Will_Moffett]

I'm not a developer or aspiring developer. I find the creating of code itself to be kind of trivial but I find everything associated with it to be a maze of confusion. Like I aced my C programming course in college and several times got the top score on exams but I don't know how every other person in the class somehow knew what a compiler was. I still don't know how a compile works or where it resides or how it is conjured up. There is just a ton of soft information not directly relating to the logic of coding that even the weaker students in the class seemed to grasp and somehow know which escapes me. Coming from that perspective, I see a lot of developers wash out who I think are like me. They have passed some courses and seem to be intelligent but there is something they just don't get about how it all fits together. It's like, like me, they don't have that geek gene. There is something more than logic or academic talent needed (and I don't even think you need those things vey much). I know a guy who I beat on the SATs by over 300 points who has now written a book on cloud computing architecture. He's obviously not dumb. There is something to developing that isn't measured in conventional aptitude testing. He's a geek. He played D&D. He knows where all the hearts are in Zelda. I think most people washing out of their fist job are in the wrong profession, or one might say just not in the ideal profession. People want to be geeks in order to conform to the demands of the economy. I think that's a recipe for unhappiness. I think developing is for people who fetishize computers on some level, who think about it when they aren't studying or working. It's unlikely you will sustain a high salary doing something for which you have a low level of sincere interest because you will be measured against those in the space who do have a sincere passion and you will look sorry by comparison (because you are). If you just see that there are jobs that pay a lot which don't require a graduate degree and that's your motivation then get ready for a lot of unhappiness and failure.

[@mattboemer4549]

I’m going to be honest with you. You are not all that. If you judge a fish on their ability to climb a tree, they’ll live their whole love believing that they are stupid. And if you put a fish fighter jet they’ll think they’re a genius. They’re still a fish. You’re just a fish in fighter jet.

[@kiyokumabear]

Reality could be that you're just good at test taking and not practical application. It was like when I was in uni--I could score high on exams, (and I scored above 90% of upperclassmen on both PSATs and SATs because they let us take them early,) but when it came to lab practicals, it just didn't make sense to me. Applying the info they gave just didn't feel realistic because I didn't see the connection between what was said in lecture and what was under the microscope. It really comes down to personal strengths and weaknesses. Coding is something where if you don't apply yourself and practice, those who do will surpass you. Regardless of passion level. Not picking a job exclusively for the money and low education level is an old but gold piece of career advice. However, it's up to everyone as an individual to determine exactly how much misery they're willing to endure, and for how long. Everyone has their limits.

[@Will_Moffett]

@@kiyokumabear I think it might be more than I'm not as comfortable working in a conceptual environment that I, so to speak, can't see the bottom of. And I hate looking at arbitrary interfaces where the semantics are never how I would set them up. You have to just know and remember a lot of things as a developer because there is often no way to logically deduce how to accomplish a lot of the tasks or sub tasks. Whereas some people prefer to just have a base of understanding and then be able to manipulate things based on their fluid intelligence. I'd be a better car mechanic than developer. You can kind of know what an engine is doing and then figure out where the universal attributes of an engine are failing. Or you can use your knowledge to design a new engine element. With developing it's like you are always working in some other person's framework who did things in some way that makes sense to them and they are a weirdo who, on some level right below their conscious mind, doesn't want you to understand what they did.

[@wedhimd]

👍

[@SavageScientist]

I thought i would be fired by now, im a sap developer but i hated sap LOL, now im a c# developer.

[@sigib911]

Hello, I'm SAP dev too, maybie we can share some tips

[@SavageScientist]

@@sigib911 , Cool my issue is i got the SAP dev certification only because my company IBM forced it on me. Im working for a state agency in a more fun developer position but now im forced to get the CSSLP certification which is much easier and more fun.

[@sigib911]

@@SavageScientist thats Nice, I dont have any certificación because we only make code in C# but because rhe SAP consultant se resolve our questions ando give ya the requeriments, web dep addons, web platforms, and services, all in C# and SQL but sometimes a little of javascript, angular

[@EduardoSanchez-un2hh]

I'm a fraud.

[@PainfullySubjective]

comment, for the algorithm gods

[@thedavenaugler]

Hey Don, I know confidence is a big part of the developers life cycle. And being very into powerlifting I was listening to this video between Dave Tate and JM Blakley and thought it would help assist in the mindset of some. "The ONLY Way to Build Confidence by JM Blakely: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pabYp2WporWGjpI&ab_channel=elitefts. At the core of it, it's building stuff on our own and as soon as we build one thing we find the next thing that is incrementally more challenging.

[@DonTheDeveloper]

Sounds pretty accurate. Thanks for sharing!

[@billplayspcgames.6975]

[@tanujsodiyal6043]

I am about to start my first dev job in a few days and this video was very helpful! I am feeling imposter syndrome even before starting haha

[@apiro123]

Same