My first Software Engineering job was not what I expected

[@TheLittleTechTurtle]

The circumstances and events that led me here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnfKlqNqh7KWmLM

[@sujitkumarsingh3200]

We need Laura in every team. You have a great narration skill bro. Keep it up. Best of luck.

[@craxl2287]

People like you speaking about the reality of working as a software engineer (both the good and the bad experiences) really help me know what to expect working in industry and what to look out for. Appreciate the honesty and hope your journey as a software engineer only continues to improve!

[@TheLittleTechTurtle]

Thank you so much! That’s the exact reason I’m making these videos.

[@hatredguy]

30k ? In the USA. That's really low in tech.

[@TheLittleTechTurtle]

I didn’t make it clear in this video but I’m currently based in the UK. 30K is kind of low even here though for someone fresh out of university in London

[@TheLittleTechTurtle]

@@ZenkCSGO feel free to DM me the name of the company you're applying for on instagram or X and I'd be happy to share some advice or confirm whether that's the company I'm talking about in this video.

[@Emperor-Inker]

​@@TheLittleTechTurtleI'm a developer based in UK (East Midlands) as well. Yeah there are companies that don't pay decent money unfortunately. I started by doing a level 3 apprenticeship & am now doing a degree apprenticeship with my company & I'm currently paid under £25k. I'm planning on leaving next year as soon as I graduate. I have more than 4 years of experience as a developer for my company as well. All I can say is don't show loyalty to companies especially when they don't value you at least market rate

[@Zjk580]

Are front end development degrees today the “associates degree” of the tech world? Is that maybe why?

[@mr_wyseguy4162]

@@TheLittleTechTurtle If you don't mind answering what London uni did you go to?

[@TheReconJacob]

Your experience goes to show that at least as a first time only, going for a job role with all of the red flags is often still worth it, because it's something you can put on your CV and use to transition into a better job role just like you did. Your chances of getting into good job that you're applying for increase immensely if you have just a couple months of experience under your belt in the industry. Once you actually have your foot in the door, you can then set your standards and turn down bad job opportunities, and avoid compromising on the important things.

[@strictlyunreal]

0:22 That legal system seems a bit hostile to employees. In the country I live, any clause in an employment contract that falls outside the law is null and void. And the law says no more than 20 work days notice. So, a contract may stipulate that you have to give below 20 days notice, but never more than 20 days. For leadership roles, the amount of days increases to 45.

[@Nabiha-m4r]

Your art is cool ngl

[@TheLittleTechTurtle]

Thank you so much, I always wonder if you guys like seeing a Timelapse of the art for the thumbnails or if you prefer more diagrams for explanations

[@MrWavecrashGames]

I know your pain of being shafted into a role that was not as advertised in the postings. I applied for a ServiceNow Developer role, but got shafted to a Help Desk role to then into a Tester role. I have not written a SINGLE line of code during those roles. Not only that, I pleaded to be put into a more technical role, but it fell on deaf ears.

[@TheLittleTechTurtle]

Yeah it was a horrible time... My future looked so bleak. Btw is your profile pic captain fall? I recently finished that show and I'm really sad to find out it was cancelled. I thought it was great!

[@MrWavecrashGames]

@@TheLittleTechTurtle No... My profile pic is my personal art piece.

[@da39vinci]

Go Laura that is someone we should have as one of our teammates

[@hovergamer5957]

damn im kinda getting scared, i havent even gotten out of high school yet and i still get scared. i hope shit like this doesnt happen to me lmao because i wont be able to deal with it

[@TheLittleTechTurtle]

When things like this happen, you get so caught up in them that it seems like there’s no way out. But there’s always a solution as long as you persevere! I hope high school treats you well!

[@mango-strawberry]

do medicine or law. they'll much better

[@hovergamer5957]

@@mango-strawberry not in india. medicine rerquires me to have a HUGE qualification straight out of highschol to pass the exam. law on the other hand is totally dependent on the college you pick. i have no EC's

[@mango-strawberry]

@@hovergamer5957 huge qualification? you mean NEET? yeah you need very high score these days.

[@Sub0x-x40]

lol my first 'dev' role had me doing absolutely nothing related to dev. Call centers and financial procurement... Major tech consultancy firm, I am sure you can probably guess which one

[@contentlemur5311]

Care to share the company?

[@ozairahmed1352]

did u do an internship/placement before graduating?

[@TheLittleTechTurtle]

I didn't do an internship or placement. I was going to do a placement year but COVID hit in that very year and the company that had extended an offer to me declined. Regardless of that though I should've worked harder in my first year to secure a summer internship of some sort.

[@exelife958]

How did you learn software engineering?

[@TheLittleTechTurtle]

I learned to code when I was younger by trying to make games in C++. Then I went to university and got a degree in computer science. I had some visa problems as I’m not originally from the UK so I had to wait a couple of years before going to university.

[@yourboi1842]

You have a "probation" period before you can quit at the salary of a supermarket employee? what is that probation periods penalty entail exactly? If you lose a bonus I see the problem but if you live in America. After a little research It seems there is merit to this claim but also merit to my argument. It sounds like a downright illegal contract and surely you can get yourself out of it. You just didn't try hard enough. If they required you to work what does working entail? I would just sit on my ass and piss them all off and say "Well its in my contract I can't leave hurrrr" and play minecraft on my computer until they kick me to the curb.

[@TheLittleTechTurtle]

I’m UK based. Yes you’re absolutely right. In the UK the probation period is usually 3 months. It’s a time period in which either you or the employer can terminate your contract without notice or a legitimate reason. Once you pass your probation though. If they want to fire you they need a legitimate reason to do so or you could take them to court. On the other hand, if you leave without giving notice after your probation. You’d be breaching your contract which exposes you to the possibility that your employer will pursue legal action. However, this rarely happens because it’s usually not worth it for the company. But since it was my first graduate job I wanted to play it safe. Also I didn’t have to give 3 months notice in the end because I managed to find a new job before the end of my probation

[@HH-xs2gm]

I am confused? It sounds like a normal entry level software engineering job. You HAVE experience working with tech, outdated, but still experience. Its people like you that is fueling AI to replace your roles entirely. So annoying seeing workers complain.

[@silentslayer3184]

Bot comment. You obviously don't know how tech works so stop commenting all over this video.

[@HH-xs2gm]

First off, as an AMERICAN tech worker, your role as a "consultant" is common for smaller companies, especially not in tech sector. Everyone at the company seems to supportive. Projects you are staffed cannot be controlled. It is the nature of the COMPANY you JOIN. Stop complaining and DO the WORK. This is why you are unemployed making youtube videos failing to reach meaningful audience.

[@TheLittleTechTurtle]

Not sure why you're raging so much, you clearly didn't watch the video to completion. - I was told the position I'd be filling would be that of a software engineer, when in reality it was a consultant position which as I explain in the video is just different. If I had known that I wouldn't have joined this company. - The video is literally about how my two senior engineers were supportive of me leaving that company. - Additionally, towards the end of the video I mentioned how I am currently employed So it sounds like you just read the title and thumbnail and just formed a conclusion but that's ok. Everyone has bad days.

[@Schultz3]

Lmao we found his boss

[@sleepyNovember_project]

​@@Schultz3the boss can be scary, but the boss stalker is a new level of headache

[@Jbombjohnson]

First off, I’m not sure how you are a tech worker anywhere, as if your technical skills are anywhere near as bad as your comprehension skills, anyone foolish enough to hire you is sailing a sinking ship.😂 One of the reasons he made this video is to reveal the bait and switches many companies pull on employees, which are terrible for one’s career. This is a known shady practice, pretending otherwise helps nobody. OP was on a dead end path, working on tech that NOBODY else uses, and learning nothing the entire time. This is detrimental to one’s professional growth and development, and he has every reason to be frustrated. Employment here in the States is also at-will, so “just DO the WORK” is a stupid mantra. Jobs should fill a need for the employees just as much as they should for the company. I didn’t hear him complain, I heard him tell about a poor experience. You’re either a troll or a very sad individual. edit: I’m a Software Engineer here in the US for context. You always gotta be your own advocate to keep growing, or you’ll be left behind. Great video OP