alt Hacker NewsI'm all in for remote working. My first job out of college has been remote. As much as I would love for a senior to help me out when stuck, my org completely made it clear they needed juniors who could independently own products end to end without handholding. It's frowned upon to not have domain knowledge there, and in fact within month of joining I had to answer any questions related to the domain handed to me. This burnt me out. I wish organizations did not expect this much from juniors. My only aid has been burning myself out to learn fast and use AI to confirm my learnings, costing my mental and physical health. If my company was onsite, it would have been even worse to have the answers ready on spot.
Replies
The role you've described is a senior one, not a junior one :)
They're demanding you evolve beyond your capabilities without time, experience, or mentorship.
Expecting domain knowledge at the junior level is weird. It's like being an expert at entry level.
I know it doesn't help all that much to hear, but here's a sign so you at least know you're not crazy. That's not okay and that's not a healthy org.
Counter point: If it had been onsite, there would be a full layer of social sensibilities and grace from the colleagues you work with every day, helping you out.
Conversely, it is much easier, on several levels, to support and guide someone you spend your whole day and go to lunch with.
I'm between junior and medior right now.
This might be egotistical so take it with a grain of salt, but I've started realizing that there's no compensation for me anymore if I do well. Tldr the company im working for has a lot of gaps I could put effort in and make it perform well, but it's not my company, so I don't.
Why would I? what's in it for me? Will I stay there after 5 years?
This isn't even limited to me. I talk to colleagues that could improve our current position if they were being put on the issues at hand. They're not being utilized, so they just do whatever.
Companies expect us to do this proactively, because we're such good workers.
I've done my fair share of overworking myself for a company that ditched me once I'm burnt out. It's kind of like ego-death, but for validation. You realize that all this effort is futile. The company grew, you didn't. In one year all the higher-ups have a fancier title and you're still the dev.
This kind of company does not want "juniors who could independently own products end to end without handholding", they want do-it-all people on the cheap. They just don't know what it takes to do things the right way. It's not unusual that the organization is a mess as well, because management is unable to organize it.
Get out of it, this kind of companies have a dysfunctional management. After the initial learning, they will be unable to recognize your value and contribution.
Also, don't feel guilty about getting burnt out. It's not your fault and you got tougher.