Etydhv

I learnt programming at home and was a brilliant bootcamp graduate (that is, by the standards of that bootcamp, which is certainly not as good as top US bootcamps), I found a job fairly easily considering how hard I think it should have been. The interview went really well.

Now I work for a tech company that basically has one main software it writes for other very large companies, and it poses a few challenges: 1) it's tough for me to grasp what everything is doing (they have been writing/updating this software for years now), 2) I'm seeing code written in ways I'm not use to, and finally 3) I don't understand all the code at first glance, sometimes not at all. My main task for the next 6 months will be to write unit tests then integration tests because "you need to get used to our software", which I think makes perfect sense, although my interview had nothing to do with that. Most people are really nice and friendly, and there is a good atmosphere in this company.

My problem is that I have to write tests for methods that I don't understand most of the time, I don't always understand which parameters they have to take, what it returns, I don't know what I have to mock in order to make my method unit-testable, and I don't always understand the instructions I'm given. After two weeks, I can say with confidence that I clearly didn't create value for this company and the other developers that helped me could have done my job instead of spending time with me.

I am quite frustrated because I am quite hungry to learn, however, it's not by watching videos on Pluralsight/read articles that I will get better at what challenges me (or am I wrong?), so I can't even practice at home. I think that I embarrass myself whenever I ask a question so I tend to be stuck a lot, staring at the screen and trying to make sense of what I'm reading. I feel like an impostor surrounded by people that 'get it', and to be honest my confidence has taken quite a big hit (I went from being arguably the best in class to definitely the worst in a company). During bad moments I sometimes catch myself wondering if going into software development was a good idea, and if I'm not a victim of a sunk-cost fallacy (as in, "I spent too much time learning this to quit now").

My questions:

1 - Is it normal?

2 - What can I do better?

3 - How could I express this (or part of it) to the management and colleagues without coming across as a fraud?

Thank you very much,

Edit:

I worked there only 2 weeks, it's my 3rd job.

After two weeks, I can say with confidence that I clearly didn't create value for this company and the other developers that helped me could have done my job instead of spending time with me.

You will not create "net positive" value for the company for much longer than that (even when I hire senior developers I assume they aren't net positive for 6 months).

Everything you mentioned in your question are actually good signs - it sounds like they are making interesting and non-trivial software, meaning there are many opportunities for you to learn, and it means that they are invested in you - by giving you the time and space to get up to speed.

Writing unit and integration tests are a fairly common way to onboard new junior employees. You will learn the IDE, source control system, build process, and all the various formal and informal workflows of how they develop software, while focusing on relatively bite-size chunks of work. You also get to learn a lot about the business functionality their software provides.

1 - Is it normal?

Yes. You are not an impostor, and there is no reason to think going into this field was a bad idea. In fact, from the fact that they hired you, and want to invest in you, it seems like it was a good idea. The most important thing is to get over the naive belief that just because you were "arguably the best" in your boot camp, that meant you were prepared to walk into a development shop day one and start producing value. The boot camp provided you with the basic foundation of programming - there is a lot, lot, lot more to being a professional developer, which you can only learn on the job.

2 - What can I do better?

I think there are two "scopes" to this. The first is stuff you can do on your own. Invest your own time in learning the language you are programming in - the fine points, the advanced features, etc. Even if your boot camp was in the same language you are now working on, there is a lot to learn (I've been programming in the same primary language for >10 years and am still learning new things every day). If any of the other tools they use are publically/freely available (the IDE, the source control tool) practice with those too. Also, send time learning about the basics of computer science (algorithms, data structures). Even if you aren't using that knowledge right away, it will always come in helpful.

The second, while not specifically related to the testing you are doing, can be done as part of that work. That is to develop the ability to "analyze" a piece of code. Take the simplest test you can find, testing the simplest piece of code, and try to work out the control flow of that piece of code. Run it through a debugger, stopping on every line, and see what it is actually doing. Modify the test slightly and see how it behaves differently. Try and come up with a test that will test a different if-branch (etc.). Use your IDE source control tool and look at the most recent commit which changed that code. See if you can understand what that change did (especially useful if you can link back to the ticket which documented that change). Move to a slightly more complex test and repeat. Now, take the piece of code they want you to test, and conduct that analysis beforehand. Use that to write your first test.

If you need help, ask the author of the test or code you are looking to provide you an overview.

3 - How could I express this (or part of it) to the management and colleagues without coming across as a fraud?

No one is born knowing how to code. Therefore your colleagues and managers all started at a similar place as you did. As long as they aren't jerks (and you already said they aren't), they know and expect you to ask them for help.

Of course, you'll need to find the right balance between asking too many questions, and not asking for help early enough. I've often told my juniors "don't waste 3 hours trying to figure out something I can help you with in 5 minutes". Conversely, don't waste my 5 minutes if you haven't spent some time trying to figure it out on your own.

If you don't already have one scheduled, ask your manager for a weekly 30 minute meeting. To quote another answer I've written here:

your manager's job [is] to do his/her best to give you the opportunities to succeed - this can only happen if you two have regular and frequent conversations, and if during those conversations you are open and honest about where you are having difficulties, where you need support, where you are getting stuck, and where you learn what he/she is expecting from you.

One of the most important things to ask is "where should I start" and "who should I bother for help"

Good luck!

Welcome to the Jungle. :)

Yes. It's normal. You're a junior. It's expected that you will not have a clue, and that's why they're having you do what you're doing.

Ask questions. Get the understanding. Ask what you can read on your own time to help you develop an understanding. Be willing to work hard even by spending a few hours outside of work. I'd be concerned about a junior developer that DID NOT ask questions. I'd be willing to bet that any of your coworkers who are seniors started just as you have.

Ask questions, and learn. In time you won't have to ask questions. It will just click and you'll get it.

I worked there only 2 weeks

You need to give it a lot more than just 2 weeks.

• Everyone feels a bit overwhelmed when they initially start a programming job.


• Your first few weeks/months will involve unlearning lots of things you were taught in school/bootcamp and learning how real software work is done.


• Nobody understands all the code at first glance. Sometimes existing code is poorly commented and indecipherable to everyone except the original author.

Take things gradually. You'll almost certainly find that each week is a bit more comfortable than the last.

Take advantage of the nice and friendly culture. Ask for help when you need it.

And don't be so hard on yourself. If you learned programming on your own, then went on to be brilliant at bootcamp, you'll most likely be fine with a bit more patience and hard work.