The r/cscareerquestions sub-reddit gets all sorts of questions from software engineers about their careers. And if you spend any amount of time reading through the posts you will find the answer ‘get another job’ given as a response to most questions. Why is getting another job recommended as the solution to so many workplace problems?
Chance matters a lot more in your career than you want to admit. At the beginning of your career you are not going to have enough perspective to screen companies well. Your first job might be at a company with horrible practices that make your life more difficult. But you will not know the right questions to ask yet. If you do not read blogs or reddit you might not even realize that those practices are unusual.
Each company has different processes carried out by different people. Different people will get along with you better or worse. You should find a job where you get along with the people who are up high in the ranks. Switch jobs every year until you find a company that fits you well.
You might be a night owl or a day person. In software engineering you can find jobs that start at 8am or at 11am. Do not stay in a job that doesn’t match your internal clock. You will be suffering for no reason.
Lots of the questions on the subreddit share the root cause of you ended up in a job that was a bad fit for you. Or you ended up with a job where your bosses and coworkers don’t like you. The job being a bad fit is caused by bad luck and can only be fixed by switching to a new job that is a better fit. You are not going to change the business to fit you better as a Junior Developer. Your best option is to move at the one year mark for mild difficulties and to move immediately when faced with big problems.
There are enough bosses that you can find one that likes you individually as a person. Don’t spend years at a job you don’t like with a boss you hate and a team that thinks you are a loser.