I think the biggest bullshit about work life and beginning of a career is that at the start of your new job, colleagues and employers keep telling you that everything's gonna be fine and that things come with time and you'll learn and grow as you go on.

Not true. If you just cruise along and you don't maintain your skills, sooner or later they're going to ask you to do something you don't have the skills for, you won't be able to do it or anything remotely like it because you don't have the know-how and the result is: you get fired. I should know because I've never once not been fired; I'm up to 5 jobs now. lol

There is almost no greater example that demonstrates humans are liars.

My experience is that as long as you try to do your job without being a dick, you don't get fired.
Because just trying already is way more than most others do...
And companies can obviously die or move too. So if you count that as getting fired, yeah, that happens if you prefer to work in startups and smaller companies.

@Oktokolo Well, I've only worked in startups and small companies, where I am a key player, meaning if I mess up, clients get angry and the company goes down. The CEO's have always put a huge weight on my shoulder, like: keep our 150 clients happy with your dev skills or get out.

I have never ever been a dick. I have always been mannered, helpful and cooperative. Ironically, the biggest, most arrogant pricks were the most liked and kept the job.

@CaptainRant
Well, i never deliver in time. So nobody at least remotely sane would ever make the entire company's existence depend on me not fully wasting a deadline...

@CaptainRant
Now that i think of it, my own experience seems to actually be pretty uncommon.
I never experienced a hostile work environment.
None of my bosses was ever toxic - some of them even seem to care.
Some of my collegues are lazy and sloppy - but there is no toxicity at all.
Also, hire-and-fire isn't that common in my region as devs are actually seen as a scarce resource.

@Oktokolo There are tons of devs here, but good devs are scarce, as was I. I'm not a good dev (yet?) but the company gets toxic when you start to underdeliver.

In the beginning my colleague started being a complete dick and ignoring me and being childish just because I didn't agree on something he asked me. CEO's getting toxic because they're pissing in their pants that the clients get mad for not meeting unrealistic deadlines (deliver an unplanned feature within an hour, wtf).

In my other jobs, CEO's would get upset if I pointed them to their mistakes (constructively, even). Apparently a dev is supposed to shut up? As well as previous colleagues having a big mouth, being constantly patronizing and treating me like I'm ignorant. lol yeah.

@CaptainRant
I have never been praised for overdelivering. Obviously, no boss was ever happy about all that murdered deadlines. But they didn't become toxic about it. They normally get over it when they see progress.

I always argue with my bosses and everyone else over design decisions.
I like discussing all stuff even remotely related to code, have strong opinions and am pretty persistent about them.
But i also can be convinced and am able to accept decisions - while definitely never missing any opportunity for a "told you so".
Normally, they are actually happy about having an employee who can think for himself and is trying hard to get to the core of what they actually need the code to do. My bosses normally don't know shit about coding and are pretty bad at managing coders, or managing projects. They normally don't really know what they want.
So bootlicker drones just wouldn't cut it anyways...