←back to thread

263 points mooreds | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.207s | source
Show context
meow_mix ◴[] No.45421827[source]
As someone who has been hiring juniors recently. I disagree with pretty much all these points:

Great juniors learn fast and search for feedback. It’s easier to manage them. They want to improve and know what you think about their work.

--> Very skeptical of this comment. It's harder to manage someone that needs managed so directly, period.

Loyalty. engineers who you train from the beginning tend to stay longer. They understand your systems deeply and can mentor the next generation of junior engineers.

--> They really don't. They're looking for a foot in the door.

Higher ceiling. A motivated junior engineer often has more upside. You're getting someone at the beginning of their growth curve rather than the middle or end.

--> Maybe? Tough to tell. They often leave.

Juniors bring fresh energy to the team - they want to learn, and they have a drive to prove themselves and succeed. Their motivation can be contagious! The existing seniors in your team will enjoy working with smart and motivated developers.

--> Not always. Most just want a job and are easily discouraged. Some are like this though.

Juniors are not restricted by what they know. They haven't been trained to think "that's just how we do things." They’ll not try to reuse the same technologies from previous companies, or recreate those ‘amazing’ design patterns that were useful only in a specific context. It’s not just being AI-native, it’s about having less resistance to change.

--> This one I sort of agree with

replies(3): >>45421861 #>>45421955 #>>45435396 #
1. kelnos ◴[] No.45435396[source]
> The existing seniors in your team will enjoy working with smart and motivated developers.

Maybe I just suck, but as a senior I've rarely enjoyed working with junior developers, even the earnest ones who really wanted to learn. I always had a ton on my plate, and mentoring juniors didn't replace anything from that ton of work, it just added to it.

And yes, I get that mentoring juniors is useful and essential. But companies need to build that into the job, not build it on top of the job.