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A software engineer with five years of experience shared the advice he wishes someone had given him when he was starting out in tech.
His post struck a chord with freshers navigating a difficult job market. (Representative image)
Many freshers entering the tech industry feel pressured to keep up with every new trend. From learning the latest frameworks to building AI projects, there is a growing belief that constantly chasing the next big thing is the only way to stay relevant.
However, one software engineer believes this approach may be doing more harm than good. Drawing from his own career journey, he encouraged newcomers to focus on building strong fundamentals instead of worrying about missing out on the latest trends.
The techie, who has completed five years in the software industry, shared his thoughts in a Reddit post titled, “Stop chasing the hype train and just learn the basics.” He reflected on his experience of starting his career at a mass recruiter with a salary package of Rs 3.5 lakh per annum before eventually becoming an SDE-2 at a well-known product company.
He Urged Freshers To Focus On The Basics
Looking back at his career, the software engineer said he had noticed increasing anxiety among freshers and junior developers. According to him, many are worried about learning every new framework, keeping pace with artificial intelligence developments or creating AI-based projects simply to remain employable.
Based on his experience working with production systems and large applications, he argued that the choice of technology is not always as important as people assume. He pointed out that one of the most critical services in his current company still runs on Java 8 and Spring Boot.
While these technologies may not be considered the latest, they continue to support millions of transactions effectively. According to him, companies often value stability and reliability more than adopting the newest tools available in the market.
Debugging Matters More Than Many Realise
The techie also highlighted the importance of problem-solving and debugging skills in day-to-day work. He explained that software engineers often spend more time understanding existing code, reading logs, investigating issues and checking databases than writing entirely new features from scratch.
“If you don’t know how to read logs, use a debugger or write basic SQL queries without an ORM holding your hand, you’ll struggle,” he wrote.
Beyond technical knowledge, the Reddit user stressed the value of communication and teamwork. He said he had seen talented engineers miss promotions or face setbacks because they struggled to explain ideas clearly or found it difficult to work with others.
According to him, being dependable, communicating delays honestly and maintaining a positive attitude can influence career growth just as much as technical ability.
He Questioned Hustle Culture
The software engineer also shared his views on hustle culture, describing it as a mindset that often pushes people to work long hours without meaningful returns. “It’s just a job,” he wrote, encouraging professionals not to tie their entire identity to their employer, job title or preferred technology stack.
He advised people to complete their work responsibly, document it properly and make time for life outside the office.
The post led to discussions among developers and job seekers, many of whom spoke about the challenges of entering the industry today.
“The problem is getting interviews in today’s market. Entry level jobs require 2+ yoe. There was a time when switch was easier as companies were hiring. Today even service based are laying off. Freshers panic because they don’t have the advantage people had years ago.. forget advantage.. they don’t even have a job to start with. the market is so tough,” a user wrote.
Another said, “Exactly getting an interview scheduled is tougher then preparing for it these days.”
“Totally agree with you, but hiring managers are expecting AI experience as well – or at least in-depth knowledge for resume to be shortlisted,” a person said. “Bhai 3 yoe se pehle toh HR puchhti nawe,” a comment read.
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