I started in technology through an internal opportunity.
In 2008 I was working in a company outside the IT team and studying Systems Analysis and Development. HR opened an internal position for IT, I applied, passed the test and got the role.
I was eighteen. I had almost no practical experience. The first year was hard.
I remember the feeling of not being ready. Every small task looked bigger than it should. I did not yet know how to separate normal beginner friction from a real lack of skill.
What changed the trajectory was not a course or a perfect onboarding document. It was mentorship.
Someone took the time to explain the work, correct me, give context and make the learning curve less lonely.
Juniors do not need chaos disguised as opportunity
Hiring junior people only works when the team has time and structure for them.
A junior developer needs feedback, examples, repetition and a safe way to ask basic questions. Without that, the company is not developing talent. It is just creating anxiety for the junior and extra work for everyone else.
Mentorship costs time
There is no shortcut here.
A trainee or junior developer will slow the team down at the beginning. Senior people need to review work, explain trade-offs and repeat things that feel obvious to them.
That time is the investment.
If the company cannot afford that investment, it should be honest about it. Hiring juniors without support is worse than not hiring them.
A few practices that help
- Give each junior a clear sponsor.
- Build a real onboarding path, not a pile of links.
- Review work with context, not only corrections.
- Set small goals and revisit them often.
- Teach the product and the business problem, not only the codebase.
Mentorship is not charity. It is part of how a technical organization compounds knowledge.
Every senior person was once helped by someone. Good teams remember that and build systems around it.