Why Junior Developers Are Primed to Fail

"We're hiring junior developers!"

…But are you actually preparing them to succeed?

We talk a great deal in tech about being open. About giving individuals their first shot. About leading the next generation.

But here's the truth that nobody wants to tell the world:

Most tech companies hire junior developers with no real plan for how to grow them.

They plug them into convoluted, fragile codebases.

They hand them stale docs.

They put them in front of tickets that aren't scoped for learning — they're scoped for staying alive.

And then they expect them to perform at senior-level expectations like velocity and autonomy.

No surprise that so many juniors burn out, plateau, or leave the field entirely.

---

This Isn't a Pipeline Problem. It's a Culture Problem.

We're asked all the time, "Why don't we have more engineers who are diverse?"

Or, "Why are there not more entry-level candidates who stick around with the company?"

We blame bootcamps. We blame schools. We blame the market.

But we rarely look inwards and ask ourselves:

Are we building an industry where juniors can actually grow?

Because here's what we see instead:

• Code reviews that are silent, vague, or passive-aggressive

• Slack threads with inside jokes and zero documentation

• Performance reviews with “needs more initiative” but no mentorship

• Teams that only trust senior devs with “real” work

If you’ve ever said “we don’t have time to mentor” — you’re part of the problem.

---

The Myth of the Self-Taught Superhero

There's this toxic myth that we love in tech:

The single coder who worked it all out by themselves.

Who "Googled their way to genius."

Who "hit the ground running" on day one.

That's survivorship bias.

What you can't see is the dozens — hundreds — of juniors who tried to do the same and disappeared quietly.

Not because they weren't smart.

Not because they didn’t try.

But because they weren’t supported.

---

Let’s Talk About Real Support

Hiring juniors isn’t noble. It’s an investment.

So if you’re going to do it, do it right:

1. Mentorship Should Be Baked In — Not Optional

Assign someone. Block time for it. Give mentorship the same status as sprint work — or better yet, include it in sprint work.

2. Quick, Regular, and Useful Feedback

Don't leave PRs sitting for days. Don't just comment "this isn't clean." Comment why. Link to things. Pair program. Follow up.

3. Junios should be given an opportunity to touch real code

Stop giving them just internal dashboards or typo fixes. That's not how human beings are built. Let them break things — in a safe place. Give them features and guidance. Trust is included in training.

4. Stop Expecting Autonomy Before You Teach It

"Take initiative" doesn't fly if you don't know anything about the system, the team, or the politics. Autonomy takes time — with structure and positive reinforcement.

---

But We Don't Have Time…

Great. Don't employ juniors, then.

You can't short-change the responsibility and remain on the moral high ground.

Employing juniors involves:

• Investing time you believe you do not have

• Slowing down in the short term

• Putting people ahead of "productivity"

And sure — it will feel like drudgery.

But what you earn in exchange is more valuable than any deadline:

thought diversity, long-term team depth, and people who feel like they are destined for tech.

---

Final Word

Why are so many junior devs destined to fail?

Because we build systems for speed — not for learning.

Because we pay for solo genius, not collective progress.

Because we want cheap labor, not long-term investment.

But better we can do.

Not with yet another vow or yet another tweetstorm about mentorship.

With systems. With structure. With people who actually show up, on a regular basis.

Next time your team proposes, "Let's hire a junior dev," ask the real question:

Are we ready to teach?

If not — you're not ready to hire.