The Great Depression: Struggles of A Junior Engineer

The Great Depression: Struggles of A Junior Engineer

18 June 2025

Cover image by Xinyue Chen

Yayy! I have graduated from a top school with two complete engineering degrees in hand. Ready to enter the professional life. But why do the industry hate me?

For the last 2 years, I have heard people online talking about how the job market is saturated, how competitive it is and how depressing the situation in the job-seekers' shoes. Besides, the artificial intelligence slope1 we have right now was the cherry on top: Everybody tries to erase, replace or use developers, as if we're the reason their dumbass startup idea is having a revenue of $93.75 a month. Despite all that noise, I never questioned my engineering skills and ability to find a job that felt right.

So, I will talk about my recent job hunt experience along with some toxic behaviour examples, I encountered during screening and interviews. And the most importantly, how to embrace yourself and your journey.

The Story

Let me take it from the start. I've always wanted to become an engineer, and nothing changed about that. I started my bachelor's in Electronics Engineering and than started a DM in Computer Science. I was a competent student and when combined with my passion for software engineering, I didn't even give a chance not to find a job1.

Resolution

There's expectancy which pushes us down in depression, but what we want is the important part.