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As a fresh graduate, I got a job as a junior developer in November 2019 in a small company that uses typescript for almost everything. In the interview i told them that i have used javascript many times but i am of course a junior without any professional experience and they agreed to hire me on a 6 month trial period (Very normal where i live).

in the beginning i was a total noob, i was writing bad code, and i always followed the comments i got from the senior dev who was responsible for me. Things continued like this for around 2 months, but then i started to get better, i started implementing features in a system on my own, and things seemed to clear up

Around 3 months on the job, i got an evaluation meeting with the senior developer and i was told that he thinks my coding skills are going forward and he has no complaints about them

4 months on the job, i get a meeting with the teamleader where i was told that my 6 month trial will not be renewed if i don't get better because and as he explained "i lack the technical and coding knowledge" they needed for the company.

I was shocked because i really thought i did a good job, and i really felt i am a good developer, but it seems they did not think the same. So i pulled myself together and continued working to prove that i am worth it.

Come the corona situation, i was temporarily laid off until the end of May, so i just continued working on my skills in order to get better when i am back at work.

3 days ago i got a call from the boss, where i was told that i am being let go because "I lack the knowledge in coding" and i am like wtf, i told you guys i will be better, and i still have 2 months to prove myself, but i was answered with a "sorry, the corona situation has a big impact on the company"

Now i am really angry with myself, i feel like a total failure, like i am not meant to be a developer, and i just cant bring myself to apply for another job. I really do not know what to do

If someone has gotten any advice, it would be appriciated.

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    What's your actual question, here? The title doesn't seem to match the body of the question. – nick012000 Apr 27 at 16:51
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    "How can i motivate myself to find a job after being laid off?" Ask yourself how you will pay for things such as food, rent,...etc without a job. – sf02 Apr 27 at 18:41
  • What does the contract say? Is the probation period guaranteed to last six months? – Bernhard Döbler Apr 27 at 21:55
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    Ambition and avoidance of poverty are usually the two go-tos. – mxyzplk - SE stop being evil Apr 28 at 2:34
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I personally follow 3 quotes to power myself through tough situations.

Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right. - Henry Ford

Be the change you wish to see in the world. - Arleen Lorance

Nothing can replace persistence. - Calvin Coolidge

A co-worker of mine once distilled it down into "Believe. Do. Repeat." The community can't provide you with belief in yourself. That has to come from you. You have to find it within yourself to believe you're worthy of the next step. Frankly, if you can't, then you're not.

Once you scrounge up the self-belief you have to DO. Get up. Take one step. Do one thing. Get it done.

Then do another.

Believe. Do. Repeat.

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  • "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." Brilliant. – gnasher729 Apr 27 at 17:23
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I think you were let go to cut costs

Entire companies have collapsed so it is hardly a reflection on you if you were let go for this reason. Don't take it personally and apply for another position.

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Imagine yourself in a few years time, as a team leader in a development organization. You have several subordinates with a range of skill levels and experience. The least productive, least skilled is a promising new graduate on their first real development job. They are progressing very well, and you expect them to be a productive team member by the end of the trial period.

Now some whole-economy disaster hits. Business is down. Cash flow is a disaster. The game now is to get the burn rate low enough to allow the company to survive until business picks up again. Your boss tells you that the payroll has to be cut, and you need to pick three of your subordinates to lay off.

You must keep a set of people who, between them, have all the skills needed to keep going, and later train new people. That new graduate has no skills you need that are not also held by people you must keep. They have to be the first to go on the lay off list.

Does that turn the promising new graduate into a "total failure"?

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  • I understand that, but telling me that i was bad and that my trial period will not be renewed was a few days before the country closed down – fulldev Apr 27 at 17:36
  • Did they tell you that you were "bad" or "lack the knowledge in coding". Lack of knowledge can be improved. – Patricia Shanahan Apr 27 at 18:25
  • They told me the exact words of "You lack the technical knowledge and coding knowledge" – fulldev Apr 27 at 18:31
  • @fulldev The first 6 months on my first programming job I lacked a lot of the technical knowledge and coding knowledge I needed. So do most people. Under normal conditions, it is worth keeping a new graduate around and spending time and effort getting them up to speed. These are not normal times. – Patricia Shanahan Apr 27 at 23:37

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