5 Hard Truths About the Tech Industry I Wish I Knew Before Graduating

What I wish I’d known before starting my tech career: 5 lessons they don’t teach at university

Jun 16, 2025

There’s a weird silence around the real stuff you should know before starting your career in tech. The nuance. The traps. The power plays.

I graduated thinking I needed one thing: a good job at a good company. That’s what all the advice boiled down to.

But here’s the truth: your career isn’t a ladder. It’s a jungle gym. And in your early 20s, you’re just trying to figure out which direction even matters.

So, if I could go back and talk to that version of me, I’d tell them these hard-earned truths what actually plays out in real life.

Let’s get into it.

1. Job-Hopping Early Is a Feature, Not a Bug

If you’re in your early career, changing jobs every 1–2 years isn’t a red flag. It’s a growth hack.

At this stage, you don’t need “stability” — you need exposure. Different codebases. Different managers. Different company cultures. Every hop teaches you what no bootcamp or CS class can: how real engineering orgs work.

Some of my smartest peers switched roles three times in five years. Today, they’re Staff Engineers, PMs at startups they believe in, or founders with actual taste. They got there by sampling early. Think of your first few years as product-market fit — but for your life.

Pro tip: each jump should teach you something new — a different tech stack, a new domain, or a better way to work with people. You’re not climbing. You’re exploring.

2. Internships Are More Strategic Than You Think

If you’re still a student (or mentoring someone who is), listen up: the right internship is a cheat code.

Most people optimize for brand names. That’s fine — but also try to optimize for learning speed. Here’s what I wish I knew:

Do both: Try one internship at a small startup, and one at a big company. That contrast will teach you more than any class.
Regularly talk to people 2–3 years ahead of you. Not 20 years. Not TikTok influencers. Real engineers who remember what it was like to be in your shoes. Their advice hits different. Find them on LinkedIn, attend free tech events, approach them during the breaks. Believe me — most people love to share advice
Think beyond English. If you’re studying abroad — say, in Germany — learn the local language. Your job prospects post-grad will skyrocket. Please don’t sleep on this. Being fluent in the local tongue is often the hidden key to unlocking real opportunities. Otherwise, you’ll fall behind because of the language barrier — and in most cases, English-speaking jobs are highly competitive. I know many people who wasted 1–2 years just trying to land a job due to the language gap.

Internships aren’t just about resume lines. They’re test drives. Use them to find your taste.

3. If You Want to Be “Rich Rich,” Big Tech Is Not the Path

Controversial? Maybe. But if you’re optimizing for wealth, Big Tech is… fine. You’ll get RSUs, a stable salary, maybe hit $300K+ after a few years.

But you won’t get leverage.

If your dream is true wealth — freedom, ownership, asymmetric upside — you’ll need to build something, join a rocket ship early, or play the long game in equity-heavy bets.

Big Tech is like the business class of tech careers. Comfortable. Predictable. Safe. But you’re not flying the plane.

And that’s okay — just be honest about what you want.

4. AI Is Changing the Game — Stay Curious, Not Just Scared

The rise of AI tools isn’t the end of software engineers. It’s the end of low-leverage, repetitive software engineering.

The best devs I know are already 10x-ing themselves by using AI for boilerplate, documentation, debugging, even product ideation. It’s not just about coding faster — it’s about thinking differently.

This shift rewards the curious. The generalists. The ones who aren’t afraid to learn new tools, try strange ideas, or talk to users. If you treat AI like a partner, not a threat, you’ll win.

5. Don’t Let Your Job Be Your Whole Identity

Tech loves to turn work into religion. “What do you do?” becomes who you are.

But here’s the quiet truth no one tells you: the happiest engineers I know don’t worship their jobs. They have range.

They build real friendships. They play music, lift weights, volunteer, write, learn languages. Their identity isn’t just Python or React. It’s being a curious human.

You’ll burn out quickly if work is your only pillar. And more importantly — you’ll miss out on the actual good stuff: deep friendships, great partners, inside jokes, road trips, side projects that matter. Those things make the tough sprints at work worth it.

Final Thoughts

Your early career is less about climbing and more about tasting. You’re not falling behind if you’re exploring. You’re not failing if you feel lost sometimes.

Don’t play someone else’s game. Play yours.

Build the kind of life you’d want even if the internet disappeared — a mix of good work, great people, and endless curiosity.

And if you’re reading this feeling unsure, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there. The secret is: no one really has it figured out. Some of us are just better at asking the right questions.

Until next time,
Adlet

🎉 We're approaching 2,200 newsletter subscribers! Thank you for your support!

You’re the real MVPs!

Loved this post? 💙 Just hit the like button below. It's a small favor from you, but it helps me grow a lot.

Stay curious!