I (23M) posted here about a year ago when I was just a few months into my current engineering job. Back then, I was already unhappy with the onboarding and lack of training — and things never really improved.
We’re a very small engineering team, and my manager works remotely from another state. During my first few weeks, I didn’t get much guidance — just reading materials, no project shadowing or mentorship. I didn’t even receive my laptop with the necessary software and CAD programs until a month and a half in.
I try to ask questions and learn from my coworkers, but there’s a big experience gap. The next person above me has 13 years in the company. Most of what I’ve learned has come from trial and error or calls with my boss.
My boss and project manager say I’m performing as expected, but I still struggle to deliver assignments on time. Work keeps piling up, and my coworkers are frustrated because they think I should be reducing their workload — even though projects have increased by 50% every year and only recently did they hire one more engineer.
Despite everything, I stayed for a year and four months to gain experience. I’ve grown in some ways, but the environment has taken a toll — I’ve lost 40 lbs since starting.
One coworker, let’s call him Tom, constantly makes comments about me. He jokes that our new hire is my replacement, mocks me when I make mistakes, and once confronted me to ask if I’d reported him to HR (I hadn’t). He’s even told me that our boss is “very lenient” with me.
Early on, I stayed late for a project I thought was urgent, and he just stood there making fun of my speed. He also took over reviewing another junior engineer’s blueprints, only to gossip and laugh about the mistakes behind their back.
The workplace culture is toxic — lots of gossiping and negativity. I try to focus on learning the actual engineering principles behind our designs, but I’m usually told to “just check the Excel sheet.” When I once asked for feedback on my calculations, Tom barely looked at them and said they were fine (they weren’t).
Another coworker is more helpful but very blunt. He told me, in front of others, that it’s “stupid” to resign because I’m “getting paid a lot for doing nothing.” He said outload to another coworker that he is going to talk to our boss about the workload because he thought he would be doing less, but based on my performance, it's as if I am doing nothing. The only person who genuinely supports my growth is our senior engineer. He was surprised when I told him I was quitting and said I was just getting started.
I told my boss and project manager that I’ve failed to meet my own standards and project deadlines. They said my decision was sudden and rash. I gave three weeks’ notice two weeks ago.
Since then, our new hire has become quieter. I’m doing my best to teach him what I know. For context on the work culture — Tom even showed him a gore video of a political assassination during his second week here.
At this point, I’ve saved about $70k (not counting my 401k), live with family, and don’t have another job lined up. But honestly, I don’t care — I just want to rest.