> Even before i could start writing a single line of code the CTO left the company after a spat and without proper hand-off. I wouldn't wish this scenario even upon my worst enemy.
I know that feel. My first full-time job right out of college, the lead developer left only a week after I joined. I individually inherited a 70k+ SLOC project (in Java, but still...) of his that sorta kinda worked, in a domain I had no experience in. Especially as a new grad there was a massive amount of anxiety trying to get up to speed with nobody to ask questions to. But as the months went by I learned every nook and cranny of every class in the codebase, and was able to make big sweeping changes. It turned out to be an incredibly valuable lesson in soldiering on and not getting intimidated.
I had loads of experience when i encountered the scenario so your story is much more impressive. Agree that the schooling this kind of scenario provides is harsh but an enriching one.
I know that feel. My first full-time job right out of college, the lead developer left only a week after I joined. I individually inherited a 70k+ SLOC project (in Java, but still...) of his that sorta kinda worked, in a domain I had no experience in. Especially as a new grad there was a massive amount of anxiety trying to get up to speed with nobody to ask questions to. But as the months went by I learned every nook and cranny of every class in the codebase, and was able to make big sweeping changes. It turned out to be an incredibly valuable lesson in soldiering on and not getting intimidated.