​
Hi Seniors,
I graduated with BTech CSE in 2025 from tier 4 college . I was shortlisted in almost 7 companies during campus placements and reached the final rounds in most of them, but didn’t get selected mainly due to diversity hiring. After that I had a 4-month gap.
Through a friend’s referral, I joined a very small startup as a Python Developer at ₹20k(in hand 17k) per month (full-time). It’s been 7 months now and I’m seriously considering quitting. Here’s my exact situation:
About the company & my role:
Stealth-mode startup with zero revenue, building a B2B health product targeted at schools.
Team size: Only 6 people — all freshers. Everyone except me joined through relatives without any interview. I am the only one who went through a proper interview process.
Hired as Python Developer but working as Full Stack (in name only). Everything is heavily AI-generated (Lovable, Windsurf, Cursor,Antigravity.).
No one in the team actually understands the logic. Everyone just gives prompts to AI, generates code, and checks if the output works. Files are 2000+ lines long with zero refactoring, optimization, or proper structure.
My biggest fear is that if they ever get clients, the whole product will crash because no one knows how anything actually works.
No proper tech stack, no planning, no meetings, no code reviews — complete chaos.
They are assigning me large end-to-end features — such as real-time messaging and communication systems with push and pull notifications — and expecting me to complete them within just 2 weeks.
Infrastructure is poor — old i3 desktops. No proper AI tool subscriptions (using temp accounts & student emails).
Office is smaller than a 2BHK flat. CEO constantly monitors everyone through cameras.
A retired accountant was hired as manager/accountant and he’s very difficult to deal with.
Working hours:
Leave home at 9:30 AM, reach the office by 10:30 AM
Work till \\\~7:30 PM, reach home around 8:30 PM
They are also asking us to come on Saturdays.
Salary is ₹20k(in hand 17k). After travel, almost nothing is left. They vaguely promised an increment “if the product succeeds” (which looks highly unlikely).
My current situation:
In these 7 months, I haven’t learned anything meaningful. My coding is completely dependent on AI prompting.
I have been trying to study after office hours for the past 6+ months, but I’m so exhausted that I’ve made zero progress.
Basic DSA and development knowledge I had earlier has faded.
Constant toxicity and small fights in the team.
No growth, no mentorship, no hope of increment.
Mentally exhausted and drained.
My questions:
Is 7 months of experience from this kind of place worth putting on my resume? Will other companies count it?
If I quit now, I’ll need 2.5–3 months of serious preparation (DSA, Full Stack projects, etc.). Will this gap look bad?
Should I quit immediately or try to stay
I don’t have any offer in hand.
Realistically, what salary and roles can I expect with 7 months exp + good personal projects?
How should I explain this short stint in interviews?
I know the fresher market is tough, but staying here is seriously damaging my career and mental health.
Any advice on preparation plan, resume points, or target companies would help a lot.