Is this sarcasm?
Which part of it screams 'sarcasm' in this post? It may not seem like it, but being miserable while making a lot of money is a thing.
Ask HN: I feel trapped in my job and city
11–20 of 265 posts
Re: Ask HN: I feel trapped in my job and city
#12Try looking for a role on this job board. The world is bigger than Google/finance.
Re: Ask HN: I feel trapped in my job and city
#13With a phD in CS, the likelihood is you could probably find something outside of Quant finance at a big tech company. Try and connect with some recruiters at Google etc and see what they have going on. A better job can make a big difference, perhaps one that will allow you to spend more time visiting home (remote work supported).
Just because it's Google doesn't mean I'll be interested. A job is a job, as I see it. Why would working on ads be any more meaningful than my current job, even if it's using ML? Although if it were 100% remote, that definitely trumps my current job.
There are plenty of Google roles that don't touch Ads. Google is at the cutting edge of ML it's probably worth chatting to a recruiter or two and seeing what's available. I just used Google as a filler, plenty of big tech presence in London.
Re: Ask HN: I feel trapped in my job and city
#14Golden Handcuffs can be a real bitch. I feel for you. How long have you been working at this job? You might just be burned out for the specific company and colleagues.
Less than 2 years. My previous gig was 2.5 years. Before that was 2.5 years. It's obvious I never last long anywhere!
If I could switch companies easily I would. But you need to be insanely good at math/statistics to pass the interviews, which I'm not, and you need to show enthusiasm for the role, which is difficult.
Re: Ask HN: I feel trapped in my job and city
#15Where do you plan on retiring to?
Moving back home? Why not move back get paid less and start retirement early. Wasting all your money on London rent means you are breaking even over a lower salary.
Re: Ask HN: I feel trapped in my job and city
#16Linton Kwesi Johnson must have felt trapped in London when he wrote the lyrics
Inglan is a Bitch
Dere's no escapin it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq9OpJYck7Y (recitation only)
Mebe you feel bedder fta listenin to dis.
Re: Ask HN: I feel trapped in my job and city
#17Where do you plan on retiring to? Moving back home? Why not move back get paid less and start retirement early. Wasting all your money on London rent means you are breaking even over a lower salary.
The problem is that I want to create a life with my partner... and I don't want to ruin his career. If I were single I would move back in a heartbeat.
Re: Ask HN: I feel trapped in my job and city
#18> I could probably grind leetcode for a couple of months to try to get into Google, but I would find working at Google utterly meaningless as well.
How are you so convinced you'll hate Google as well? The big plus of working at FAANG is that they have lots of projects and you can switch to something you are interested in. You don't to working on ML in Ads, you can always switch to compilers (dart?), databases (spanner?), VR (daydream?) .. the list goes on. Of course the rat race for promotions, and perf can get disheartening, but you can reach a terminal level (L4) relatively quickly and then focus on what genuinely interests you.
Re: Ask HN: I feel trapped in my job and city
#19Is this sarcasm?
a bit of a throwaway account maybe
Re: Ask HN: I feel trapped in my job and city
#20I'm sorry you are in this state.
You share a lot of details about what you don't like and what you wish were better in your post. Perhaps HN can help you in a different way if you write about what you want to do and what you like (careers, cities, dreams and ambitions etc).
> I have racked my brain trying to figure out what field I would prefer to work in, but I can't think of anything.
I assume you mean that you want to do some things but can not make the money-partner-city-family proximity balance work.
If you share what you really want, even if it is totally impractical, HN might be able to find a way to make things work.
On the other hand, if you don't have some idea for what you'd rather be doing, I recommend seeing a therapist. When the world appears uninteresting in all dimensions, it's a sign to seek help.