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Ask HN: Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

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Re: Ask HN: Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

#191

Post by MrDresden »

Leave if your financial situation allows for it, and you can see that other options might be found before your personal runnway ends.

If not, then start searching and leave when you have found something you'd be happy with. Having been in a burn out situation my self, I'd give my 2 cents and recommend maybe downgrading in responsibility to give yourself some time to heal (some people heal through doing a lot of very fun but hard work, so do what is right for you).

Staying on for too long, especially if it has impacts on your health is the wrong option if others exist.

If anyone asks in later interviews why you did not stick with it, simply explain that you did try to change the culture but it simply would not stick. Explain that you are a professional, and would like to work with other professionals of the same caliber.

Re: Ask HN: Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

#192

Post by gwbas1c »

> Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

No. It's totally okay to run from a sinking ship if you haven't been able to develop a good sense of mutual loyalty. (Mutual, meaning the company recognizes its problems AND supports you in fixing them.)

> I'm senior and was hired as such

There's a lot of different advice in this situation. Many people say "Don't quit until you find another job," which isn't always practical, especially given that senior roles tend to take longer to find.

Given your level, another approach is to basically ask to be laid off. It won't always work, but if you believe it's easier for "your job to be finding a job," figure out how to ask for a severance package. Something like, in a 1-1 with your manager, just say something like, "Look, I'm really not happy here and I don't see a long-term career here. What's the best exit strategy?"

Re: Ask HN: Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

#193

Post by AlwaysRock »

Its your life and your career. You don't owe anyone a second of it. If you want to leave leave. Find a way to nicely say there were a lot of issues which is why you left when interviewing. Most folks have a 6 month of less stay and this is why.

Re: Ask HN: Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

#194

Post by patrickk »

> ...essentially keeping on-prem 2000's philosophy and revamp it as microservices). On top of that add vendeta-developers in Asia (I'm in a small offshoot team in Europe) handing down half-baked frameworks (not-invented-here and reinventing the wheel are strong) with minimal documentation and a culture based on meetings instead of documenting things.

Ouch, this hits close to home. I can identify with this type of culture.

If you can get another job, get out ASAP and keep your sanity.

You'll slowly go mad as you realise that every best practice and "normal" way of working in software dev/IT (e.g. documentation and not just vague verbal descriptions for everything), is done exactly backwards. The cultural gap is just too big to bridge, and you cannot fix that.

Re: Ask HN: Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

#195

Post by mgarfias »

I’m in a similar position. Except it’s not chaos that’s the issue, that is fixable here.

It’s that I report to a gigantic dickbag. A migration had a couple of issues Friday night, with two customer apps not working. I only do the infra. Yet on sat, I was left a vm threatening to fire me, it was 100% psychotic.

I’ve sent it off to HR, and a side channel to the exec team. So hopefully action is taken.

Re: Ask HN: Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

#196

Post by comeonseriously »

Think of it this way; you were hired with the thought that after 6 mos they'd evaluate your progress and determine they want to keep you or not. That's how a lot of business work.

So, yeah, leave and don't feel bad about it. It's just business.

Take care of yourself first. Nobody else will.

Re: Ask HN: Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

#197

Post by pacija »

If contract doesn't state how long one needs to stay, it is professional to leave anytime.

I had the luck to get into a company which was (to some extent is) a mess, where I had (have) so many opportunities to improve things and get paid for it.

Noone told me to improve things, many (including my bosses) told me not to poke around. I stopped asking, did it anyway, presented measurable improvements, got raises and respect from some, hatred and envy from some others. Latter ones usually got sacked in the long run, so I guess not everything is a mess, someone up there cares.

I don't think I owe company anything, or company owes me. I do stuff, I get paid. What I think I do owe is real-time feedback about state of stuff under my care, about my long-term goals and money expectations. Company owes me timely paycheck for time and money we agree upon. Debt from both sides is erased monthly, on payday.

I left some companies. I stayed at some. All's fair in love and war.

Re: Ask HN: Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

#198

Post by tschmeisser »

You don't owe anyone anything if they aren't listening to you or letting you actively correct issues. It seems like you at least tried and I would bet even if you could make change, it would be an uphill battle not worth your time and energy. Sounds like a bad environment you should move on from.

Re: Ask HN: Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

#199

Post by user234220 »

Your job is where you spend the most of your time. Do not settle for something that you have to endure. Your mental health must be a priority.

We have a finite number of days in this life. Ten years from now, will you think back and say, "I can't believe I just kept working there!" Or will you say, "I'm so proud of myself for leaving when I saw the writing on the wall."

When it's time, it's time. The only person who will suffer in the end is you.

Get yourself another job lined up and leave.

Re: Ask HN: Is it unprofessional to leave a new job where everything is a mess?

#200

Post by emerongi »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #182
henvic wrote: post #145

Just leave. It's the professional thing to do, if you can sustain yourself. In 2012 I've left my hometown and went to the other side of my country to work at a startup. Within 20 days I left because the situation was critical. I was already feeling like I should leave on the second week, but decided to wait just to break-even from my moving expenses. It was e-commerce startup where the team lead / project manager was…

> Just leave. Not a good idea for the OP to leave without having another job to start. The OP only found this job after a long period of job searching. Having a large unexplained resume gap followed by a short 6-month employment followed by another gap is the type of pattern that starts to scare hiring managers. Start the job search, but don’t just leave until you have something else to go to. Avoid introducing anoth…

This is if you optimize for money.

If you optimize for happiness, the decision process can be wildly different.

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