Ask HN: I did not get pay rise – as only person in team. Should I quit?

Of course! I just meant don't quit out of spite ever. It's always better to keep plodding along at your current job (income, health insurance, etc) until you find an alternative.

Whatever spike of adrenaline/endorphins you get in that moment will not be worth it in the long run.

Having gone through a few major recessions in my life and survived (and not) layoffs, I find that the idea that "it's not a good time to quit" is a myth, and potentially a dangerous one. That is assuming "quit" implies having another job lined up (even in the best of times I'm not a big fan of just quitting with nothing lined up)

First off, if you want to change jobs, doing so when people are still hiring is a good idea. It's much easier to change jobs now that it will be in 3 months when other companies start doing layoffs. This stage in the down turn is right before the music stops in a game of musical chairs.

Additionally, at this stage in the down turn, it's impossible to know what's next and how bad it will be and who will be impacted the most. I've known far more people laid off while working at "safe" companies than those knowingly taking risks at smaller companies. Sure some companies will layoff new hires first, but others will layoff older, less productive division, other will look for highest paid employees etc. Nowhere is really safe and only hindsight will tell you what was and wasn't a good move. Best time to join Amazon would have been right after the dotcom burst.

Most important, in the last few down turns I've been through, agility and adaptability where the keys to survival. The "play it safe at a big co/job you know" path, somewhat ironically, only works really well is times of stability. This is a time to keep your eyes open, start thinking about a wide range of next future moves. It's better to jump without hesitation (and be ready to jump again) than look for stable ground.

That said it's more important than ever to do you due diligence on a future employer. Now is not a great time to join a startup run by "kids" (this is not a comment on age, but on maturity) that don't know what they're doing and make rash decisions and are delusional about the future of their product. I was take a hard pass on any crypto companies right now, and on companies that won't talk much about their financials.

I personally would take a step back and get rid of any assumption about why I did not get a raise. You have jumped to the conclusion that you did not get a raise because of some personal defects. It could just as well be that 80% of the company was profoundly undercompensated whereas you are already compensated in line with market rates.

I think it's reasonable to expect your manager to provide more details. I would give my manager a heads up that if they do not explain I am going to escalate. In my escalation I would stick to the facts. "The CEO said 80% of the company got raises. I did not get a raise. I have asked my manager for an explanation. My manager refused to explain."

P.S. you should totally work on those personal defects that you've identified in yourself. It sounds like you may also have some responsibility in creating a toxic work environment.

+1. There is a Venn diagram of your best interests and the company's best interests. These circles often overlap, but personally, I would prioritize my own career development over my own (potentially wrong) opinions about what projects I should work on.

Uh, no. Just take it and quit.