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Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?

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Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?

#41

Post by sixdimensional »

I was like you once.

You have plenty of raw ability, and are capable of a lot, you've proven that. That can be hard for employers to digest when you apply for jobs "through the front door" (e.g. job boards, career sites, etc.).

A bigger question that might help guide you is, what are you hoping to do in your career next? Focus/clarity may help you here, especially to emphasize the skills that give you a better chance of being matched to and landing a job.

Also, I mean this with all sincerity, great for you for reaching out on HN. Do whatever you can to network, because the people who know you and know what you are capable of can be far more helpful in many cases than "going through the front door" applying for jobs. Going through the front door is notoriously difficult.

I don't promise to be able to solve anything, but reach out if you want to chat. I have 20+ years experience and started out much like you.

Email in profile.

Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?

#43

Post by stickyricky »

_aaed wrote: post #38
stickyricky wrote: post #30

Its shocking to me how poorly people are compensated in the UK. There's no way a competitive market could exist there. Move to America if you dare... you can actually make something of your life.

> you can actually make something of your life what are you making of yours?

Choose your own adventure:

> I'm talking to him; not you or all Europeans. He's being taken advantage of and feels as much. His story is too common for people from the UK.

> All the things I value I have.

> shitposting on the internet

> And the crescendo, sorry if I caused offense. It was not my intent.

Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?

#45

Post by k099 »

4bpp wrote: post #14

It sounds like you may be failing some sort of implicit cultural filters - you've been in the same small workplace for 8 years and apparently your circles don't include highly-paid IT/development people. "International-tier" tech is a fairly distinctive and exclusionary culture to anyone who is not fluent in either its own norms or those of a handful of adjacent academic fields, and the boundary may be policed based…

I agree with this. I would also consider talking to a recruiter or paying a professional resume writer (one that specializes in tech) to help rewrite your resume and adjust your positioning.

Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?

#46

Post by matthewmacleod »

stickyricky wrote: post #30

Its shocking to me how poorly people are compensated in the UK. There's no way a competitive market could exist there. Move to America if you dare... you can actually make something of your life.

I can assure you that there very much is a competitive market for engineering talent in the UK. Salaries are generally lower than the US market, but a £60k salary still puts someone in the top 10% nationally in terms of income.

Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?

#47

Post by zachwill »

Garry Tan has the best career advice: https://twitter.com/garrytan/status/1377661970178973696

    My best career advice: at every job you should either learn or earn. 
    Either is fine. Both is best. But if it's neither, quit.
My suggestions would be focusing on a few cosmetic things:

- Update your resume (you can get inspiration from Dribbble).

- Update your personal site to look nice.

- Update your GitHub account to have a few repos.

These are mostly cosmetic, but that seems to be the problem you’re having right now: getting your foot in the door to interview for positions.

Earn or learn. If you’re not doing either, it’s time to move on.

Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?

#48

Post by bluefirebrand »

fezfight wrote: post #34
bluefirebrand wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't tell if you're joking or not, but just in case If you ever find yourself as a single point of failure at a company, and you feel you're underpaid, screw being a "good team player" Adopt a "fuck you, pay me" attitude and get what you're worth or get out. "Good team player" is how companies manipulate you into getting more value out of you than they are paying you for.

As the single point of failure for a huge firm, I had to quit. They hired me back in 6 months at the numbers I wanted. They didn't have to, but they also didn't really care. They gambled I wouldn't leave. They were wrong. You have to be willing to leave. 'Fuck it, fuck you, fuck this' are words to live by, in my opinion. Edit: this will not always work. And you might burn bridges. Be warned. Edit2: Also dont actually…

> 'Fuck it, fuck you, fuck this' are words to live by, in my opinion.

Agreed. Life's much too short to get screwed by a job for a long time.

Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?

#49

Post by nend »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #22
MuffinFlavored wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it might very well be worth having that sit-down with your employer where you lay out exactly what will happen to their infrastructure when you leave. I don't think threatening your current employer about how in-disposable you are and how they'll have production outages if you leave shows you're a very good teammate/employee/team player.

I can't tell if you're joking or not, but just in case If you ever find yourself as a single point of failure at a company, and you feel you're underpaid, screw being a "good team player" Adopt a "fuck you, pay me" attitude and get what you're worth or get out. "Good team player" is how companies manipulate you into getting more value out of you than they are paying you for.

OP is trying to get out but hasn't been able to. Adopting a "fuck you, pay me" attitude when you have no ability to leave is not a smart move.

Absolutely they should be somewhere they're more valued, but should be patient while they work out how to do that.

Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?

#50

Post by goshx »

owow123 wrote: post #25
goshx wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that it shouldn’t sound like a threat, but there is no team. He’s the only person. There is only one way for the employer to feel the pain.

This isn't true. I've got one person under me and have done for 3-5 years. Most have enjoyed working under me (so I understand it), most resignations have been for bigger opportunities / bigger cities / bigger money (1 out of 4, and TBH I missed they wanted more money - this was my fault). My current "report" seems very happy (though I expect them to leave soon, not for money but they are far more interested in anoth…

If you leave, can this report take over and be successful?
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