71–80 of 108 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
this made me happy :) It's proof positive again of why I love HN. I read and felt for you with your post then in no time, you may have found a light at the end of the tunnel. Great news :D I can't wait to hear that it's worked out for you!
He wasn't offering him a job, I don't think :P
Earlier quoted context omitted.
this made me happy :) It's proof positive again of why I love HN. I read and felt for you with your post then in no time, you may have found a light at the end of the tunnel. Great news :D I can't wait to hear that it's worked out for you!
He wasn't offering him a job, I don't think :P
If he's on £17k/pa and you're billing out £350 a day, then he only has to work 50 days per year to come out in the exact same place he's in now.
As long as he gets from you a list of those "first steps" on how to find the contracts. Even if he starts out billing only £50 per day (for fear of not finding work, in order to build a client list) he'd literally be no worse off than he is now (of course rent in London is much higher so ... I think he should at least bill £100/pd).
It sounds like he is a skilled developer with some niche knowledge in the auto market. Suffering perhaps from a lack of confidence (are my skills really worth that much?) and a bit of Fear, Uncertainty, & Doubt (If I quit this hell-job will I have to go on public assistance? will I be homeless?)
He's got to make the leap and get out. No question of that in my mind ... but he also needs help and encouragement to do it.
That's what I saw you offering (not the job) ... it's just the seed of that mighty Oak that I've seen planted - but - I've already assumed that there's a happy ending to all this.
What can I say? I'm a dreamer and an optimist. Probably why I spend so much time reading HackerNews :)
Teach a man to fish and you've fed him for life.
Quit. Now. This environment is noxious to your mental health, your sense of self-worth, your ability to get decent work in the future, and so on. Quit. Now. After you've handed in your notice, and they're exploding into fireworks of anger and "I can't believe this shit"-ness, tell them politely that you're available for consulting work with them over the weekends if they need help with the systems you've built for th…
Whatever you do, do not accept a counter-offer, and do not let your boss guilt-trip you into staying. When you decide to leave, you are gone.
The job search can take a long time, so don't get discouraged if you don't find something immediately -- prepare yourself for the fact that it may take a few months. If it happens any sooner, then you will be pleasantly surprised.
Good luck.
> Trying to discuss this with him really isn't working. Any advice? My guess is that you not so unemployable as you seem to think. I'd look for another job in a company/industry where you're not just a 'cost'.
That's really how I feel here. Just a cost. He tells me he has to justify our "team"'s existance to his dad whenever he sees him. The graphic designer does all print and web graphic design, The Marketing manager does all copy, liaises with the print firms and manages marketing targets and plans with all the dealerships group wide, I do all the web stuff. If there's a car dealership that doesn't need to market or adve…
Okay, so I don't want to go off at the deep end here, but I think the general consensus is correct: this isn't healthy and you're best bet is to leave.
It seems to me that his dad bullies him and he in turn bullies you. Also, if they really thought you don't add value to the company, they would fire you. Clearly you do, so they are just jerking your chain and making you feel dependant on them. They are lying. They have you in what has been called a sick system [1].
You write > "I love my job...I even love my boss" then go on to describe a nightmare. Read it! It sounds like Stockholm Syndrome! Well done for getting it off your chest, now you need to go find something else. The situation probably can't be fixed. Sounds like you've made a lot of decent things as evidence of your skills. You could probably come back as a contractor/consultant for twice your current wage. Oh, and if…
You only get statutory sick pay when a doctors note is involved, which can only be gotten if you've taken more than two days off, aren't too sick to actually visit the GP and even then statutory sick pay is paid at minimum wage, I'm on £17k a year. And thanks for the link!
You are also not valued by your boss. Probably because he doesn't really understand what you do.
Get a job with a company that has some conception of what developers do and rewards them accordingly.
If you like your boss as a person, but not a boss, then try to keep him as a friend. But working for him does not sound like it is doing you any good.
Here is the best advice I can give you knowing nothing about you outside of work: #1 Take a day and get some fresh air before winter hits. Go on a hike - spend at least 4 hours by yourself on the trail. Imagine the perfect (reasonable) life - where do you live, who is there with you, what do you do each day? #2 Can you plot a line from where you are right now to where you want to be? If you still want to do developme…
I can really empathise with the OP and to be honest, your advice has helped clarify a few things for me so if the OP takes nothing from it, rest assured that I have taken plenty!
Also, 17k is a pittance for a qualified developer, which you are. Find some new adventures, you can do it. If where you is is so remote, then move, or commute, or telecommute. Your very resistance to leaving is a sign of the damage they have already done to you.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't smoke and don't recommend it generally, but for work it has absolutely its merits, and this doesn't sound right at all...
This is a quote from him last week: "Between the fag breaks, shit breaks, you aren't getting ANY work done!" He laughed when I told him to go and fuck himself, like I was joking.
You'll probably have an 'exit interview', during which you can suggest that you'd continue to do the current major projects for 75% of what they're paying you now - but you'd be working off-site, against a set of milestones (just like a real contractor).
Benefits to them : They'd save on paying you to slack off... and on the various National Insurance stuff too. It would be a win-win.
Benefits to you : You'd get the opportunity to say NO, which seems like it would be a novelty. Moreover, you'd have time to pitch your services to others to fill up the other 50% of your time. Don't sign a non-compete, unless you're getting paid to do so.