70k is pretty good in UK. If you want to go beyond that, you need to he offering your skillset to multiple companies at once, means becoming a consultant to multiple companies like this. I'm sure many SMBs could benefit from this kind of solo wizard who can come in and make their infrastructure rock-solid. How many can you handle at once? Five? Ten?
Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?
81–90 of 96 posts
Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?
#82Definitely leave your job. You’re clearly done, the relationship is no longer working. As for landing a new job with the salary you want, it’s a numbers game. You just have to keep searching, keep sending out resumes. And after a couple years at each job you often need to do it again if you want to move up. I’ll throw in some of my job hunt tips (I just signed an offer this week after a two month search): - Write cov…
Seems you like put real effort it to this response, so thank you :)
I'll read, digest, and apply it all tomorrow, thanks again!
Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?
#83What throws me off about even the short description you gave is that your claims are... off. As a hiring manager, I don't care that you filled a 42U rack - I care about why. What did it accomplish? Did you do it with cost efficiency? What impact did it have on the business? What was the ROI on filling that stack? Why do you feel it is better to have filled a rack than to have scaled in the cloud? Same with LOC and nu…
I feel my like CV justifies this, an exert being "enables directors to make short term decisions" (every "point" has something like this).
This is why I'm abit confused as to why I haven't go a responses :(
Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?
#84What throws me off about even the short description you gave is that your claims are... off. As a hiring manager, I don't care that you filled a 42U rack - I care about why. What did it accomplish? Did you do it with cost efficiency? What impact did it have on the business? What was the ROI on filling that stack? Why do you feel it is better to have filled a rack than to have scaled in the cloud? Same with LOC and nu…
I feel my like CV justifies this, an exert being "enables directors to make short term decisions" (every "point" has something like this). This is why I'm abit confused as to why I haven't go a responses :(
I think thisThis points back to what GP is saying.
> "enables directors to make short term decisions"
Ok but what does that do in regards to the business ? Does it increase profits and if so how much? Does it in cream efficiency and if so how much? Did it allow you to rapidly scale X and if so how ouch of X or at what rate ?
What’s the impact of your line item and how much I believe is what GP is getting at.
Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?
#85Not sure why you would be beginning to feel "aggrieved" -- you don't have evidence you're being underpaid per the market rate, and you didn't feel being underpaid in your previous 8 years. "42U Rack and 20 git repos" in 8 years don't seem that impressive TBH, unless the work involves interesting technical challenges. Did money suddenly become more important to you, or was there some kind of fallout between you and yo…
> Did money suddenly become more important to you, or was there some kind of fallout between you and your employer, or did something trigger you want more meaning in, or validation of your work?
OP mentioned that "everyone tells me i should [feel aggrieved]"
"I'm currently earning £60K a year ($70K) and I'm beginning to feel "aggrieved", everyone tells me I should."
So it appears that it is outside influences that have changed his heart towards his salary. His wording in particular leads me to think this. "Everyone tells me i should". Not "I told my friends that i was upset about my salary and they agreed".
Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?
#86I think you have a lot of ownership over the tech. And that is a nice benefit. You make the technical and architectural decisions.
> I'm currently earning £60K a year ($70K) and I'm beginning to feel "aggrieved", everyone tells me I should.
Dont let your friends tell you what to think about your own job and salary. And £60K in the UK isnt a bad salary. I would stick with them, and maybe up your game even. If you can find a way to increase their profits or reduce their expenses you would have some leverage. SMB is a different ballgame than corporate.
Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?
#87It 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…
This is an interesting take on my writing style. I will certainly apply this to my CV, perhaps my personal statement is to "aggressive" (here I am doing it again). Thank you.
“Too” aggressive. While normally not a big deal if there’s a typo, someone else commented and this in attention to detail can put people off as they may think it extends to
other areas.
It’s mostly relevant because your comment is about your writing.
Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?
#88You seem like you’re all over the place, a Jack of all Trades.
Specifically you’re counting the number of U’s in your rack as well as LOC.
LOC isn’t generally seen as a great metric. But let’s assume some people like it. 20K over 8 years averages to 100 lines a day. That’s fine, I guess. But I read this as not you having written 20K lines but the whole company?
I’ve been told by coworkers that £60K is considered a decent salary in the UK outside of FANG, and even in FANG, salaries are 30-40% lower than in SV, not factoring in RSU’s and bonus.
Maybe you aren’t underpaid at all, the size of the company (and the value they provide) justifies that salary.
Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?
#89Earlier 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.
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.
The argument seems very all or nothing, being increasingly visible about interviewing elsewhere might get the employer to take actions that help the OP prepare for a new job.
Re: Ask HN: Should I checkmate my employer?
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
if you want to be an IC, then you are a "technical operations expert with operating and deploying services" if you want to lead, embrace the "Director of IT" title and play up the fact it was an SMB if you're going for a relatively low level leadership role (team lead, etc). whatever you do, get rid of the phrase "tech lead". i've yet to meet someone who described themselves with that term that didn't make me go "thi…
Don't use 'Director' in the UK unless you have a formal directorship with the business - it's a title with legal standing and repercussions here. What is the job title on your contract? That is really what you need to cite. Follow the advice given by others about the structure and grammar on your CV and, yes, talk to recruiters who will give you a realistic opinion on your options and salary expectations for your ski…
I'm interested in your take on Director. It definitely has a legal definition taken on its own. But Director as a level is also really common too; sometimes it gets switched with Head of etc. (Fwiw we regularly hire IT Directors from SMB into team manager roles)