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Ask HN: Why shouldn't I leave Google?

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Ask HN: Why shouldn't I leave Google?

#1
- I'm 26 - 2 years experience as a SWE at Google (my 1st ever job) - Enough cash to live the next ~2 years even with no salary - Unfulfilled at Google - Dreaming of starting my own company

Keeping all these in mind, why am I so afraid of leaving Google?

My mentor suggested to stay at Google until I find an interesting startup idea to work on. I want to spend 6 months in SE Asia and travel the world before starting my company.

Is fear really whats holding me back? Is Google too good of a workplace to leave?

Re: Ask HN: Why shouldn't I leave Google?

#2
> My mentor suggested to stay at Google until I find an interesting startup idea to work on.

This is a sound piece of advice.

However, it looks like you're very keen on traveling. Maybe you can take a 3-month unpaid sabbatical from Google, and see what it feels like?

Re: Ask HN: Why shouldn't I leave Google?

#3
Of course leaving a well-paid job for your dreams is scary -- you don't have a plan! That's not a criticism, that's just how it works. If you were comparing two plans, you could more easily decide what's better. But right now you're comparing "stay with what I know" with "maybe my dreams will come true or maybe I'll die a failure in two weeks".

My advice? Go talk to a therapist (not a mentor, but an actual psychologist) about what you want to do. That person can help you figure out what you're afraid of, and how you can deal with it.

Re: Ask HN: Why shouldn't I leave Google?

#4
I know some googlers who described the engineering culture as hiring the brightest people to work on the dullest stuff. It's a giant company and lots of people do amazing things. But not everyone there is having a blast working on the cutting edge stuff. Someone has to maintain the google web toolkit gmail codebase.

Re: Ask HN: Why shouldn't I leave Google?

#5
If you have a good relationship with your employer you should be able to say "Hey I want to try something else for a while, but if things don't work out, I'd love to keep the doors open on both sides."

I've done this before with a few jobs, one of which I went back to after I left and the other thing I was pursuing didn't pan out. In the time I was gone I learned a tremendous amount about myself and what's possible. If you can something like this set this up, it's only a win-win.

A few reasons to not try something like this: (A) - you're worried you'll set back any career path you were on track for at google (B) - you're worried they won't take you back

Have no comment on (A) b/c for me I'm more interested in personal growth than specific career track at a specific company.

If (B) holds, why wouldn't they take you back? Top engineers are hard to come by. If you can't make a convincing case that you're in that top category of engineer, then what has working for Google earned you these past few years? (Other than $..)

Re: Ask HN: Why shouldn't I leave Google?

#6
Never worked at Google, but do you think you could take a sabbatical or long vacation to travel and think? I think the risk profile would be lower since if you do come up with something solid, you could leave, and if you don't, you'd still have a job. Maybe consider doing a side hustle as well? Or part timing or working remote to get away from it all.

You shouldn't leave google because of all the smart people you have around, which isn't the same in a startup world, and because there are multiple projects and divisions and companies you could jump to in order to learn about different things. You should do a startup if you have an itch and an idea that makes money and you like doing.

Re: Ask HN: Why shouldn't I leave Google?

#9
It's not just fear. It's fear of the unknown. You admit this is your 1st ever job, so it can be hard to calibrate expectations from employment. It's not all great though, and even at a great company, you just might be in the wrong place or working on the wrong product.

I think personal fulfillment is key to good development as a person. You say you're unfulfilled. Why? Can you make a list? Where do you think things might be different?

I'd also encourage you just to look for a job, and maybe take some interviews (perhaps at startups you think are in an interesting field). This might give you some more perspective, and either let you realize that you want to do something else - or let you recognize how good you have it, and that you shouldn't be taking it for granted. Also, recognize the difference between the perception of starting your own business vs actually doing it. It's a lot of work. It can be great, but it is certainly easier to jump on a small company that is doing something you think is interesting.

You don't know what you've got till it's gone. But you will have many jobs in your life, so I'd just suggest you not get too hung up on any one particular job, and view it more as a long journey of exploration.

Re: Ask HN: Why shouldn't I leave Google?

#10
I can't imagine you'll enjoy working elsewhere if you're not happy at Google. If you're an entrepreneur at heart, you'll likely not feel fulfilled until you're working on your own product. I'd say stick around Google (at least for the paycheck) as your mentor suggested until you have an execution plan. Also, if you decide to find another employer in the future, it will be more difficult to explain that you quit because you felt "unfulfilled" (that would scare me if I were considering hiring you); but if you quit to start your own company, that's a commendable act.
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