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Ask HN: Am I expecting too much?

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Re: Ask HN: Am I expecting too much?

#61

Post by fieryeagle »

I have been through very similar situations like yours during my early day jobs. It's that fire that we always had, fresh out of colleges and into the workforce, the drive to do good things, build cool stuff. Makes you very susceptible to be manipulated into doing more for free. If you think they pay well (just in certain pockets of the world anyway), the ROI from all that you do are multiples of what they gave you.

Here's the thing - your management know exactly what frustrated you and also know that it's the most efficient cost-cutting move, and it simply doesn't overlap with their interests to do something about it.

Re: Ask HN: Am I expecting too much?

#63

Post by JSeymourATL »

> I work at a large, non-software company...

Basic rule of thumb, the bigger the company-- the dumber and more dysfunctional they are. Also, Non-Software companies simply don't get devs.

Chalk this stint up to experience, prepare to move on.

Pro-tip, on your job search make sure you scorecard your next company for personal cultural fit. The ONLY way to determine this is by talking to actual members of the team you would work with. Here are some good areas to probe during your interview conversations > https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-best-interview-questions-...

Re: Ask HN: Am I expecting too much?

#64

Post by Zelmor »

Leave for a two weeks vacation and come back to the ruins of the project. Then, apply for senior position. If rejected, quit and find a better gig. You will not get a senior position nor raise/praise for what you are doing right now.

But generally, your company sounds like a pretty standard fortune500 crap tier outfit (IBM, Citi, Ericsson, Tata, etc). I suggest you find a better company or position within the company. Move teams if possible. If not, just leave. Don't stick to places like these. I did. I wasted my time.

Re: Ask HN: Am I expecting too much?

#65

Post by Zelmor »

throwawaypotato wrote: post #62

Wow! Thank you for all of the wonderful feedback and suggestions! This all seems like great advice, and I will be giving it a lot of thought over the coming weeks and months (...and years, probably). I don't feel quite as depressed, now!

Don't just think about it, but act on it! :)

Re: Ask HN: Am I expecting too much?

#66

Post by foreigner »

ben_jones wrote: post #24
foreigner wrote: post #16

Quit, join a small company. I did five long years at a multinational megacorp without realizing that life could be better. It was like prison for programmers. When I finally quit to be employee #5 at a bootstrapped startup it was a revelation. After I had been at the startup for a month it still didn't feel real - it felt like I was on vacation from my previous job. It took a long time for it to sink in that I didn't…

Except these things could be preventing such a transition: * Moving expenses to $EXPENSIVE_TECH_CITY * Student loan debt * Credit card debt * Car loan + auto insurance * Severe pay cut * No experience building CRUD apps Or MSCCSN for short.

That was not my experience at all. I didn't take a pay cut moving to a small company. My salary stayed about the same, I had similar benefits, and I got a little equity which a few years later was worth a nice bonus. Staying at a large company all you're going to get is the standard 3 to 5 percent cost of living increase every year.

Generally I do not think it's true that large companies pay better than small ones - if anything the opposite.

Re: moving to an expensive tech city, perhaps that might be an issue, but there are smaller companies in lots of places, not just Silicon Valley.

Re: Ask HN: Am I expecting too much?

#67

Post by nikki-9696 »

In my experience (which is limited because I don't job hop), the non-software company that I worked for sounded very much like you describe. I did myself a disservice by not leaving sooner. I now work for a software company and it's very different. I am much happier here, working with no offshore bullshit and having co-workers who care about learning, sharing, and our products.

I can't tell you which is "normal", but I will advise you to try to leave. Socialize and network your little heart out, because if a friend recommends a place to work, you can be more sure that it won't suck, and it will be easier to get in the door.

Re: Ask HN: Am I expecting too much?

#68

Post by akavi »

foreigner wrote: post #66
ben_jones wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except these things could be preventing such a transition: * Moving expenses to $EXPENSIVE_TECH_CITY * Student loan debt * Credit card debt * Car loan + auto insurance * Severe pay cut * No experience building CRUD apps Or MSCCSN for short.

That was not my experience at all. I didn't take a pay cut moving to a small company. My salary stayed about the same, I had similar benefits, and I got a little equity which a few years later was worth a nice bonus. Staying at a large company all you're going to get is the standard 3 to 5 percent cost of living increase every year. Generally I do not think it's true that large companies pay better than small ones -…

> Generally I do not think it's true that large companies pay better than small ones - if anything the opposite.

Anecdotal data point: I recently made the switch from startup to Megacorp, and my base salary remained the same, but my equity compensation went from being made of unicorn farts and fairy dust to something a little more real. Meaning if I stay the year, my total comp'll jump roughly 50%.

And my base salary at the startup was pretty good compared to some of my friends working at smaller places.

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