save your money, invest it, get enough "FU" money, then keep investing until you have 10x your salary. And keep a positive attitude, try not to dwell on the negatives. You might find out it is like this everywhere you go. Its a matter of perspective. But the #1 goal is FU money, investment experience (whatever that may be), and a good work/life balance.
Ask HN: Shitty job but well paid
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Re: Ask HN: Shitty job but well paid
#12you should probably put a throwaway contact email on your profile - you might get some interesting inbound that is well paid but not so shitty ;)
Re: Ask HN: Shitty job but well paid
#13You're not trapped by anything but the paycheck. You might ask yourself how much money it would be worth giving up to work in a better environment. Then see if you can find a job that pays at least that much, with an environment that is considerably better than where you are.
The problem is you never know if it is going to be better or worse. My experience is that it is mostly the same everywhere. What changes is the paycheck, company logo and the faces
That's my feeling as well. Sure you can move over to something else, but taking a pay cut is probably a mistake because the new place can be just as shitty (either right away or in the future), and now you're not even getting paid for it.
I don't really know what to do except save my money and move to the forest one day. Only half joking.
Re: Ask HN: Shitty job but well paid
#14I think only you can make this decision. If the cons don't effect your personal happiness or mental health, than I see no reason not to stay. If the job stresses you out and you feel your skills will get stagnant, I would recommend quitting. You can always use this job as a stepping stone to a better job.
Re: Ask HN: Shitty job but well paid
#15Went from imploded startup burnout to a job like you describe as a "secure way out". Went directly from burnout to bore-out, as I had to defend an architecture I never would have built like that but no means or resources to do it.
Still, 11 months of working there got me enough runway to fund founding my own thing together with a bunch of other people. 3 months later, shitty company went down the drain. 2,5 years later, we're market leader.
What you'll get there is smart money. If you leverage it properly, it might do you good. If you go there to stay longer, it will probably make you unhappy.
Your mileage may and will vary.
Good luck.
Re: Ask HN: Shitty job but well paid
#16save your money, invest it, get enough "FU" money, then keep investing until you have 10x your salary. And keep a positive attitude, try not to dwell on the negatives. You might find out it is like this everywhere you go. Its a matter of perspective. But the #1 goal is FU money, investment experience (whatever that may be), and a good work/life balance.
A good savings goal is 25x your YEARLY spending. Then you can invest to make about 7%/yr, spend about 4%/yr, and the extra 3%/yr should cover inflation. This should last 'forever' and you can work on whatever pleases you (or nothing).
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-sim...
Re: Ask HN: Shitty job but well paid
#17There are two important factors: 1.) is this dead end career or rather it will be possible for you to find another job later? A lot of money now in exchange of having trouble to find another job later on is a bad deal.
2.) How does the shittiness affect you personal life? If it makes you constantly angry and lashing out at girlfriend/boyfriend, you risk losing her or at least damaging the relationship. Factor that in. If it does not affect you all that much yet, then weight money against point 1
Edit: 3.) Is it fundamentally demotivating to you? Meaning are you loosing interest in learning more about stack you are using or learning new stack or doIng things well? If you risk to turn into complacent done in self defense, then run before it happens.
Re: Ask HN: Shitty job but well paid
#18You're not trapped by anything but the paycheck. You might ask yourself how much money it would be worth giving up to work in a better environment. Then see if you can find a job that pays at least that much, with an environment that is considerably better than where you are.
The problem is you never know if it is going to be better or worse. My experience is that it is mostly the same everywhere. What changes is the paycheck, company logo and the faces
Maybe the problem is with the constant between all these situations then...
Re: Ask HN: Shitty job but well paid
#19You're not trapped by anything but the paycheck. You might ask yourself how much money it would be worth giving up to work in a better environment. Then see if you can find a job that pays at least that much, with an environment that is considerably better than where you are.
The problem is you never know if it is going to be better or worse. My experience is that it is mostly the same everywhere. What changes is the paycheck, company logo and the faces
More seriously though, you should ask around people you know and trust about which workplaces they like. Not all workplaces are alike. Look at switching industries. Look at non-profits. Look at things you care about outside of tech, and go do tech in that industry.
Re: Ask HN: Shitty job but well paid
#20Create a vision, get the team to buy into it. Convince senior managers to buy in. Present and execute a plan to fulfill the vision. Be the change you want to see. Edit: I can see that I need to explain in more depth. Too many technically-oriented folks take the cultural and political landscape of a company as a given. It is not. You can change it. Even as a relatively junior employee, your attitude, communications an…
This is a "feel good" answer that is statistically very unlikely to work out.