How do you know it's time to do the next thing? • Hacker News Board

Re: How do you know it's time to do the next thing?

#11

Post by konradb » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 10:42 AM UTC

NhanH wrote: post #8

coaxial wrote: post #3

I don't know how representative it is as a whole, but my experience (working for various companies of 15-200 employees) has been that there are two classes of engineers: - Those that have been there for years (3/5/since the beginning), are usually underpaid for the long hours they put in, and may or may not have stock options. - The rest of us. And it seems that the first group rarely moves on. I suspect it's because…

12-18 months job change sounds a bit too much, especially after you have a few years of experience under your belt.

It feels to me that a period as short as that would prevent you from learning a whole bunch of interesting things.

Technical lessons about design, architecture, and infrastructure choices one has made, how they cope with scale, subtle mis-steps, etc. Interpersonal lessons about how people develop and communicate. Lessons about why some approaches work and don't work organisationally.

Re: How do you know it's time to do the next thing?

#12

Post by sfsd11 » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 11:42 AM UTC

kewafb14 wrote: post #9

You know it's time to move when either you've lost motivation for what you do, and/or your KPIs aren't encouraging enough even after you've already adapted the model a few times. As to figuring out your next thing, ask yourself what you'd spend so many hours doing without counting the hours. It's always worked for me. Hope this helps.

What if there are multiple answers to this question? How do I filter?

Re: How do you know it's time to do the next thing?

#13

Post by bausshf » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 12:09 PM UTC

Once you'd rather do nothing, than do something.

Re: How do you know it's time to do the next thing?

#14

Post by stealthmodeclan » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 3:15 PM UTC

When conversations become bitter, when i feel defeated and nothing interests me then i move on to not drag the team down, i start completing documentation to not keep any knowledge to myself.

Re: How do you know it's time to do the next thing?

#15

Post by muzani » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 5:00 PM UTC

First, you have to have somewhere to go. Most people don't and so they stay at the same spot until retirement.

Somewhere can mean anything - a career improvement, or benefits like child care. Maybe even a team that clicks with religious beliefs. In some cases it's money.

More often, it's a kind of experience one longs for. Maybe you just really want to make a game or a CRM. Maybe you just want to enjoy traveling the world on company money.

Second, you just measure how you're going along this path. Ideally your job will take you there.

Re: How do you know it's time to do the next thing?

#16

Post by AnimalMuppet » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 5:22 PM UTC

When the challenge is gone. And how do you know that? When you're bored - not bored for a day, but bored for six months.

That may not mean that it's time to change careers. It might just be time to change jobs.

Re: How do you know it's time to do the next thing?

#17

Post by pasbesoin » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 9:03 PM UTC

Speaking generally, I think one's intuition continues to be under-valued.

If you are a reasonably aware and informed person with regard to the matter at hand (and additionally, shouldn't your own well-being be a principal "matter at hand"?), it is yourself cluing in, ahead of constructing a fully-conscious analysis and argument.

The times my intuition has really -- in the gut -- pushed me, it's been right. Often, later -- days, week, or longer -- I find myself placing that gut feeling into context and events in a way that totally makes sense.

Some might argue I'm just rationalizing it. Seemed much too immediate -- and then crystal-clear, in hindsight.

Re: How do you know it's time to do the next thing?

#18

Post by coaxial » Fri, Jun 08, 2018, 11:40 PM UTC

konradb wrote: post #11

NhanH wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

12-18 months job change sounds a bit too much, especially after you have a few years of experience under your belt.

It feels to me that a period as short as that would prevent you from learning a whole bunch of interesting things. Technical lessons about design, architecture, and infrastructure choices one has made, how they cope with scale, subtle mis-steps, etc. Interpersonal lessons about how people develop and communicate. Lessons about why some approaches work and don't work organisationally.

The places I've seen this at were either agencies (so short/medium term projects) or startups where employees churn so much that a year later almost everyone is new again.

Like I said, might not be representative but has been my observations.

Re: How do you know it's time to do the next thing?

#19

Post by segmondy » Sat, Jun 09, 2018, 9:05 PM UTC

When you find yourself asking yourself if it's time to do the next thing, it's time.

Re: How do you know it's time to do the next thing?

#20

Post by sloaken » Sun, Jun 10, 2018, 7:34 AM UTC

It appears you are talking about a MAJOR shift, not just a job change.

First part - When to know when it is over? In the simpliest form, when the jobs available suck. Either the pay or the volume. When I have changed it was both. So actually this is how you know you should have changed a year or two ago.

Second part - What to do next? That is a gamble. Anything that is up and coming has a risk of being overplayed (too many others going into it) or fading out. This then becomes an issue of your objectives: 1) Write books 2) Become the industry expert 3) Just make good money 4) Be happy If you are #2 or #4 then it involves exploring a few technologies, I recommend either MOOCs or reading on forums, to decide what excites you. If you want #2, you need #4. #3 You still need to explore, but I would start with what you see job demand for. Then explore MOOCs to see if you can stand the tech. Then be sure there are enough resources available for you to learn enough to be hired. You might have to do some pro bono work for resume food. #1 - sorry no clue.

What ever you choose you cannot rest. You must evolve, why? 1) others will compete and drive down the value of your skills 2) because you do not work cheap, there is a large profit motivation to make your skills more of a commodity (easier for #1)