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Ask HN: Quitting Big Tech, what is it like?

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Re: Ask HN: Quitting Big Tech, what is it like?

#151

Post by pmoriarty »

72deluxe wrote: post #150
pmoriarty wrote: post #141

I burnt out decades ago. Unfortunately, I kept coming back to tech when I could half-stomach it again and desperately needed money instead of doing what I really knew I should have done, which was to make a career change to something drastically different. This is one of my greatest regrets in life. Now I'm old, my skills are out of date because I really don't give a crap enough about tech to learn the latest buzzwor…

That's a shame, what would you have done instead? Also, at what age cut-off would you consider it being easier than being labelled "old" ?

"what would you have done instead?"

Maybe teach or try to make it as an artist... or try to get in to making movies. I have so many other interests apart from computers. Trying to pursue any of them professionally might have lead to something, and, honestly, maybe I would have burnt out on whatever it was or just failed, but at least I wouldn't have kept banging my head against something I hate and dread over and over and over again.

"Also, at what age cut-off would you consider it being easier than being labelled "old" ?"

I'm not exactly sure I understand what you're asking there. Could you rephrase your question?

Re: Ask HN: Quitting Big Tech, what is it like?

#152

Post by sriram_malhar »

debaserab2 wrote: post #117
sriram_malhar wrote: post #53

I quit full-time work in 2001, after being burned out in the dot com boom. I did well for myself financially after the startup I was in got bought. The phrase "well" is of course subjective, considering that no colleague of mine quit. I left a whole lot of money on the table, but never once have I regretted it. I decided that the name of the game is to optimise quality of life. That means, infrequent brutal deadlines…

It's inspiring reading this. In many ways, I feel I'm on a similar track. The thing I struggle with the most, though, is keeping up with the trends. I tend to do things the same way I did them years ago -- and while these are battle-tested methods of doing things that I know will work, I'm aware that the industry is evolving and maybe I'm not keeping pace. The older I get the more I see patterns repeat themselves and…

One is by teaching and giving talks. I too see patterns repeat themselves, so I try to boil the latest trend down to what is genuinely new. Clients are particularly happy to be ELI5'd.

Second, my interest is burrowing down into the underlying mathematics and formalisms. This frees you from having to chase trends at the superficial level (React vs Vue, for example). I went for a PhD in my dotage just to up my game (see my comment history for a recent thread where I described my experience).

Third, I got disillusioned with working for BIG Software and their clients. But smaller companies and organisations and NGOs have got interesting problems to solve, but can't afford talent. Here you get to do build the entire thing on your own, and it is an art to make it simple and aesthetic and a pleasure to use; you get to use lots of relatively new and free technologies, without putting the client's business at risk.

Re: Ask HN: Quitting Big Tech, what is it like?

#153

Post by engineeringwoke »

newsbinator wrote: post #9

Before making the "jump", I recommend you take a leave of absence for 1 ~ n months. Go live abroad, make new friends, shake up your day-to-day, challenge yourself in non-tech ways. Then after n months test how you feel about going back to work (and to your high salary). If you're dreading it like it's torture, there's a strong indicator you should be thinking of alternatives.

Do it. Go live in Europe or Asia and let life sink in a bit.

Re: Ask HN: Quitting Big Tech, what is it like?

#154

Post by tiborsaas »

tempsolution wrote: post #68
dmoy wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After a decade in FANG and living a not extravagant lifestyle, you could easily have a couple million socked away. That at least gives you breathing room to do whatever for a few years.

For a few years? What kind of lifestyle do you have that a few millions only last a few years? I really doubt with that math you would have been able to save a few millions in the first place, unless you won a lottery.

I envy the bubble you live in. If you have say $3M in the bank and you spend $50k / year then it lasts you 60 years doing nothing.

Re: Ask HN: Quitting Big Tech, what is it like?

#155

Post by jasonkester »

I worked into a similar position early on where, like you, I was bringing in more than twice (or 4X) what I really needed to live on and save for retirement. My personal path was Contracting rather than BigCo'ing, but with the same result.

I worked out that an hourly rate paying you "Twice What You Need" in a year will also pay you "As Much As You Need" in six months.

Once you're provably good at this stuff, you can pick up short term contracts kinda whenever you want. And with each one you do, you get exposed to new tech (upping the skills and thus bill rate), and to new people. People who will have future need of good developers and friends with the same need (upping your ability to pick up the next gig).

By the time I had moved on into my SaaS/Entrepreneur phase, I was repeatably doing 3 month gigs with 9-12 month downtime in between to spend traveling and doing the things in life that I actually wanted.

So I guess Phase One might be to figure out a way to get that first big chunk of free time to see if you actually have other things in life you'd rather be doing. But definitely don't ditch the BigCo gig completely or burn any bridges.

I met lots of smart young people on the road working their way along on odd jobs. Hostels hardly ever offer you $250/hr to watch the front desk. Your ex-boss's new VC-backed startup just might though.

Re: Ask HN: Quitting Big Tech, what is it like?

#156

Post by 72deluxe »

pmoriarty wrote: post #151
72deluxe wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a shame, what would you have done instead? Also, at what age cut-off would you consider it being easier than being labelled "old" ?

"what would you have done instead?" Maybe teach or try to make it as an artist... or try to get in to making movies. I have so many other interests apart from computers. Trying to pursue any of them professionally might have lead to something, and, honestly, maybe I would have burnt out on whatever it was or just failed, but at least I wouldn't have kept banging my head against something I hate and dread over and ove…

Certainly. You said you would have made the change earlier but now consider yourself to be "old" (and therefore your skills are out of date). At what age would you have not considered yourself "old" and likely a more suitable candidate for jobs?

I know that the "buzzword bingo" of tech doesn't help. What languages did you write in?

I play a few instruments and it is enjoyable but I am not sure I would have "succeeded" as an artist, simply because it is another industry set up to sell things just like the software industry (particularly "rent-a-software" that seems to be taking hold) and disillusionment would have set in (unrealistic expectations?). I suspect I would have ran out of creativity or ideas, and I wonder if the same would have happened to you?

It's a shame about you hating it and dreading programming. I don't like some of the stuff I have to write but at least it is writing software - I try to keep in mind that's it's still "better" than other jobs I would have gone insane in (eg. basic administrative jobs).

Re: Ask HN: Quitting Big Tech, what is it like?

#157

Post by alecco »

Sounds like you believed in their "mission". All that is PR. Changing to a startup will be to believe in someone else's "dream" who also will transform into selling out or a power struggle. And that will burn you out even more.

I'd use some of that money to invest in yourself. Take as much vacation and benefits as you can. Make the moves to achieve FIRE.

Pay someone to help you with your side projects or to teach you things, this can be a good exit with open source turning into a startup (perhaps pay someone to find your future clients before you take the jump). Be careful, your FAANG sting probably twisted your view of the world. See Lean Startup.

Re: Ask HN: Quitting Big Tech, what is it like?

#158

Post by mertnesvat »

sriram_malhar wrote: post #53

I quit full-time work in 2001, after being burned out in the dot com boom. I did well for myself financially after the startup I was in got bought. The phrase "well" is of course subjective, considering that no colleague of mine quit. I left a whole lot of money on the table, but never once have I regretted it. I decided that the name of the game is to optimise quality of life. That means, infrequent brutal deadlines…

Your answer is very inspiring and also perfect example for youngsters to understand money and productivity are not the only things that matters in life.

I had a similar junction in my life and I selected money instead of pursuing family and academic life, now I'm starting to think maybe wasn't a good decision. I'm getting older (38)

Do you mind if I ask did you also quit your job to pursue Phd? Nowadays started working on my old projects, ideas and realised this is the only stuff that I'm enjoyed right now!

Re: Ask HN: Quitting Big Tech, what is it like?

#159

Post by sriram_malhar »

mertnesvat wrote: post #158
sriram_malhar wrote: post #53

I quit full-time work in 2001, after being burned out in the dot com boom. I did well for myself financially after the startup I was in got bought. The phrase "well" is of course subjective, considering that no colleague of mine quit. I left a whole lot of money on the table, but never once have I regretted it. I decided that the name of the game is to optimise quality of life. That means, infrequent brutal deadlines…

Your answer is very inspiring and also perfect example for youngsters to understand money and productivity are not the only things that matters in life. I had a similar junction in my life and I selected money instead of pursuing family and academic life, now I'm starting to think maybe wasn't a good decision. I'm getting older (38) Do you mind if I ask did you also quit your job to pursue Phd? Nowadays started worki…

Yes, I did. At the age of 42!

Funny you should ask. I posted about my experience in a recent thread a few weeks back.

Search for my user name here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21299546

Re: Ask HN: Quitting Big Tech, what is it like?

#160

Post by mikorym »

throwaway1m wrote: post #114
mikorym wrote: post #50

What exactly is boring about it? Not /s, I'm interested to know.

Predictability of everything.

Are you a developer?

Personally, I am much more interested in mathematics than necessarily coding and a lot of my "this is super boring" rants are related to that. Automation for me (in the job context), for instance, is not nearly as interesting as it would be for someone else.

I am working on a large side project (in mathematical agriculture) that would aim to correct this personal imbalance, but I also wouldn't be upset if that failed and in 5 years from now I work for a big company, but with the ability to use my mathematics skills.

Maybe I am too young? Having said that, my current job is boring. I think that the "my end goal is pointless" only becomes relevant after one ends the "at least I am learning skills" phase.

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