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Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

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Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#41

Post by throwaway9191aa »

blhblah12345 wrote: post #33
throwaway9191aa wrote: post #11

This sounds like AWS, but probably resembles most large companies. Hire great people down a level, and suddenly you are raising the bar. However, you are also grouping folks with 10+ years doing great work with folks who just got promo'd on their first job out of college. I have not quit. Instead I became a high achiever in other aspects of life. I listen to folks at work talking about programming podcasts and online…

Nice! The second best moment of my life was the first time I finished a century. What was your time?

My best time ever was with a large group of folks on a route with about 5000ft of elevation gain, and we did it in just under 5 hours. By myself much closer to 6 hours of ride time plus breaks. Doing a century is awesome, and then everyone says a double century is the same, just longer. I want to keep going and see how far I can go. I would much rather do this than learn a new programming language every year.

What are your times? What was the first greatest thing?

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#42

Post by tomalaci »

Sounds like you burned out for a slow-moving enterprise that likely expects regular employee turnover. Also with 10 years of experience and still not having senior title is definitely not a great deal either. The goal-posts for developer titles have moved for some time now (junior, standard, senior, tech-lead/staff, senior staff, etc. etc.) and some have gotten senior title by just having few years of experience. Cultural variance across tech / IT companies are still pretty wild.

You should look for medium or small companies that doesn't have a lot of bureaucratic management layers if you want more direct feedback on the effort you put in. In my experience, success in large enterprises was usually helping your manager sell your project to rest of the company.

Anyways, you definitely should be looking for new opportunities while also cutting back on the amount of effort you put in your current company. General markets might be burning but demand for IT is still forever growing.

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#43

Post by cableshaft »

Before reading: If you're at the point of asking, the answer is probably yes. This isn't true of all professions, but for software development it usually is.

After reading: HELL YES. Get the hell out of there (but don't just quit without finding another job first, I mean just start interviewing as soon as you can). "The processes won't allow it" is corp-speak for 'don't expect anything ever from this company'. I've worked at levels above me (did the job of my boss after he quit) and never got a promotion for it, despite being told I should get one if I just hang on, for three years. The way to get to your level is to leave that company and join a new one at the level where you're supposed to be.

The hurdles to getting a new job suck, but you have to do it for your own sanity. Start doing whatever you need to prepare for it now, and make it a priority, even over your job if need be.

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#44

Post by onlyrealcuzzo »

brianwawok wrote: post #18

Title doesn’t matter. Pay does. Also titles are not the same across companies. SR dev at one place is a level 5 dev at another is a lead dev at a third. If you are at the pay you want with a lower title, that is pure gold. It means an easy promotion, which is a pay bump. Fighting for a higher title as an IC when happy with the pay seems like you are fighting against yourself. You want to be hired at the highest possi…

> Title doesn’t matter. Pay does.

For your current role. If you want to switch, it definitely does.

You're not job hopping to FB from Google at L3 and going up to L6.

You might be getting paid like a L5 now - but if you want to leave or get laid off or forced out or whatever - you'll probably end up with a huge career decline and pay decline than if you also had the proper title.

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#45

Post by elteto »

altgeek wrote: post #12

Never quit a job without something lined up. One of the first things your interviewer will ask is "What happened at the last job?"

I agree with your first sentence, in the current market.

But an interviewer asking me about my previous job doesn’t worry me. “I left because I decided to take a 6 month sabbatical.” is a perfectly good answer. Don’t like it? Please let me know at the beginning of the interview so I can walk out without wasting my day.

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#46

Post by lr4444lr »

Before quitting, can you find ways of operating in your current role that bespeak senior level ability? Like introducing a new framework, or doing a bigger than expected refactor that helps other departments as part of your regular work? Can you propose something to a project manager that opens up new horizons? Start over-achieving well beyond the expectations, and see if that finally gets you the recognition you want. You don't need a formal title to get the respect and permission to act that a senior dev has. Look up primus inter pares - it's a great position to occupy in an org.

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#48

Post by elteto »

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #38

In your employment contract - it should have your job title / level. I'd find another job and - if you were lied to, I'd talk to a lawyer.

And do what? Possibly tarnish your name forever and waste a metric ton of money? No man. You just leave.

Plus, a lawyer would be a luxury these days with all the mediation agreements being forced down our throats.

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#49

Post by DoingIsLearning »

canucklady wrote: post #14
spadros wrote: post #6

Don’t just quit your job without another lined up. Milk the current company for everything you can while finding a new job. They’ll find a way to offer you the position and pay you deserved from the beginning when you put in your 2 weeks. Don’t accept their crap, find a better job, and move on. I do think you’d regret quitting without anything lined up. I’d just twiddle my fingers and do as little as possible at curr…

If the current job is causing a lot of stress/burnout, carrying that into a new role is setting yourself up for failure. Having a few months gap isn't a problem IME and it helps with recovery.

I disagree, unless you are mentally breaking down you should hold.

You will be exponentially more attractive to recruiters while employed. Recruiters/HR will treat you as high value and will value your time a lot more if you are just changing jobs.

The opposite is true for someone looking for opportunities whilst unemployed, irrespective of industry experience.

The difference in recruited experience is massive having experienced both scenarios. It is just an unavoidable human bias from future employers.

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#50

Post by cableshaft »

canucklady wrote: post #14
spadros wrote: post #6

Don’t just quit your job without another lined up. Milk the current company for everything you can while finding a new job. They’ll find a way to offer you the position and pay you deserved from the beginning when you put in your 2 weeks. Don’t accept their crap, find a better job, and move on. I do think you’d regret quitting without anything lined up. I’d just twiddle my fingers and do as little as possible at curr…

If the current job is causing a lot of stress/burnout, carrying that into a new role is setting yourself up for failure. Having a few months gap isn't a problem IME and it helps with recovery.

Pad your start date for your next job by two weeks to a month. It might not be enough to fully recover, but it should hopefully still help quite a bit.
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