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Ask HN: Have you made a career move “down” on purpose, and how has it been?

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Re: Ask HN: Have you made a career move “down” on purpose, and how has it been?

#31

Post by Graffur »

> recruitment, management, strategy, etc

This is all objectively easier and less skillful than your co-workers work. For example, if you recruit wrong.. the company will just fire all those people (as demonstrated by X number of companies in recent months). There will likely be no short term or long term repercussion for you unless you're one of the people fired.

For strategy, if you strategize wrong it is probably contained within a product or section of the company. I doubt you could tank the whole big tech company you work for. You'll just move on to a different project.

Sounds like you're making big money to show up to meetings.

Re: Ask HN: Have you made a career move “down” on purpose, and how has it been?

#32

Post by aranaur »

Left a career-track government job in my mid-20s and took a decent pay-cut to take a senior role at a nonprofit I was fascinated with. Did that for about three years before my wife and I decided we could use some more cash and now I'm back in a manual labor role (that's a technical writer joke) for a gov. contractor. Glad I did the nonprofit management thing while I could, but happy to knuckle down and write for a while.

Re: Ask HN: Have you made a career move “down” on purpose, and how has it been?

#33

Post by galdosdi »

I took a lower salary and title for the chance to work at a small company with a great culture I admired that couldn't afford more, having been exhausted of working for big corporations where there was a lot of bureaucracy.

They almost immediately got acquired and it turned into the same old big company bureaucracy over again. My tradeoff was in vain.

If I had to do it again, I still don't know if I'd do it differently though. You really never know how things are going to turn out. Every choice is a risk either way.

Re: Ask HN: Have you made a career move “down” on purpose, and how has it been?

#34

Post by [deleted] »

nytesky wrote: post #17

As someone who never prioritized money but instead gravitated to mission and a career supporting my family life, my biggest recommendation is to keep earning the high salary as long as you can. Money represents options and time in a storable, transportable form — I didn’t realize that when I was younger and just figured I could live within my means. I make more than 5x my parents did in my rural town, but in an urban…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Have you made a career move “down” on purpose, and how has it been?

#35

Post by [deleted] »

kubanczyk wrote: post #5

> I also have a strong instinct against doing this, because it feels like self sabotage With this framing, it can turn your life into a disaster. Up to that point, I was nodding to every sentence you wrote. But not to this, no. When I demoted myself in my time, which ended very well, I had a different framing (or, a different gut feeling). My instinct was that I'm selling my well-being for much much too low a price a…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Have you made a career move “down” on purpose, and how has it been?

#36

Post by barbariangrunge »

I haven’t moved down, but boy do I miss working in retail. No stress. My evenings are my own. If my boss sucks, I can quit and go across the street for a new job. Part time is an option. Lots of fun people. Work with my hands. Some minor exercise. Not sitting all day getting rsi inevitably one day

Doesn’t pay enough to retire though. Can’t even afford the dentist on that income

Re: Ask HN: Have you made a career move “down” on purpose, and how has it been?

#37

Post by lljk_kennedy »

specialist wrote: post #23

I agree with all the cautionary advice already offered. Here's my Yes, And... > ...a move back and down from senior strategy and product work back to engineering IC work The single best political advice I've ever gotten: "Make them ask you three times." (aka Play hard to get, Make them think it's their idea.) Assuming you intend to stay with the same employer... If there's an IC role that you desire, do all the thing…

I'm curious - what's the benefit in this example over accepting it on the first interaction, if that's what you desire?

Re: Ask HN: Have you made a career move “down” on purpose, and how has it been?

#38

Post by specialist »

lljk_kennedy wrote: post #37
specialist wrote: post #23

I agree with all the cautionary advice already offered. Here's my Yes, And... > ...a move back and down from senior strategy and product work back to engineering IC work The single best political advice I've ever gotten: "Make them ask you three times." (aka Play hard to get, Make them think it's their idea.) Assuming you intend to stay with the same employer... If there's an IC role that you desire, do all the thing…

I'm curious - what's the benefit in this example over accepting it on the first interaction, if that's what you desire?

Sure. So long as everyone understands you're doing the Boss a solid.

Re: Ask HN: Have you made a career move “down” on purpose, and how has it been?

#39

Post by bitxbitxbitcoin »

Quit my job in March of 2021 and went to do a three month stint as a Trail/Restoration crew member.

Best work experience of my life and I don’t care that it wasn’t the next rung on my corporate ladder.

Not having my own family allowed me to make that decision though.

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