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How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not

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Re: How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not

#111

Post by [deleted] »

farts_mckensy wrote: post #53
Vespasian wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming that is true, does a more negative way of viewing things actually benefit you (even if it would be slightly more "accurate")? If one has a choice (that means if there is no case of clinical depression): At least anecdotally a bit of optimism improves my life quality a lot and results in a higher productivity, proactive solution finding and a more pleasant work environment. Constantly looking at the negative…

It's not difficult to imagine a number of scenarios where that perspective could bite you in the ass. If you have a false impression of a person's character because you've jedi mindtricked yourself into not thinking the worst of people, you might end up trusting an untrustworthy person. If you are in a toxic work environment, and you convince yourself it's not so bad, you might end up staying in a situation that is a…

[deleted]

Re: How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not

#112

Post by whstl »

farts_mckensy wrote: post #42
sour-taste wrote: post #38

This isn't at all a rebuttal of the post, more a different perspective. I started a new job while basically deeply depressed. It colored all my opinions of the company and my coworkers. As I'm coming out of that through a combination of medication and intensive CBT I'm realizing that a lot of the negativity I felt towards my job was the result of the depression. As things improve I'm realizing that the job is mostly…

On the other hand, some studies show that mildly depressed people have a more accurate model of the world. So what if you were right about your job initially, and the CBT is basically just gaslighting you into spinning things in a positive way?

I’d argue that you can still have an accurate model of the world without the depression part.

I can’t back it up but recovering from depression by simply putting “rose colored glasses” is a recipe for bouncing back later. Happened to me.

In HN’s case: admitting that companies are quite toxic and more often than not working against you, that most people around you is probably an incompetent if put under a microscope and that the things you’re working on aren’t exactly changing the world for the better.

The trick perhaps is not letting those things make you cynical, and not acting on them. And forgetting yourself because you’re also a bit incompetent too, so you can let you and everyone else off the hook.

Re: How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not

#113

Post by mastazi »

hyperadvanced wrote: post #72
mastazi wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2-3 yr gigs in 2025 is completely OK, we're not in the 80's and people are not expected to work many years for an employer, especially in the modern workplace where the "normal" way to get a promotion is job hopping. FWIW I have several shorter gigs in my resume. A combination of me being still young and not evaluating things correctly, and employers not being honest about working conditions. I even once stayed at on…

Same company same title for 5 years is slacker zone. Same company getting promoted is a good sign. 10 jobs in 10 years is a never ever.

You're right I should have clarified that - in my previous example, by "same job" I meant same company AND same title. If you have promotions over time, then of course it's fine to stay with the same company for many years. In my experience this is becoming rare nowadays but might be more common depending on industry & location

Re: How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not

#114

Post by zimpenfish »

Got hired for a contract to "integrate this crypto[0] protocol sdk" but it turned out that they actually meant "implement this crypto protocol from scratch in an async manner" and by day four I was out[1].

Shortest perm job was about 5 months. Tiny office, 4 other people on the phone all day, impossible project (writing software for unreliable hardware), not a difficult choice.

[0] actual crypto, not currency.

[1] not just because of the bait-and-switch but because crypto is miles out of my wheelhouse.

Re: How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not

#115

Post by whstl »

brian-armstrong wrote: post #44
BobbyTables2 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Worse than Python (without Typing)?

100% yes. Python mostly encourages simple, stupid code. Code that you can still read while 2 beers in. Rails, on the other hand, encourages being as clever as possible at all times. Forget about local side effects when any part of the codebase can just reach in and patch another part of the codebase.

That's also my perspective.

Debugging can be extremely hard when there are multiple complex frameworks/libraries doing magic stuff, plus extensions by the current team.

In practice this is all very convenient when you're writing the code, but not so much when you have a production issue.

Re: How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not

#116

Post by benji-york »

Vespasian wrote: post #50
farts_mckensy wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand, some studies show that mildly depressed people have a more accurate model of the world. So what if you were right about your job initially, and the CBT is basically just gaslighting you into spinning things in a positive way?

Assuming that is true, does a more negative way of viewing things actually benefit you (even if it would be slightly more "accurate")? If one has a choice (that means if there is no case of clinical depression): At least anecdotally a bit of optimism improves my life quality a lot and results in a higher productivity, proactive solution finding and a more pleasant work environment. Constantly looking at the negative…

Personally, I employ/enjoy a highly skeptical form of optimism.

I think things could be great, but there are many obstacles along the way to be aware of.

Re: How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not

#117

Post by will5421 »

varsketiz wrote: post #99

I like companies that do tryouts. In the last 15 years I worked for 3 employers. Two of them did tryouts - a day or two literally working in their environment. One did not. The two that did it both were great, the one that did not turned out to not be for me. I'm with the last employer for the last 9 years, and not looking to quit :))

You haven’t happened to find a list of companies that do tryouts, have you?

Re: How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not

#118

Post by nindalf »

Vespasian wrote: post #50
farts_mckensy wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand, some studies show that mildly depressed people have a more accurate model of the world. So what if you were right about your job initially, and the CBT is basically just gaslighting you into spinning things in a positive way?

Assuming that is true, does a more negative way of viewing things actually benefit you (even if it would be slightly more "accurate")? If one has a choice (that means if there is no case of clinical depression): At least anecdotally a bit of optimism improves my life quality a lot and results in a higher productivity, proactive solution finding and a more pleasant work environment. Constantly looking at the negative…

That's the kind of optimistic attitude I'd expect from Emperor Vespasian, builder of the Colosseum. You're role-playing your persona really well!

Re: How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not

#119

Post by profsummergig »

sour-taste wrote: post #38

This isn't at all a rebuttal of the post, more a different perspective. I started a new job while basically deeply depressed. It colored all my opinions of the company and my coworkers. As I'm coming out of that through a combination of medication and intensive CBT I'm realizing that a lot of the negativity I felt towards my job was the result of the depression. As things improve I'm realizing that the job is mostly…

Steve Jobs said it most profoundly: "love what you do".

This is the opposite of "do what you love".

I wish I understood where he learned this.

It's very profound (and true).

Re: How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not

#120

Post by Nate75Sanders »

profsummergig wrote: post #119
sour-taste wrote: post #38

This isn't at all a rebuttal of the post, more a different perspective. I started a new job while basically deeply depressed. It colored all my opinions of the company and my coworkers. As I'm coming out of that through a combination of medication and intensive CBT I'm realizing that a lot of the negativity I felt towards my job was the result of the depression. As things improve I'm realizing that the job is mostly…

Steve Jobs said it most profoundly: "love what you do". This is the opposite of "do what you love". I wish I understood where he learned this. It's very profound (and true).

Possibly from the 1970 Stephen Stills song "Love the One You're With"
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