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How to Quit a Top Tier Tech Job

oliverzheng.com

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Re: How to Quit a Top Tier Tech Job

#171

Post by AskewEgret »

dannygarcia wrote: post #31
lhorie wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Improving old code bases From my experience, I think there's a great need in large tech organizations for people that are able to advocate for and drive initiatives that can scale up efforts to improve old codebases.

I agree, but that won't happen until large tech organizations incentivize and reward maintenance work. See this related HN discussion about someone who left Google partly because they were not promoted for their documenting and bug-fixing efforts. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16483241

I've found working with and improving legacy code to be some of the most compelling work I've done and I'm not alone in feeling this way.

But it's nearly impossible to find that kind of job because employers tend to go out of their way to hide the fact that they even have existing software, let alone that they want someone to work on it.

Re: How to Quit a Top Tier Tech Job

#172

Post by [deleted] »

deckard1 wrote: post #160
phyzome wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unemployable after 2 years? In what world? People take sabbaticals all the time. They raise kids. They start businesses. They take care of sick family members. They work on personal projects. There are a shitload of reasons people take time off. And then they pick up at a new job.

..

[deleted]

Re: How to Quit a Top Tier Tech Job

#173

Post by paulie_a »

ben509 wrote: post #43

> If your company's reputation can widen the eyes of everybody you meet when they learn where you work, your company has given you a very powerful perk. But you worked at FB, so everyone knows you're just a PHP monkey. j/k

To be fair, in my eyes working at Facebook is now a red flag.

Re: How to Quit a Top Tier Tech Job

#174

Post by hinkley »

deckard1 wrote: post #102

......................

The dynamic I've seen in myself doesn't sound too far off from your prediction.

When you start at a place some parts of it are great and some are not so great. A few are bad. You chip away at the things you can but at some point you've fixed everything you can. If you're content at that point than great. But if your itch for growth isn't being satisfied in some other way then you start to become uncomfortable.

Re: How to Quit a Top Tier Tech Job

#176

Post by paulie_a »

tradedash wrote: post #15

Quitting a top tier tech job isn't the difficult part. The difficult part is figuring out what to do next. I quit my job as a Head of R&D for a major tech/publishing company and started https://tradedash.io (crypto desktop trading platform) with an old friend of mine who also quit his job as one of the first employees in a major fintech unicorn. For both of us, it was hands down the best decision we've ever made care…

Because the author is delusional and thinks people actually give a shit about their "top tier" company...which most likely just sold ads on the internet.

Re: How to Quit a Top Tier Tech Job

#177

Post by rjbwork »

cbanek wrote: post #58
kettlecorn wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A massive issue with Microsoft's college recruiting pipeline (this may not apply to you) is that college hires are placed pretty much arbitrarily without input from the hire themselves. People interested in backend work get placed on frontend, people interested in frontend work get placed on backend. As a result, retention for Microsoft college hires is rather poor. Contrast this with Google where once you're selecte…

That's a really interesting comparison. I've worked at Microsoft and got an offer from Google and found the opposite to be true. I was first offered by the team I interned with, whom I liked, and accepted, so I knew where I was going. On the Google case, even being an industry hire, it was like pulling teeth to figure out where the offer actually was, and who I would be working for, and being able to actually speak w…

This is what I was told when I interviewed with Microsoft... Day of they said "you're interviewing with the SQL Server team" and I was like wtf...

Re: How to Quit a Top Tier Tech Job

#178

Post by nyrulez »

yfiapo wrote: post #33

Yeesh, the mindwash is strong. I had a hard time continuing to read this post after the Prestige by Association section. Working at a respected company known for cutting edge work is generally a good sign but it does not make you an Internet God or widen my eyes. It is like saying you went to Harvard or MIT. That's neat. You are probably reasonably intelligent. However, even that isn't an automatic and I'll reserve j…

My experience isn't the same as yours. It probably depends on your circle. For my non tech circle, I always come across as some kind of hero, which is amusing. When entering the country, even the immigration officers like to make small chat about my high tech job. But I don't mind it.

Re: How to Quit a Top Tier Tech Job

#179

Post by TheJoYo »

mikeklaas wrote: post #59
edw519 wrote: post #21

This may be the only 2 word "How To" I've ever written: Just quit. 1. It's a job, not your life. 2. It's a company, not a person. 3. "Top Tier" means neither. 4. If you were hit by a bus, they'd cry for 7 minutes and never think about you again. 5. "My work is my reference." is my standard response to that request. It works. To those who matter. 6. Moving on can skyrocket your growth when done properly. Listen to you…

> 7. "I stagnate easily." is my standard response to "Why so many jobs?" Why would someone hire you for a non-short-term project in that case?

A better response is, "It's the quickest way to get a pay raise."

I've only quit a handful of jobs but every time it has been for a sizable salary increase. Stagnation comes off as frustration with the work when it should highlight the stagnation of salaries and the zero fucks the labor market has about a promotion cycle.

Re: How to Quit a Top Tier Tech Job

#180

Post by fwdpropaganda »

pathseeker wrote: post #100
fwdpropaganda wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Working at a respected company known for cutting edge work is generally a good sign but it does not make you an Internet God or widen my eyes. I suggest you take a walk in the real world.

What real world are you referring to? Non-techies are not blown away by people who work at Google/Facebook/Apple. In my experience they are just always interested in the perks, etc.

EVERY tech article about the hot new startup introduces the founders in the following way. If they previously worked at Google, Facebook, they mentioned it. They don't say "founders previously worked at Google therefore THEY'RE AMAZING". But they mention it. If they previously worked at an irrelevant company, they don't mention the company. What's implicit is that if you worked at Google that's remarkable and worth mentioning.

That is prestige by association. If you can't see it.... well, I just hope it's not because you're in denial.

EDIT: Also, VCs. It's a lot easier to get a VCs attention, or a recruiter's attention, if you say you previously worked at Google. If any of this is news to you, I don't know what else to tell you...

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