How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges? • Hacker News Board

Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?

#21

Post by sombremesa » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 5:17 PM UTC

brudgers wrote: post #16

joezydeco wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll sound like a broken record for saying this, but unless you are under contract you can leave at any time. Two weeks is a courtesy YOU extend and nothing more. If you were to be laid off or fired you wouldn't get two weeks notice, would you? You'd be out within the hour. If this place is as dysfunctional as it seems, staying two weeks after giving notice will be a nightmare. So clean your house now as you search f…

If the bugs don't change the bottom line, then the company is not dysfunctional. There's simply a mismatch between the expectations of an employee and the employer. That is normal for someone working below a Senior Developer, a manager, and some unknown portfolio of VP's, Executive VP's, and C-level staff. A person that far down the food chain doesn't have a medium size picture, let alone the large one...i.e. the per…

Sometimes you can tell when a company is heading down the wrong road, but a person that far down the food chain has no power to change things, so the world gets a free case study.

Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?

#22

Post by tehwebguy » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 6:24 PM UTC

You can't make the impact you want working there, you won't make that impact by quitting. Do what's best for you, that's all.

Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?

#23

Post by brudgers » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 6:55 PM UTC

sombremesa wrote: post #21

brudgers wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the bugs don't change the bottom line, then the company is not dysfunctional. There's simply a mismatch between the expectations of an employee and the employer. That is normal for someone working below a Senior Developer, a manager, and some unknown portfolio of VP's, Executive VP's, and C-level staff. A person that far down the food chain doesn't have a medium size picture, let alone the large one...i.e. the per…

Sometimes you can tell when a company is heading down the wrong road, but a person that far down the food chain has no power to change things, so the world gets a free case study.

Only rarely are leaves of a tall org-tree positioned to expertly judge the sausage industry in general, its current trends, and the market advantages of its varied competitors.

Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?

#24

Post by sombremesa » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 7:28 PM UTC

brudgers wrote: post #23

sombremesa wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sometimes you can tell when a company is heading down the wrong road, but a person that far down the food chain has no power to change things, so the world gets a free case study.

Only rarely are leaves of a tall org-tree positioned to expertly judge the sausage industry in general, its current trends, and the market advantages of its varied competitors.

As long as you don't turn that "rarely" into a "never", I agree.

Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?

#25

Post by pmdulaney » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 7:35 PM UTC

Fyi, the expression you want is "without burning bridges," not "without burning THE bridges."

Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?

#26

Post by AnimalMuppet » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 7:43 PM UTC

joezydeco wrote: post #10

chrisbennet wrote: post #2

People leave developer jobs all the time; it's expected. You haven't been able to change the process working "from the inside" so resist the urge to give them any "helpful" advice on your way out - it won't be appreciated. Find your next job. This is important: When your new employer asks you when you can start, tell them depending "on how fast your can wrap things up" 1 to 2 weeks. If you current employer walks you…

I'll sound like a broken record for saying this, but unless you are under contract you can leave at any time. Two weeks is a courtesy YOU extend and nothing more. If you were to be laid off or fired you wouldn't get two weeks notice, would you? You'd be out within the hour. If this place is as dysfunctional as it seems, staying two weeks after giving notice will be a nightmare. So clean your house now as you search f…

True, but still give two weeks notice. Yes, it's a courtesy you extent, not a legal requirement. Do it anyway. Be courteous.

Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?

#27

Post by chrisbennet » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 7:52 PM UTC

joezydeco wrote: post #10

chrisbennet wrote: post #2

People leave developer jobs all the time; it's expected. You haven't been able to change the process working "from the inside" so resist the urge to give them any "helpful" advice on your way out - it won't be appreciated. Find your next job. This is important: When your new employer asks you when you can start, tell them depending "on how fast your can wrap things up" 1 to 2 weeks. If you current employer walks you…

I'll sound like a broken record for saying this, but unless you are under contract you can leave at any time. Two weeks is a courtesy YOU extend and nothing more. If you were to be laid off or fired you wouldn't get two weeks notice, would you? You'd be out within the hour. If this place is as dysfunctional as it seems, staying two weeks after giving notice will be a nightmare. So clean your house now as you search f…

"I'll sound like a broken record for saying this, but unless you are under contract you can leave at any time. Two weeks is a courtesy YOU extend and nothing more. If you were to be laid off or fired you wouldn't get two weeks notice, would you? You'd be out within the hour"

This is very true. That said, as a professional you need to act like one - even when your employers doesn't appreciate it. For example, the quality of a professionals [think doctor, fireman, teacher] work product isn't dictated by how much they are paid.

Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?

#28

Post by EpicEng » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 9:01 PM UTC

JSeymourATL wrote: post #6

> I just can't take the politics of it anymore. Political Savvy is a core executive leadership skill--if you decide to quit, you'll no doubt run into any number of organizations full of strong egos, constituencies, rivalries, and assorted issues. Beyond your role as a developer-- can you navigate within the company to motivate others and get things done? Can you deal with your managers persuasively? Office politics d…

This is exactly what I was going to say. You may not like politics, but it's always going to exist to some degree, and you can't just ignore it while expecting true career growth. If you ever want to become more than someone who simply implements the requirements passed down to them from on high, you need to be effective in working across the organization.

Personally, I wanted to stay technical, but I also wanted to play a meaningful rule in creating and steering the company vision from the product side of things. To do that you need more than technical chops.

That said, if you just want to be a head down coder, that's fine too. Also, none of this means that you shouldn't find a new organization to work for of this one is toxic. Just know that it may not be as bad as you currently think it is, so perhaps this is a growth opportunity.

Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?

#29

Post by RogerL » Fri, Mar 13, 2015, 12:10 AM UTC

joezydeco wrote: post #10

chrisbennet wrote: post #2

People leave developer jobs all the time; it's expected. You haven't been able to change the process working "from the inside" so resist the urge to give them any "helpful" advice on your way out - it won't be appreciated. Find your next job. This is important: When your new employer asks you when you can start, tell them depending "on how fast your can wrap things up" 1 to 2 weeks. If you current employer walks you…

I'll sound like a broken record for saying this, but unless you are under contract you can leave at any time. Two weeks is a courtesy YOU extend and nothing more. If you were to be laid off or fired you wouldn't get two weeks notice, would you? You'd be out within the hour. If this place is as dysfunctional as it seems, staying two weeks after giving notice will be a nightmare. So clean your house now as you search f…

The premise is "don't burn bridges". Doing this will definitely burn every bridge.

Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?

#30

Post by prettyrandom100 » Fri, Mar 13, 2015, 12:14 AM UTC

NumberCruncher wrote: post #18

Dale Carnegie wrote: ... even in such technical lines as engineering, about 15 percent of one's [...] success is due to one's technical knowledge and about 85 percent is due to skill in human engineering-to personality and the ability to lead people. Even if you find a great job where you can focus on the "15%" there will always be other departments / managers / competitors, who doesn't play by your rules. You better…

Or I could start my own company and see how that goes ? I really don't buy into 85% people succeed due to sycophancy and even if they do I don't think I want to be one.