The big problems for most the world's organizations are not software bugs in corner cases. The business of most the world's organizations is not producing software, even if they have in house development staff.. Good software solves a client's actual problems. That is entirely orthogonal to best engineering practices. There is lots of great advice on quitting here. For completeness I'm suggesting what staying another…
How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?
31–37 of 37 posts
Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?
#32I'm iterating what's been said here already, but want to make sure you realize it really is the best way: Just find another position, give decent notice, and move on. If anyone asks, it's always about how much better the new opportunity is, not about how crappy the current job was.
This is the way to go and well worded. One comment, politics will be at every company you work at, especially the larger ones. Even those who swear they don't have any, so you have to accept there will always be some but find the ones you can live with and learn to navigate what remains. Good companies do their best to control and eliminate bad politics but some will always exist. I am one who doesn't do well with po…
Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?
#33I'm iterating what's been said here already, but want to make sure you realize it really is the best way: Just find another position, give decent notice, and move on. If anyone asks, it's always about how much better the new opportunity is, not about how crappy the current job was.
Definitely agreed. Dont be an arse, be polite, move on and upwords. You never know when you might need to cross a bridge you just burned down!
Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?
#34The big problems for most the world's organizations are not software bugs in corner cases. The business of most the world's organizations is not producing software, even if they have in house development staff.. Good software solves a client's actual problems. That is entirely orthogonal to best engineering practices. There is lots of great advice on quitting here. For completeness I'm suggesting what staying another…
What if the bug was severe security bugs, several of them which definitely helped make the software better ? I've been a firm believer that there are "million dollar bugs" that could destroy the product completely, shouldn't those be considered big problems for world's organizations ? I think I might have already learned these things you pointed out in the 1 year I spent, does adding one more year really help much ?
It takes 40 hours @ $100/hour * 2.0 overhead to fix it = $8000: And the expected net value of 40 hours of developer work is $4000. This makes fixing the bug versus insuring against it a wash.
Assessing risk and evaluating alternatives is the basis for rational business decision making. Throw in a 1% chance that the bug fix produces a $100 regression bug, and the business case is for insurance.
Again there's nothing wrong with quitting a job you hate. But it is probably a mistake to assume that the entire operation is staffed by incompetents. People have different perspectives based on their job responsibility.
Good luck.
Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
What if the bug was severe security bugs, several of them which definitely helped make the software better ? I've been a firm believer that there are "million dollar bugs" that could destroy the product completely, shouldn't those be considered big problems for world's organizations ? I think I might have already learned these things you pointed out in the 1 year I spent, does adding one more year really help much ?
Let's say there's a 1% chance of a $1,000,000 bug. Insuring against it costs $12,000/year (expected payout * 1.2). It takes 40 hours @ $100/hour * 2.0 overhead to fix it = $8000: And the expected net value of 40 hours of developer work is $4000. This makes fixing the bug versus insuring against it a wash. Assessing risk and evaluating alternatives is the basis for rational business decision making. Throw in a 1% chan…
Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?
#36Dale 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.
1. sell your time: Work as an employee for a couple of years and get some real life experience. Yes, even in company politics. One could actually skip this stage, but hey, you are already doing it, so why not make the best of it? Build your network, get some trainings paid by your company, learn from your managers.
2. sell yourself: do freelancing
3. sell your product: start a company
4. help others building companies and selling their products: compete with Y Combinator
Good luck!
Re: How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?
#37My advice: Don't "rage quit". Make a plan and quit on good terms. You don't have to stick around much longer if you can't stand it, but at least be sure to give two weeks' notice and try your best to leave on good terms. You never know when you might run into some of these co-workers again and you want them to think highly of you.
Here's the summary section from that chapter—maybe there are some things here that could help you make sure you don't burn any bridges :)
Leave on the best possible terms, even if you feel slighted — It’s always difficult to put on a happy face when things aren’t going well, but this is a time when you can really boost your reputation.
Ask your manager and co-workers what you can help with before you go — Do this and you will make a lasting impression on your co-workers.
Document the projects you’re working on so your successor is prepared — Your successor will have a much easier time absorbing your work, and they’ll thank you for it.
Bundle up relevant documentation, emails, etc., and make sure they’re saved somewhere that others can get to them — Most companies are moving to cloud-based storage, so it may all be out there anyway. Even so, put together a master document that points to everything they’ll need.
Make sure to return all your equipment in good shape, and do it quickly — Most of the time, you are just borrowing company property. You should return it in good shape, just like you would want your own property returned if you lent it out.
Reach out to your closest co-workers to make sure they’re part of your network before you go — Your network is one your most valuable assets for finding future career opportunities.
Reach out to your colleagues to say goodbye and share your contact information — If you’ve done all these things, you’ve left a great impression. Make sure your old co-workers know how to find you if they need someone like you in the future. And be sure to reach out to your closest co-workers to personally say goodbye whenever possible.
Be vague and use positive language in your exit interview — It feels strange to advocate for being vague, but the exit interview is one of the times when it’s necessary. You won’t benefit by baring your soul on your way out, and the company isn’t going to change because of your feedback. Keep it short, sweet, and surface-level.
That's a one-page summary of the chapter, but the chapter itself goes into quite a bit more detail.
You can get the full chapter for free here: http://JoshDoody.com/leave?ref=hn5