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Poll: Why are people leaving their jobs?

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Re: Poll: Why are people leaving their jobs?

#42
post #27

My old boss Eric Carlsen used to say, nobody left because of money. They may get more money if they change jobs. But they start looking because they're unhappy. So when somebody asked for more money, he'd start by asking what was bothering them.

That might have been true in the old days when competitors paid 10, 20, 30% more. Now some tech companies are paying like 2x, 3x, 4x regular dev wages and its a reason to dedicate your life to this.

Its still true as a generality. I would say the majority leave because they are unhappy.

Its very rare to get 2x to 4x TC unless you switch to faang, which is not the majority at all.

Re: Poll: Why are people leaving their jobs?

#43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

~Nobody left because of money so long as the money’s reasonably close. This environment has made it so the money is often not close.

This. It's a different game right now. As an employer it's very hard to take everyone's salary up 20% because that's what they might get elsewhere. So you don't. So people leave. But this won't last forever.

> But this won't last forever.

I feel like this quote is relevant, if slightly off topic:

"The market can stay irrational longer than you can remain solvent."

i.e. You may run out of good candidates long before your competitors stop offering 20% more than you.

Re: Poll: Why are people leaving their jobs?

#44
I didn't hate my old job or find the pay inadequate, but I had always thought about seeking out something else since I was losing interest and wanted to learn something new. Working from home just made it far easier for me to take the initial steps to start looking. I also had more time to look for openings and my schedule was much more flexible for interviews thanks to WFH.

Re: Poll: Why are people leaving their jobs?

#45

My old boss Eric Carlsen used to say, nobody left because of money. They may get more money if they change jobs. But they start looking because they're unhappy. So when somebody asked for more money, he'd start by asking what was bothering them.

I've left jobs I was happy at for more 20% more money. And ended up just as happy.

Re: Poll: Why are people leaving their jobs?

#46

My old boss Eric Carlsen used to say, nobody left because of money. They may get more money if they change jobs. But they start looking because they're unhappy. So when somebody asked for more money, he'd start by asking what was bothering them.

I'm quite happy with the work environment of my current job. But I bet I can earn more money, so I'm interviewing. I'm specifically only applying to companies I'd really like to work for, though - I'm not trying to keep myself afloat.

After all, why not? It's not like you have to take a day or two off to potentially fly out for the on-site these days. It's been years since I played the interview game, so I need to keep my skills sharp. And if I get a better offer at a company I'd like to work for, why not take it? If the offer's not better, I can politely decline.

Re: Poll: Why are people leaving their jobs?

#48

My old boss Eric Carlsen used to say, nobody left because of money. They may get more money if they change jobs. But they start looking because they're unhappy. So when somebody asked for more money, he'd start by asking what was bothering them.

Is that true anymore? Everyone I know is always on the job market, even folks who haven't jumped employers in 10+ years are regularly in idle conversation with the job market.

But, the honest answer to your boss's question: what bothers me is trading my time for money. My comp doubled. I can now afford to stop working in 3-5 years instead of 10+ years. I think this attitude has become much more common in the last 5-10 years.

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