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"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar." --Drew Carey That said, ther
by recursivedoubts 6y ago
"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar." --Drew Carey
That said, there are some good (if conflicting) points in there. Large tech companies are worse than startups, usually. Startups become large companies over time, if they don't fail.
A good read on the real corporate dynamic:
https://www.ribbonfarm.com/the-gervais-principle/ https://www.ribbonfarm.com/the-gervais-principle/
- wpietri 6y agoJust for the record, I don't hate my job. I suspect many others don't. There's a saying that I recommend: either change your organization or change your organization. I'm sad for this guy that he let the fat checks keep him in misery until he burnt out on the work. I get how it happens, but I don't think it's a good trade. I hope he finds his way back to health.
- giantg2 6y agoI would love to burn out with fat checks. It beats burning out on average (non SV) checks. At least one can retire earlier.
- tartoran 6y agoYeah but the fat checks act like golden handcuffs, one is reluctant to lose them and will take more shit over time just because of the fat checks. Smart folks realize this and instead of enjoying the lifestyle fat checks bring they live frugally instead and get ready for an modest exit. It is possible, yes
- giantg2 6y agoNot really handcuffs. You make a ton of money and move to a lower cost area to work on whatever you want. Financial independence removes way more restrictions than actually requiring a paycheck to live. Even if you stay at the company, just knowing that you have the money to say screw it and do what you want is empowering - Oh, you're going to fire me if I don't do xyz, go ahead because I don't need the job.
- tartoran 6y ago>Not really handcuffs. Ok, temporary handcuffs. The author of the original post on reddit mentions feeling as if escaping prison so there's something to handcuffs after all >Oh, you're going to fire me if I don't do xyz, go ahead because I don't need the job. That is only true when you have accumulate something and are ready to do your thing. Till then one is willing to put up with plenty of BS. But it's true, fat checks offer this alternative of exit. However, they are also keeping one from getting a more sane alternative because they pay isn't as good. There are still decent companies and jobs out there that you can run into if you're willing not to cash in fat checks.
- giantg2 6y agoI would love to know where these good jobs/companies are. I work for a company that is consistently highly rated as a best place to work in IT by Computer World. I hate it. They don't even follow their own policies.
- ChuckNorris89 6y agoIs that in Germany?
- giantg2 6y agoUSA
- cylon13 6y agoI'm pretty sure ageism in tech boils down to this point. People who have been in the industry longer have better nest eggs and can simply leave at any point, so they won't crunch for you.
- tartoran 6y agoAbsolutely
- 6y ago
- bradlys 6y agoYou usually only get the fat checks in SV though, where homes are frequently 6-10x national average. So unless you plan to move away (why would you when you spent your entire career there and all your friends are there), you won’t retire any earlier.
- giantg2 6y agoThere are some high paying jobs in the greater DC and NYC areas. I assume there are others places too, like Austin or Seattle. Even 3x would be a big difference for many ($200k-250k).
- wpietri 6y agoHaving burnt out long ago on doing sysadmin work, I don't recommend it. It was bad for me at the time, and in some ways I'm still paying the price. What's the point in having a miserable life and then a miserable retirement because you've broken yourself and your relationships?
- citizenkeen 6y agoI believe that quotation is originally attributable to George Carlin.
- caeril 6y ago> Startups become large companies over time, if they don't fail. Picking nits, here, but this isn't true. My personal (multiple) anecdata is that a very good number of startups neither fail nor become large - rather, they become stable small businesses.
- koonsolo 6y agoWas going to say the same here. A lot of business owners don't want to grow to a 100+ or even 20+ company.
- brundolf 6y agoSeconding this. I've only ever worked at "stable small businesses" and I recommend them as (broadly) the least-toxic category. Few enough people that you get treated like a human, you can have human discussions and bring up human issues, you can build human relationships. But you also don't have the immense pressure of VC breathing down your neck, of growth-at-all-costs, etc.
- cvhashim 6y agoI’ve also heard these types of small (10-50 people, maybe more) companies referred to as lifestyle businesses.
- burntoutfire 6y agoIt's really shitty that the companies that might be actually decent places to work at are diminished as "lifestyle business" by the people who work at the places that are terrible. It really sounds like Stockholm syndrome.
- recursivedoubts 6y agoThat's true. In fact, that's my situation currently, although I've seen the startup -> big company transformation twice as well. A small, stable startup is probably the ideal place to hide these days, but it's a trick to get there.