5 ms·

What helped for me was switching from a 5000 employee company to a 50 employee one. I really loved my previous job, but just witnessing the politics made me wan

by tda 4y ago

What helped for me was switching from a 5000 employee company to a 50 employee one. I really loved my previous job, but just witnessing the politics made me want to quit, and I'm glad I did.

pcurve 4y ago
Anything you miss about the 5000 employee company?
- blowski 4y ago
  I've done a similar move, so for my part, I'd say that I miss the learning opportunities. Large companies usually have people with a deep knowledge in one particular skillset, whereas small companies are more likely to be made up of generalists. One person, for example, had worked for 2 decades only in securing IT processes for insurance companies. Another was a project manager with a real gift for spinning a positive story from what I saw as a disaster. I learned a lot, even from people who otherwise mostly frustrated me. That being said, I've filled that gap with meetups and deliberate networking. I have no regrets about making the trade-off.
- curun1r 4y ago
  Not the person you’re responding to, but having worked both… The obvious thing is the perks. When I worked in an 8000 person company, I got to go to any tech conference I wanted, got to attend leadership training courses, had more $200/person meals than I’d ever had before in my life, they’d rent out large venues like the Academy of Sciences for company events and just a lot higher comp. At the 30-person company, there just wasn’t the budget for that stuff. Which isn’t to say that large corporate job is better…none of that stuff makes up for the soul-sucking parts of those big companies, but that doesn’t mean you don’t miss all that excess when you no longer have it.
- zem 4y ago
  not OP but I've worked for startups and now for a big company. if I went back to a smaller place I would deeply miss the ability to work on projects that lasted longer than a quarter before delivering tangible results.
- tda 4y ago
  I guess the bigger the company the more interesting niche problems and processes there are that are worth spending a lot of time improving/automating etc. And yes a big company has more "high end" perks (better hotels when travelling, priority boarding, more expensive company events). But I enjoy a cheap beer with an enthusiastic group of colleagues more than I could possibly miss a fancy hotel.
readonthegoapp 4y ago
I was going to suggest a digital agency Get a 4-day, too

by tda 4y ago

What helped for me was switching from a 5000 employee company to a 50 employee one. I really loved my previous job, but just witnessing the politics made me want to quit, and I'm glad I did.

pcurve 4y ago

Anything you miss about the 5000 employee company?

blowski 4y ago
I've done a similar move, so for my part, I'd say that I miss the learning opportunities. Large companies usually have people with a deep knowledge in one particular skillset, whereas small companies are more likely to be made up of generalists. One person, for example, had worked for 2 decades only in securing IT processes for insurance companies. Another was a project manager with a real gift for spinning a positive story from what I saw as a disaster. I learned a lot, even from people who otherwise mostly frustrated me. That being said, I've filled that gap with meetups and deliberate networking. I have no regrets about making the trade-off.
curun1r 4y ago
Not the person you’re responding to, but having worked both… The obvious thing is the perks. When I worked in an 8000 person company, I got to go to any tech conference I wanted, got to attend leadership training courses, had more $200/person meals than I’d ever had before in my life, they’d rent out large venues like the Academy of Sciences for company events and just a lot higher comp. At the 30-person company, there just wasn’t the budget for that stuff. Which isn’t to say that large corporate job is better…none of that stuff makes up for the soul-sucking parts of those big companies, but that doesn’t mean you don’t miss all that excess when you no longer have it.
zem 4y ago
not OP but I've worked for startups and now for a big company. if I went back to a smaller place I would deeply miss the ability to work on projects that lasted longer than a quarter before delivering tangible results.
tda 4y ago
I guess the bigger the company the more interesting niche problems and processes there are that are worth spending a lot of time improving/automating etc. And yes a big company has more "high end" perks (better hotels when travelling, priority boarding, more expensive company events). But I enjoy a cheap beer with an enthusiastic group of colleagues more than I could possibly miss a fancy hotel.

readonthegoapp 4y ago

I was going to suggest a digital agency Get a 4-day, too