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Just to jump in on this - I got canned in the last big recession and while not a new grad, I took the next (contract) job that came up, at much lower pay, and

Just to jump in on this - I got canned in the last big recession and while not a new grad, I took the next (contract) job that came up, at much lower pay, and over the next year doubled my take home from the original job. Two lessons 1. Spend your lunchtimes job hunting. Treat it like a job 2. Move around as a new grad. Think of it like dating, you have to kiss a few frogs just to get an idea of what is out there. (Most people who stay in one job really mean lots of different jobs inside one giant conglomerate) So don't be afraid to move around. And focus on the code. Ignore the management bullshit, the meetings the agile talk. Focus on code.

mooreds 4y ago
> 2. Move around as a new grad. Think of it like dating, you have to kiss a few frogs just to get an idea of what is out there. This is related, but I got my start in a small consulting company and think it is a great place for anyone to start. Small is anything from 10 to 100. The one with 100 employees will have more process and stability, but your impact at a 10 person company will be larger (and possibly easier to get hired by). Pick your poison. You'll get lots of experience across domains and technologies, because it is a consulting company. What you write and do will actually matter, because it is small. And, of course, at a consulting company, as a developer, what you do is directly tied to revenue for the company, since they typically sell hours (or dev expertise, bundled in project scopes, which are measured internally in hours or hour equivalents). I wrote some advice on how to approach these companies here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34253168 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34253168 If they're good and have been around for a while, they'll know how to ride out the ups and downs that are coming (because they actually probably had ups and downs even during the good times; that's the nature of consulting).
- ethbr0 4y ago
  Agreed from personal experience. Consulting, and specifically exposure to a large number of corporate cultures in your clients, is a great accelerator at the start of a career.
ghaff 4y ago
>(Most people who stay in one job really mean lots of different jobs inside one giant conglomerate) It doesn't even need to be a giant conglomerate. Roles evolve. Products/projects/priorities/technologies change. Certainly at the two 10K, give or take, employee companies I've worked for over ten years, I've done a lot of different things even though I went by some variant of the same title the whole time.
- screwturner68 4y ago
  I've been at the same place for 22 years and except for 3 years I am in the same group with the same title and comparing what I did in 2001 to what I do in 2023 they are very different jobs. Sure a lot of it has to do with changes in technology but as my professional skills have grown what I do has changed significantly. There are a few of my coworkers who started around the same time I did and they are doing exactly the same thing they were doing 20 years ago, very little has changed for them outside of the travel and time keeping apps and they are happy as clams.
ska 4y ago
> Move around as a new grad. ... but not too much/too soon. Best to understand what you can/should learn and try and achieve that before looking for a change.
- lumost 4y ago
  No one smart is expecting critical work from a new grad. If you move once every 1-2 years then you are fine. Once per year will raise flags after 3-4 jobs due to fear that you are being terminated on every job for some reason.
  - ska 4y ago
    I didn't mean don't do it because of impact on your resume, I meant don't do it prematurely because it slows down your progress.

mooreds 4y ago

> 2. Move around as a new grad. Think of it like dating, you have to kiss a few frogs just to get an idea of what is out there. This is related, but I got my start in a small consulting company and think it is a great place for anyone to start. Small is anything from 10 to 100. The one with 100 employees will have more process and stability, but your impact at a 10 person company will be larger (and possibly easier to get hired by). Pick your poison. You'll get lots of experience across domains and technologies, because it is a consulting company. What you write and do will actually matter, because it is small. And, of course, at a consulting company, as a developer, what you do is directly tied to revenue for the company, since they typically sell hours (or dev expertise, bundled in project scopes, which are measured internally in hours or hour equivalents). I wrote some advice on how to approach these companies here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34253168 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34253168 If they're good and have been around for a while, they'll know how to ride out the ups and downs that are coming (because they actually probably had ups and downs even during the good times; that's the nature of consulting).

ethbr0 4y ago
Agreed from personal experience. Consulting, and specifically exposure to a large number of corporate cultures in your clients, is a great accelerator at the start of a career.

ghaff 4y ago

>(Most people who stay in one job really mean lots of different jobs inside one giant conglomerate) It doesn't even need to be a giant conglomerate. Roles evolve. Products/projects/priorities/technologies change. Certainly at the two 10K, give or take, employee companies I've worked for over ten years, I've done a lot of different things even though I went by some variant of the same title the whole time.

screwturner68 4y ago
I've been at the same place for 22 years and except for 3 years I am in the same group with the same title and comparing what I did in 2001 to what I do in 2023 they are very different jobs. Sure a lot of it has to do with changes in technology but as my professional skills have grown what I do has changed significantly. There are a few of my coworkers who started around the same time I did and they are doing exactly the same thing they were doing 20 years ago, very little has changed for them outside of the travel and time keeping apps and they are happy as clams.

ska 4y ago

> Move around as a new grad. ... but not too much/too soon. Best to understand what you can/should learn and try and achieve that before looking for a change.

lumost 4y ago
No one smart is expecting critical work from a new grad. If you move once every 1-2 years then you are fine. Once per year will raise flags after 3-4 jobs due to fear that you are being terminated on every job for some reason.
- ska 4y ago
  I didn't mean don't do it because of impact on your resume, I meant don't do it prematurely because it slows down your progress.