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I consistently deal with this as do many of my coworkers. Here's some suggestions: - Take care of your immediate responsibilities first (rent, food, loan paym

by bstar77 12y ago

I consistently deal with this as do many of my coworkers. Here's some suggestions: - Take care of your immediate responsibilities first (rent, food, loan payments, etc)- this is non-negotiable unless you have a golden parachute (i.e. mom & dad). It's quite honorable to work for survival. - Always keep an eye out for a better job, the more interviews you go on the easier they will be. Never be satisfied where you are if personal growth is important to you. - NEVER expect to just be given the most interesting work out of the gate at a new job. That's not the way it works. You generally have to prove yourself. If they are not delivering on a promise that may be a separate concern, but I'd be skeptical of a job that would give a rookie dev the "interesting" work (which is usually the architecture work). - Identify problems at work and solve them in your free time, then present them to the appropriate people; that is the best way to fast track your own interesting work. Note the politics of your company and be sure to not step on any toes. - Most importantly, do your own interesting work on the side. Start a company, create/contribute/maintain an open source project. I can't stress enough the incredible opportunities that exist for skilled developers that have some initiative. - Get in a good routine that works to accomplish your short and long term goals, it's unusual for a job to satisfy that entirely.

ramblerman 12y ago
> It's quite honorable to work for survival. What does that even mean? It's necessary sure, it can also be a smart strategy, but honorable? You don't owe them anything and staying for 'honor' is foolish imo.
- ceejayoz 12y ago
  I took it as "you shouldn't consider it a personal failure to be temporarily doing crap work just to pay the bills".
- bstar77 12y ago
  I think if you need to work at McDonalds to avoid calling mom and dad for money, then that's honorable. The easy unsustainable way out is not usually the best. I've been there.
  - neumann 12y ago
    Depends on your relationship with your parents. If your parents are supportive and you are looking for a CS degree, only work at McDonalds if you feel like a life experience - probably not a bad idea. If you have opportunity to get a zero interest loan from your parents or free bedroom with no external judgement (ie, supportive parents), that is a far better standpoint to spend your days working full-time at getting a job in your field.
    - bstar77 12y ago
      Definitely (I'd be hypocritical to say I didn't take advantage of that myself), but when I hit 25 those zero interest loans weren't there anymore.
jonnathanson 12y ago
Great advice all around. I'd also add to this an important, but somehow occasionally controversial piece of advice: don't just quit the job. Yes, it's not ideal to be looking around for another job after only having been there for a month or two. But that's a lot better than looking for a job as an unemployed person. A lot of companies——certainly not all, but many——attach a deep stigma to unemployed job seekers. I've been in your position before. Well, sort of. At the time, I hated seeking advice and getting responses along the lines of, "Well, that sucks. But just make the most of it." But there's really something to that advice. Make the most of it, and in the meantime, conduct a job search. The good news is that you're an engineer! I cannot possibly overstate what an advantageous position that puts you in with respect to 99.99% of job seekers on the market. If you were anything else——a salesperson, a marketer, a corporate strategist, or what have you——your situation would be a lot thornier than it is. At least take some solace in that your line of work is in high demand.
- bstar77 12y ago
  I completely agree about not quitting (if the job is unsatisfying). I've found I consistently have way more confidence going on an interview already employed.
  - lione 12y ago
    When the motivation is more personal fulfillment or better pay/conditions, and less "Can I put food on the table and a roof over my head", there's a lot less pressure and nervousness about the interview as well.
  - ChuckMcM 12y ago
    And you have more power since you don't "need" the job you can be a better negotiator.
    - go1979 12y ago
      I see some good advice on this thread so a followup question. I'm about to quit my job with the aim of starting up my own company. I don't have a lot of non-tech contacts - i.e. potential customers and angel investors. That is my biggest worry. I can't really bootstrap while on the job since I am currently in a large corporate job where the company owns everything I dream up. So .. while I agree with all the advice about not quitting a job until one has another one lined up (I've given the same advice to others) ... I am about to go against this advice myself. Any words of advice on how to manage this? Am I bonkers? Some stats ... have 6 months of living costs in liquid savings. No kids. Going to be leaving a job that pays north of 120K (which is not much in elite companies it seems).

by bstar77 12y ago

ramblerman 12y ago

> It's quite honorable to work for survival. What does that even mean? It's necessary sure, it can also be a smart strategy, but honorable? You don't owe them anything and staying for 'honor' is foolish imo.

ceejayoz 12y ago
I took it as "you shouldn't consider it a personal failure to be temporarily doing crap work just to pay the bills".
bstar77 12y ago
I think if you need to work at McDonalds to avoid calling mom and dad for money, then that's honorable. The easy unsustainable way out is not usually the best. I've been there.
- neumann 12y ago
  Depends on your relationship with your parents. If your parents are supportive and you are looking for a CS degree, only work at McDonalds if you feel like a life experience - probably not a bad idea. If you have opportunity to get a zero interest loan from your parents or free bedroom with no external judgement (ie, supportive parents), that is a far better standpoint to spend your days working full-time at getting a job in your field.
  - bstar77 12y ago
    Definitely (I'd be hypocritical to say I didn't take advantage of that myself), but when I hit 25 those zero interest loans weren't there anymore.

jonnathanson 12y ago

Great advice all around. I'd also add to this an important, but somehow occasionally controversial piece of advice: don't just quit the job. Yes, it's not ideal to be looking around for another job after only having been there for a month or two. But that's a lot better than looking for a job as an unemployed person. A lot of companies——certainly not all, but many——attach a deep stigma to unemployed job seekers. I've been in your position before. Well, sort of. At the time, I hated seeking advice and getting responses along the lines of, "Well, that sucks. But just make the most of it." But there's really something to that advice. Make the most of it, and in the meantime, conduct a job search. The good news is that you're an engineer! I cannot possibly overstate what an advantageous position that puts you in with respect to 99.99% of job seekers on the market. If you were anything else——a salesperson, a marketer, a corporate strategist, or what have you——your situation would be a lot thornier than it is. At least take some solace in that your line of work is in high demand.

bstar77 12y ago
I completely agree about not quitting (if the job is unsatisfying). I've found I consistently have way more confidence going on an interview already employed.
- lione 12y ago
  When the motivation is more personal fulfillment or better pay/conditions, and less "Can I put food on the table and a roof over my head", there's a lot less pressure and nervousness about the interview as well.
- ChuckMcM 12y ago
  And you have more power since you don't "need" the job you can be a better negotiator.
  - go1979 12y ago
    I see some good advice on this thread so a followup question. I'm about to quit my job with the aim of starting up my own company. I don't have a lot of non-tech contacts - i.e. potential customers and angel investors. That is my biggest worry. I can't really bootstrap while on the job since I am currently in a large corporate job where the company owns everything I dream up. So .. while I agree with all the advice about not quitting a job until one has another one lined up (I've given the same advice to others) ... I am about to go against this advice myself. Any words of advice on how to manage this? Am I bonkers? Some stats ... have 6 months of living costs in liquid savings. No kids. Going to be leaving a job that pays north of 120K (which is not much in elite companies it seems).