Ask HN: I love my work. I want to quit

3 points by drinkcocacola 7 years ago | 6 comments

I've been working for this company for the last 5 years as a software developer.

I love what I do, I love what we have, I love the team, but I do not agree with many of the decisions the founders have taken during the last 1 or 2 years, I decided to blindly trust them. At the end of the they is their company not mine. However, we are still not growing at the rate we all expected. I don't have the answers regarding how to rule a company, or how to lead us to succeed, but I know what is NOT helping us to go there, but I haven't been able to gain enough power in the company to actually do something about it.

A month ago a head hunter offered a new position at a company that is just in the next step my current company is. They offer me 80% more salary (I am being underpaid but I didn't care because the love I have for the product), and in general better working conditions.

In my current company I have been promised to have stock options but after 5 years I have nothing. I know they are not trying to trick me or anything, but seems that it is not important enough for them, and that really bothers me.

I told my boss about what I am about to do, I openly told him the things we need to change immediately, and although he agreed in many of the things I said and promised me that we are going to re structure the whole company organization to make it happen, my instinct is still telling me to quit.

I am depressed because I am about to break up with one of the things that I have loved the most in my life. But my mind tells me that it is just business and this decisions must be taken without listening the heart.

What do you think? Have you experienced something similar?

AnimalMuppet 7 years ago |

I have stayed at a place for 10 years when I should have left after 5. It didn't get better in the second 5 years.

If you think management is on the wrong track, and they're not going to change, that leaves you working on stuff that you don't believe in. That gets draining after a while.

You can stay, and hope that it gets better. You can spend years watching what you love about the place slowly die. But that's not going to make you any happier. If they're not going to change, you should probably move on.

ctrlaltdev 7 years ago |

This is / was my issue with work.

I (used to) invest my self a lot in my work. I didn't count the hours, was underpaid, was doing 4 times more than my position described.

And I was promised a lot of things! I was thoroughly thanked by my immediate management. I was promised a raise and a promotion. But ultimately they always expected me to bend when my suggestions didn't fit with their immediate vision.

I left (and did they cried about it, telling me I was wonderful etc.), and I landed way better jobs, way better paid.

I figured that I was the problem, for accepting those conditions. Why would a company want me to work less for more money? When I'm already working so much, for so little.

I stopped doing that. I refused offers because they couldn't offer enough (like expecting a lead dev / senior dev for the pay of a junior), even if I loved their product or company!

So my advice is leave. And don't even look behind.

wmf 7 years ago |

I've been there. You have to move on. You already know this; just do it.

deanmoriarty 7 years ago |

Wait, how exactly can you say in the same sentence that they have been neglecting your equity compensation for 5 years AND they are not tricking you? My advice is to leave.

airbreather 7 years ago |

5 years promises on the options and currently nothing, didn't need to read any more, take the offer and move on.

icedchai 7 years ago |

5 years is a long time in this industry. Best to move on.