Thread by @polotek

This is a great thread. Not because I agree with everything in it. I don’t actually. It’s great because it gives more context on how to think about various important career decisions. It’s important to develop a perspective on how you think about your career moves.

https://twitter.com/QuinnyPig/status/1436129343399346184

It’s worth acknowledging that Corey is a white guy. So all of his advice should be viewed through that lens. There are certain kinds of career challenges that he just doesn’t have. And it affects how he makes decisions. I believe he’s more self-aware than most about that reality.

In most cases, I agree with the core point, but I would add more nuance.

For example, are you making your manager’s life more difficult by quitting? Yes.
Should they hold that against you personally? No.
Will the company be okay? Almost certainly yes.

https://twitter.com/quinnypig/status/1436129877883699223

If you quit after your manager “went to bat for you”, will that make it more difficult for people to get promoted in the future?

Honestly that might happen. Because humans are humans. But that would be wrong. And it’s not on you to feel responsible for that.

This is the biggest part that gave me the side eye. “Where’s the risk?” is a thing that only successful white guys say with any seriousness.

The risk of hating a new job is real. The risk of finding new and unforeseen barriers at a new job is real.

https://twitter.com/quinnypig/status/1436130664286339115

The real question is “will 35% more money make up for the downsides of any new bullshit?”

It might. It depends on how much that money means to you and your life. And how you weigh that against other things you care about. Money can make up for a lot. But not everything.

There is no amount of salary that would make me do a 2 hour commute every day. It’s not worth it to me in any shape or form. I’ve said no to hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation over the last several years based on that rule alone. I don’t regret it.

https://twitter.com/polotek/status/1426343307563569157

However. When I was earlier in my career, a long commute didn’t bother me much. The money meant more. And that was the right decision for me at that time. This is what I mean by understanding what’s important to you.

This is the last thing I’ll respond to in this thread for now.

I understand a lot of the reasons why the current environment makes job searching seem more attractive. So a lot of the advice you’ll get sounds like “of course you should leave”. But it’s really okay to stay y’all.

https://twitter.com/quinnypig/status/1436132242061869072

The reasons to stay are just as personal and just as valid as the reasons you might decide to leave. New companies throw money at you because they know that tends to short circuit your brain and take over other considerations.

If I was giving concrete advice, I’d say this. If you’ve got an offer with more money, start spending that money in your head. What would you do with it? How will it makes your life better or propel you towards your goals. Now weigh that against “new bullshit”.

New Bullshit deserves its own thread. But it’s real. There is a very tangible cost to switching jobs. It’s not free. So you want to make sure that whatever you’re getting (money, opportunity, etc) is really going to pay for that cost.

New Bullshit lasts 6 months to a year. After that it becomes the same old bullshit. But for that first year, New Bullshit is like nails on a chalkboard. It will really have you regretting your decisions if you didn’t make them for the right reasons.

As a final thought. If you’re switching jobs every 2 years, you are dealing with New Bullshit almost 50% of the time. That’s a lot y’all. Be careful about inadvertently making that your life. The toll it takes on you is hard to quantify.

Oh, one last thing that a lot of people don’t realize. If you’re dealing with deep burnout? New Bullshit lasts indefinitely. That’s what I learned the hard way. You never leave that feeling of nails on a chalkboard. Switching jobs may not help. You have to get a handle on it.