
Ask HN: Is it okay to resign in six months? - buzzwr
Hello,<p>I joined a YC company 2 months ago. Currently, there are around 400 people working here. People over here are good as well but I got an offer from Facebook on yesterday. I think so it can be a good opportunity for me. Not just in terms of money but in terms of career growth, people, work, learning, tech, etc. My job profile is a Software Developer.<p>I am 24 years old. Graduated six months ago. After a year or two, I am also thinking to do MBA&#x2F;MS from a top 20 universities. I think so Facebook&#x27;s tag will also help me to get the admission at a good university.<p>I need the help of HN community to guide me a little bit over here :)<p>Sorry, but I can not provide you more details about myself because many people from my current company are on Hackernews.<p>Thank you.
======
partisan
Since you’ve given enough details to identify yourself, I would go ahead and
pull the trigger on the Facebook offer as promptly as possible.

After you leave your current job, people will look at your empty chair for
several weeks and shrug. After 3 weeks, there will be someone new sitting
there. After 6 weeks, you won’t be mentioned. After 6 months you won’t be
remembered. After 6 years, you won’t remember them either.

~~~
robertcope
I just had lunch with folks that I last worked with twelve years ago. We
seemed to remember each other.

~~~
Rietty
But did you have any contact with them outside of your work within the past 12
years?

~~~
whycombagator
This. Also did they work with them for only 2 months in at least a 400 person
company.

------
davismwfl
Take the FB offer if you want it. There is nothing wrong with doing so. The
startup you are at should be fairly far along given it is at 400 people, but
face it even with FB on your resume you'll become more attractive to other
startups later. Take the cash, save some money up.

Given you have only been at the YC company 2 months you stand little to no
chance of negotiating a higher wage immediately, so even if they do entertain
it I'd say they would make it a future agreement. e.g. you do x, y and z then
they will increase you to a new salary etc.

In general, don't go to any existing employer with another offer and say I am
leaving unless. That is a bad move and makes you look bad and leaves a sour
taste with people about you. Instead if you like your current employer and
want to stay, go to them and say hey, I feel I am worth more and try and
negotiate the increase. If they say no, then explain you understand but feel
differently. Tell them it may change whether you can stay at that point
because you have X goal, but don't say another offer. If they still don't
budge then that tells you what they think of you or the companies health. If
instead you do it with the job offer as an ultimatum what happens is they may
temporarily give you an increase, but now consider you disloyal and will be
putting you and every action you take, or day off you take under a microscope
and will replace you in short order. If they instead gave you a raise because
you negotiated it without putting them over a barrel with another offer then
they won't have that same feeling. Also, sometimes when you approach an
employer, as I have suggested, they'll ask if you have other offers already, I
wouldn't lie, I'd say yes but I am not here trying to back you into a corner,
however I have certain goals I want to achieve and needed to see if my opinion
on my value would be validated in the market, as they were I was hoping to
stay here but be compensated with T....

~~~
photonios
Having another offer in hand gives you leverage. It signals to your current
employer that the market is willing to pay more than your employer pays now. I
would not dismiss using it to get more compensation. Just don't present it as
a threat. Just be straight forward to your manager. Tell him/her that the
offer makes it very hard for you to justify to stay and if they can do
something about the compensation to make it worth your while.

An employer that doesn't understand that an employee would leave over a
significantly better offer is an employer that you don't want to work for to
begin with.

~~~
kangnkodos
I would personally never do this. If you stay, it will be different. Everyone,
especially your boss will think of you as someone who is about to leave.
That's not a good thing.

It's ironic, because anyone could leave for a better job at any time. But
actually going through the negotiation/threatening to leave makes it more
real.

------
tptacek
I don't even understand the question. You can resign whenever you want. It's
customary to give 2 weeks notice.

~~~
JoelTheSuperior
Two weeks notice? I wish. My current employer requires three months.

~~~
Gustomaximus
I would assume/hope this means you have a senior role and are well paid. This
is not uncommon for members of a leadership team etc to ensure reasonable
transition times and stability. Also most employers will show flexibility here
in my experience. E.g. A couple of jobs back an employee just requested I be
on call for a couple months for the new person should they need help and kept
paying my salary just to be available.

That said, if you're a lowly paid shit kicker that would seem wrong as
typically a new junior job they want to to start ASAP and wouldn't wait for 3
months. So that could hurt your ability to find new work.

~~~
JoelTheSuperior
I'm not in a senior role. I do enjoy my job but I'm basically a sole Rails dev
- I develop an app that the company offers to clients, which I suspect plays
into the long notice period - I suspect they'd have a fair amount of
difficulty replacing me.

But yes I suspect that's part of why they have such a long notice period -
when I've spoken to recruiters / hiring managers elsewhere they're interested
right until the point where they discover I have a three month notice period.

~~~
Gustomaximus
Then I'd suggest ensure you have some savings together to cover a 'just in
case' prolonged search then talk to your employer that you need a better
notice period as you keen for something new. Pitch it as this gives to time to
find the right job rather than rush off. They might be reasonable. You might
even end up with a counter offer that makes you want to stay.

If they won't change, quit on the spot. Then you've got 3 months to find a
job.

Edit: Added the pitch it as.

------
gshdg
It’s a bad look to be leaving jobs every 6-18 months repeatedly, but one or
two incidences won’t tank your career.

The FB offer looks like a great opportunity, but if you only stay there a
year, you’re designing a resume that will get you labeled as a job hopper and
screened out of a lot of future roles at the resume stage.

Whichever you choose - the current job or FB - I suggest you make sure you
stay there for at least 2 full years before making your next move, whether to
grad school or another company.

~~~
throwaway413
Anecdata: I jumped jobs every 3-5 months for the first 2 years of my career
and went from 50k - 250k with a 20-50k raise every time.

I’ve been at my current gig almost two years now.

~~~
scarejunba
When was that? With comp being much higher these days, companies are being
more selective. Well, non-FAANGs are.

~~~
mars4rp
shouldn't it be the other way around? by being more selective, companies
shrink the pool of candidates that are already limited. That results in them
having to pay even more comp!

~~~
scarejunba
Selective about the job hoppers, I mean. They do give solid comp but if you
get a 100k signing bonus with a 1 year clawback you aren't keeping that.

------
davidg109
I _happily_ resigned from a big four consulting company after three weeks.
They misrepresented the location and hours I'd be working during the interview
process.

I don't doubt I have a black line through my name at the company, and I don't
give a damn.

Is it okay for me to have resigned after only three weeks? For me, it
certainly was.

~~~
SamReidHughes
Absolutely. It's better to resign after 2 months than 6 months.

------
SkyPuncher
I left a job after 2 months because I got the offer of a lifetime (leadership
opportunity at a fledging startup). I felt really bad about the situation, but
at the end of the day it hasn't affected me negatively. It was a huge boost to
my career and I'm way ahead as a result.

------
rk06
the thing is you are getting nervous over this. it is understandable as you
only graduated six months ago, and this is clearly your first job.

however, leaving your current job for a better opportunity is an everyday
affair in the private sector. we are all accustomed to it.

There is nothing wrong with this. Your colleagues should be happy for you.

------
azhu
You will be fine whichever you decide. There are always consequences to any
path of action. In this case, let yourself be calmed by knowing that none will
cause your ship to spring critical leaks. I have back to back <6 months full
time positions on my resume. I was hired by a YC company directly after those.

You sound like a bright kid. You'll figure something out that works well for
you. Remember that your own judgment is the signal in all of this tech hype
chatter noise and you'll be just fine.

------
gamblor956
I would take the FB offer. More money and more opportunity for future jobs.

Also, for reasons I don't understand many startups have a loyalty test for
their devs that you may have failed by interviewing with other companies. I
didn't believe that was actually a thing until it happened to my brother two
months ago. Your manager may already be looking to replace you... even if you
do stick around.

------
theredbox
FAANG jobs are more or less corporate jobs deluxe unless you are going to work
in some r&d team doing interesting stuff.

Evaluate following:

Does money matter to you ? If so go with FB. Does stability matter to you ? Go
for FB.

The thing is if you go with FB you will become much more risk averse thanks to
the lifestyle it is going to provide for you. Steady stream of $ and a
relative stability will make you too comfortable.

Although money never hurts.

------
lucidone
I've done it before. The job wasn't at all what I expected, and I didn't see
myself growing the way I wanted while there. It sucked to do as it was a very
small team and a non profit, but it was the right choice for myself. I have no
regrets.

------
somada141
I think it's really interesting seeing how companies ranging from a small
startup shop to massive multinational conglomerates have managed to instill
their workers with a sense of loyalty and duty.

I've worked at tech companies with 10, 100, and thousand of employees and
every time it was the same. Eventually I'd feel like I've stagnated, stopped
learning, and it was time to move on into a new position for my own personal
growth. However, after spending years with a group of people there's an
unmistakable camaraderie so even if you don't feel duty-bound to do right by
the intangible entity that is the company, and why would you, you may still
feel that you gotta do right by your colleagues, people with whom you've spent
heaps of time in the 'trenches'. Every time I felt that I had to do right by
them and not leave them hanging.

I dunno if this is due to me having empathy or just a result of my inflated
ego, maybe I'd like to feel like they'll crush-n-burn without me and I wanna
feel magnanimous? In any case, I've experienced this over and over and each
time while I'd eventually leave I'd make my intentions known several months in
advance and try to be as accommodating as possible.

I wonder if any of you have struggled with this conundrum and if so how you
managed it cause I'd like to stop experiencing this moral whirlwind every time
I feel like I'm ready to switch jobs :).

------
chrismcb
One thing to keep in mind, you don't owe your current company anything. (Well
assuming you don't have a signing bonus or something) Somehow we got a culture
where it is ok for a company to fire people in a heartbeat but it isn't ok for
them to leave in a heartbeat. Do what is right for you. This isn't something
we can answer. Is the compensation significantly better? Do you like the
people you are working with, what you are working on, where you are working?
What is the work life balance like? How is your current commute?

Finally I'm not sure why you want an MBA, but i don't think having Facebook on
your resume is going to help you get into an MBA anymore than any other job.

------
mud_dauber
Leaving what sounds like a reasonably good gig, just so you can tag yourself
with "Facebook developer" for getting into a school only 1-2 years from now
sounds short-sighted.

------
toyg
Don’t make the mistake of humanizing a company. A company is not a person: it
has no loyalty or sense of decency, and no moral obligation towards your
wellbeing. You are a worker: you provide work for money. If you were a farmer
selling lettuce to a supermarket and a new supermarket came along offering
more, would you sell your lettuce to the old or the new customer? The new one,
of course. Same here. Because the supermarket won’t think twice about ditching
you when it finds cheaper lettuce elsewhere.

This said, your manager will have feelings about it, so you want to deal with
that. Just be frank with him and manage his expectations: “Obviously I’ll help
the transition as much as I can and I’ll always be grateful for the chance,
and let’s stay in touch in case you need anything when I’m not here anymore.”
Talk to the man, not the company. The company doesn’t care.

Take the chance dude, some boats only pass once. After you have “those” names
on a CV, more doors will open.

~~~
buzzwr
Thanks a lot for it. Your words are really helping me to take the decision. :)

------
eeasss
As a hiring manager that has been in similar situation with employees - do
what is best for yourself, but be aware that your current manager won't feel
good about this situation and will try to move on as fast as possible as well.
If you go to FB try not to leave in the next 2 years, because hiring managers
don't like job hoppers these days. Ideally, don't even include your 6 months
tenure in your resume.

~~~
elicash
Isn't job hopping _expected_ for somebody this young? An entire career of job
hopping I could understand but somebody in their twenties is going to benefit
from different experiences, no? Seems like working at a few different places
would be more helpful to a potential company than somebody whose only
experience is one place for five years.

~~~
buzzwr
OP is here. Totally agree with you.

------
vatshy
I would say take the Facebook offer esp. if you are considering MBA/MS in next
1-2 years. That brand will help immensely. One thing is not clear. You joined
this company 2 months ago and graduated 6 months ago. Is this your second job?
If yes then by the time you apply for MBA in 1-2 years with 2 job changes that
may cause issue but am not sure in which schools.

~~~
buzzwr
Thank you for your advice.

Actually, I was waiting for my visa :-) I studied somewhere else and now
working in Amsterdam. I guess I can simply hide my current job in my resume or
I can say it didn't work out. What do you think about that?

~~~
toomuchtodo
> I guess I can simply hide my current job in my resume or I can say it didn't
> work out. What do you think about that?

Leave off your resume. If it's brought up in the future, simply explain an
opportunity you couldn't pass up presented yourself, and you took it. You're
not leaving it off your resume to misrepresent your situation, you're leaving
it off your resume because it doesn't accurately represent your work history.

------
buzzwr
FROM AUTHOR EDIT 1:

Thank you very much guys for awesome guidance. I also have one more doubt. How
should I talk to my manager about it? My manager put some serious efforts(time
and company's money) to get me there. I am feeling bad about my manager. I
don't want to disturb my relations with my manager.

~~~
codingdave
It is your managers job to build their team, so the time and money put in to
bring you on board is their problem, not yours. Maybe your departure will be a
lesson learned for your manager. And maybe they will try to avoid hiring
short-timers in the future. So you helped them learn a lesson, and contributed
for 6 months. And they paid you for your time. That is a fair business
transaction.

Also, 5 years from now, if you do go on to Facebook and higher degrees, and
other things... you may barely remember the names of the people from this job.
Your current situation has a far larger place in your mind than it will in the
bigger picture of your career and your life, once you have more experience
under your belt.

I had this discussion, frankly, with my manager the last time I left a job. It
was a startup, with struggles, but a promising future. It was a good place.
But I didn't want to follow them to an office farther from my home. So I told
him that while it seemed like leaving would be a big thing, that in reality, 6
months later, it would make no difference to them or me. And that was true -
they hired other devs, I got a different job, everyone is doing fine.

In short, you just need to make this decision for yourself.

------
bufferoverflow
Give the YC company a chance to match the offer. If they decline, take the FB
offer.

Unless that YC company turns into a unicorn, that FB experience on your resume
will open many many doors for you in the future.

~~~
buzzwr
That company will go for an IPO in 2023 most likely. They might become a
unicorn company in 2023 but still, I am not sure about that.

I have to stay up to 3-4 years at least in the current company to get all the
rewards. This is my first job actually.

~~~
codingdave
Every startup hopes they'll be a unicorn in 3-5 years. A couple actually will.
Most of them won't. Many of them won't even be around.

Don't make job decisions based on the internal hype of where a startup hopes
to be in the future.

------
dominotw
yes its ok.

don't overthink.

------
Zenbit_UX
FB is the only company I wouldn't accept an offer for, I'd still apply but
only use any offers submitted for leverage.

I'm surprised no other commenter has brought this up yet but you do realize
that short of working for the NSA Facebook is the most unethical job I can
think of for a Dev.

Every other week they're being blasted on HN for another ethical violation and
everyone comments on how their devs must have known what they were doing when
"they did X fucked up thing to Y users", etc...

I'd take the offer to your current employer or literally anyone else you might
be interviewing with and tell Facebook to suck a lemon.

~~~
lohszvu
What is unethical about working for the NSA as a dev?

~~~
Nullabillity
You're willingly assisting an organization with very unethical goals. It
doesn't matter whether you're a cryptographer, janitor, developer, or
whatever.

~~~
lohszvu
>unethical goals What are their goals that you think are unethical? Is
gathering intelligence for maintaining the security of the US unethical?

~~~
SAI_Peregrinus
Mass surveillance and reducing the security of the US by undermining
cryptographic standards (eg Dual-EC DRBG) are unethical.

