
How to Quit a Top Tier Tech Job - oliverzheng
http://oliverzheng.com/2018/how-to-quit-a-top-tier-tech-job/
======
minimaxir
About a year ago, I quit my job at Apple because I wasn't able to apply my
technical skills in my role and I was not successful in transferring to
another department (full blog post: [http://minimaxir.com/2017/05/leaving-
apple/](http://minimaxir.com/2017/05/leaving-apple/) | HN discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14270897](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14270897))

Despite the loss of a salary and _frustration_ in getting another job
(Tweetstorm about data science job hunting:
[https://twitter.com/minimaxir/status/951117788835278848](https://twitter.com/minimaxir/status/951117788835278848)),
quitting was 100% the correct move in retrospect.

~~~
throwaway289910
I'm currently about to quit Microsoft and am going through the exact same set
of questions in my head. I joined the company a few months ago and am blown
away by how bad the culture is - or how badly I fit into the culture, take
your pick.

If you don't fit the culture, it's time to leave.

~~~
kettlecorn
A massive issue with Microsoft's college recruiting pipeline (this may not
apply to you) is that college hires are placed pretty much arbitrarily without
input from the hire themselves.

People interested in backend work get placed on frontend, people interested in
frontend work get placed on backend. As a result, retention for Microsoft
college hires is rather poor. Contrast this with Google where once you're
selected you're often given a choice of a few teams and you can indicate your
preference.

~~~
cbanek
That's a really interesting comparison. I've worked at Microsoft and got an
offer from Google and found the opposite to be true. I was first offered by
the team I interned with, whom I liked, and accepted, so I knew where I was
going.

On the Google case, even being an industry hire, it was like pulling teeth to
figure out where the offer actually was, and who I would be working for, and
being able to actually speak with them (as your manager is key to success). I
was also told during the interview that they just interview you in general at
Google, not for a particular team, which was also unsettling.

~~~
kettlecorn
What you say is completely true. If you were an intern at Microsoft you can be
pretty sure you're returning to that team (unless there's a reorganization).
With Google you have no idea what team you'll end up on when you're evaluating
an offer.

However, once you accept a Google offer you're given more choice as to what
team you'll be on. With Microsoft (if you weren't a returning intern) you're
given very little to no choice and it can be quite arbitrary where you end up.

Certainly both of these systems have massive flaws, but I think the Microsoft
system would lead to far lower retention for non-intern college hires.

~~~
cbHXBY1D
Sort of true. You get accepted to a division at Microsoft (as a new grad) and
if there's headcount on multiple teams for someone of your level you can
choose between them. A lot of the time there's only one team that is willing
to take on a junior engineer.

------
yfiapo
Yeesh, the mindwash is strong. I had a hard time continuing to read this post
after the Prestige by Association section. Working at a respected company
known for cutting edge work is generally a good sign but it does not make you
an Internet God or widen my eyes.

It is like saying you went to Harvard or MIT. That's neat. You are probably
reasonably intelligent. However, even that isn't an automatic and I'll reserve
judgement until I've made my own assessment.

~~~
ttul
Two fucking years of savings? What world is this guy living in?

~~~
Redoubts
I don't understand how you couldn't save 50% of your income per year while
working at facebook.

~~~
danans
Assuming a $200k income, a modest 2bd Bay area house, 2 preschool aged
children, between mortgage/rent (4k/mo), childcare (20+k/child/year), car,
food, taxes, and other basic life expenses, it's totally possible not to save
50%.

Unless you meant as a childless single person making 200k/yr. Then yes, it's
easy.

~~~
thaumasiotes
> Assuming a $200k income... 2 preschool aged children... childcare
> (20+k/child/year)

Does $200k not seem low for a two-income family? Does paying for childcare not
seem strange for a one-income family?

~~~
danans
The previous comment's scenario was "A Facebook employee", with no mention of
another income. Also, many people's spouses are students, or non-highly
remunerated.

~~~
thaumasiotes
Hence the other question, "Does paying for childcare not seem strange for a
one-income family?"

~~~
danans
Not if there is only one parent, or the other parent is a full time student.

------
hahahsnap
The OP has joined Facebook in June 2013. Assuming he has 3+ years of
experience in Microsoft he must have been hired at Facebook at L4 which puts
his salary as 135k + 250K (stock, may be more when Seattle office was just
getting started).

Facebook stock was ~$25 in June 2013 which means he has got 10000 RSUs of
Facebook while joining. Value of this stock today is around $1.5M. He is in
Seattle and his taxes are way low compared to CA.

OP must have been scoring refreshers ($40k (Jan 2014), $100k(Jan 2015),
$150k(Jan 2016). Let's assume has around $300K of vested stocks.

OP has made $1.8M in stocks at Facebook and may be some good bonuses and
quitting Facebook after has vested his initial grant.

You shouldn't quit Top Tier tech jobs period unless you're this author who has
made >2M.

At the growing pace of FB, Google and Amzn, anyone quitting at L5 levels will
learn that they could have ended up as Director in 6-8 years if they work hard
in these firms.

~~~
arcanus
That assumes he held his stock. Everyone I know seems to sell as soon as it
vests. If so he didn't get all the return you quoted.

~~~
ryandrake
There are so many ultra-optimistic assumptions in that post it’s hard to pick
out just one. If all of those numbers were true it would represent the
career/salary growth of an outlier employee. Although I’m sure it does happen
every so often, no way the _median_ “rank and file” software engineer at any
of these top companies has that kind of outcome.

------
scarface74
Let me bring a non SV perspective. A lot of people seem to forget that most
developers live outside of SV where the salary vs cost of living makes just as
much sense.

1\. For a software Engineer who has kept their skills up and lives in a major
metropolitan area, it doesn't take 2 years to get a job. It usually takes me
about two weeks.

2\. Who defines themselves by their job? A job is just a way for me to pay my
bills. I go to work, come home and twice a month money appears in my account -
no more no less. But see #1 about keeping your skills marketable.

The framework I use for leaving a job is simple. There are three reasons to
leave a job - technology, environment, and money.

Technology - if you're learning marketable technology, I can deal with a not
so great environment and a below market salary for awhile. Once I build my
resume, I can leave for more money. On the other hand, don't stay at a company
no matter how good the money is if it will cause your skills to atrophy. You
leave yourself vulnerable and you cut off optionslity.

Environment - if I can find another job with a better environment, make the
same amount of money and move forward technologically. I'll leave. Life is too
short to stick with an environment that you hate.

Money - All other things being equal, why not make as much money as you can? I
don't want to be in management but if I can make a significant amount more
money doing what I enjoy, why not?

I've been hopping jobs for 10 years after staying at one company 9 years when
I should have left after 2. But now, I'm starting to get the job hopping
stench about my resume and I'm near the top for my local market. It would be
counter productive for me to leave by choice in less than 3 years.

~~~
kangax
Nice breakdown.

I would add that money comes with responsibility and it's the
money/responsibilities ratio that really matters.

I was at a top-tier tech company (the one that's getting all the heat lately)
for 2 years in a senior eng role, breaking my neck and struggling to maintain
healthy work/life balance. Leaving it felt devastating but in retrospect, it
was the right decision. Now I'm at a non-tech company, making almost the same
money, having twice fewer expectations. All while working on just as exciting
tech and problems.

I can likely get a tech position in finance and make even more, but at what
cost to my work hours and expectations? Not worth it.

~~~
scarface74
I would put that under "environment". An environment that is always expecting
you to make heroic efforts and take away from your work life balance isn't
worth it. That seques well into my personal priority breakdown. The three most
important things personally to me are:

Health - if I'm not healthy mentally and physically nothing else matters. I'm
no good to my family and my finances are going to suffer.

Family/Friends - at the end of the day I would rather get a new job than be
forced to get a new wife because I'm spending too much time working.

Career/Finances - I've got to work to live but I can't live to work. Your
company will never be loyal to you - you are just resource and so are they.

------
edw519
This may be the only 2 word "How To" I've ever written:

Just quit.

    
    
      1. It's a job, not your life.
      2. It's a company, not a person.
      3. "Top Tier" means neither.
      4. If you were hit by a bus, they'd cry for 7 minutes and never think about you again.
      5. "My work is my reference." is my standard response to that request. It works. To those who matter.
      6. Moving on can skyrocket your growth when done properly. Listen to your gut.
      7. "I stagnate easily." is my standard response to "Why so many jobs?"
      8. You'll probably be surprised how underwhelmed they are.
      9. You'll probably be surprised how much energy you wasted over this.
      10. You'll definitely be glad it's over.
    

I've quit 80 times (including contracts and customers). No regrets about how
I've done it (except for agonizing over it early in my career). I've grown
almost every time.

No one from work cares about you nearly as much as you care about your work.
Don't make this so complicated.

You have personal relationships you'll miss and don't want to hurt. If that
bothers you, quit over beer.

~~~
mikeklaas
> 7\. "I stagnate easily." is my standard response to "Why so many jobs?"

Why would someone hire you for a non-short-term project in that case?

~~~
TheJoYo
A better response is, "It's the quickest way to get a pay raise."

I've only quit a handful of jobs but every time it has been for a sizable
salary increase. Stagnation comes off as frustration with the work when it
should highlight the stagnation of salaries and the zero fucks the labor
market has about a promotion cycle.

------
fatjokes
So much salt in this thread. I for one, enjoyed the article. Walking away from
a high-paying, generally respected job is not a easy decision for a lot of
people and there are a lot of consequences to consider.

I think this writeup addresses them (to varying degrees of success), even if
they don't apply to everyone and some folks may think they're arrogant.

------
mehrdada
It's amazing that there is a widespread tendency in Googlers to think Google
is "the best place" and moving is a downgrade (i.e. _fear of missing out,
where do I go after this_ ), while at the same time many Facebook employees
feel exactly the same towards their employer and think moving is likely a
downgrade (my friend who left FB to Snap told me that he had that feeling but
now that he has moved he sees Snap as clearly better). These feelings cannot
simultaneously be true, which shows the Kool-Aid is powerful indeed, and I
think systematic and intentional in nature. At least for Facebook, they have
an explicit propaganda ministry, _ehem..._ , _Analog Research Lab_ , actively
working toward instating this feeling with posters and stuff.

~~~
jpatokal
This article is about quitting from the FAANGs entirely. Moving from one FAANG
to another does not entail a financial or reputational hit.

~~~
mehrdada
Correct. This was not an objection to the article's point at all. I was
reinforcing another dimension of the notion described in the article under
"prestige" that when you are at any one of them, there's a pressure that makes
you think this is the best, but that cannot simultaneously be true at all of
them, therefore it is probably a false feeling and you should try to suppress
it.

------
ashwinaj
How about just quitting because you don't get good work (whatever that
definition might be)?

I find it hard to believe that most people in so called "top tier" tech
companies do compelling work. Not everyone gets to work on de jour areas, most
people work on maintenance and improving old code bases (BTW, there is nothing
wrong with this)

~~~
rconti
These self-congratulatory articles are always a bit off-putting. I'm not sure
if they're meant as a humblebrag, or what. Yes, we get that all jobs can suck.
Great, you've got savings. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back for doing
what countless billions of people have done in their lives: quit a job. But
don't consider yourself a daredevil for jumping with "only" a 2 year savings
'net'.

~~~
askafriend
Look, it's not an article. It's a personal blog post on his personal website,
that details his _personal_ experience and thought process. He probably
figured it would be useful to other people that might be thinking about
similar things.

It was certainly useful to me.

That's it. We don't need to project out his intentions any further than that.
You're allowed to share your experience and your thought process without it
always being some altruistic "save the starving kids in Africa" type message.

The beautiful thing about the internet and the distribution it provides is
that you can write content for your niche and actually reach those people
fairly easily.

As an extreme example: do you go into Ferrari owner forums and criticize
everyone there for being self-congratulatory and living in too much excess? I
hope not. Leave them alone and let them have fun with their cars.

------
fizwhiz
> Being told something like "you are intrinsically amazing and working here
> proves it" flatters in a deep existential way but also insidiously creates a
> dependence on that validation.

Well that hit home.

~~~
sailfast
Some big consulting firms are also notorious for this kind of flattery. It
comes through in their meetings with clients. Some clients get wide-eyed and
pay them because they're "experts". The smart ones laugh and walk out.

------
dokem
I also quit fb in 2017. A large part was the arrogant attitude shared by many
of my young peers like OP. Another factor was the over-sweetened coolaid. Fb
is not the end-all, be all. It's a great place, sure, but there are smart
teams and people everywhere. I couldn't finish the article.

~~~
pacomerh
This is exactly how I imagine how FB's culture would be, towards the arrogant
side, I would like to be wrong on this though. Would like to see if anyone
else had this experience.

~~~
dokem
There are still many a+ employees who just want to build and learn. Follow the
c++.

------
machbio
"Your legal status in the country does not depend on your continued
employment. If it does, stay away from this train of thought. The destination
is a depressing and harsh realization."

Its sad - but most of us are out at this point..nothing more to add.

~~~
urda
Most? No. There's a lot of workers in our field that are here as non-natives
but they are not the majority group. The majority group are fully fledged
citizens who do not have this issue to deal with.

------
danShumway
I quit my job around two weeks ago (post:
[https://danshumway.com/blog/leaving-
oracle/](https://danshumway.com/blog/leaving-oracle/)). I'm mostly working on
Open Source now, might expand to contracting in the future.

It was not an easy decision to make; I don't know if that's because of the
culture I was in or just because of me. What eventually pushed me was
realizing that it wasn't an all or nothing venture; the most realistic worst
case scenario is that I flesh out my portfolio, learn a bunch of skills, and
then join another company via a better resume.

I disagree about a lot here though. 2 years of income is unnecessarily lavish
for most people. If you've worked at a reputable company for a few years, the
"prestige" will follow you. No one will care if you worked there for 3 years
or 4.

------
trendia
"I will be resigning effective two weeks from now. Let me know what I can do
in the meantime totrain my replacement or otherwise smooth the transition."

Done.

~~~
TheJoYo
IKR, save the bridge burning for the last day so you can all enjoy the blaze.

------
AceJohnny2
> _you have enough savings to last at least two years._

I've always heard it as being 6 months. Especially with his next point
assuming you can certainly find employment.

Or maybe that's what I chose to remember, because I'm lucky enough to work in
a high-employment sector in a region that can't fill enough positions: i.e. my
profile is in high demand.

(... for now. I know)

~~~
caymanjim
Almost no one has enough savings to last two years. It's an absurd metric and
enforces how out of touch the author is. It reads as nothing more than a brag.

Anyone good enough to get hired by Facebook in the first place is going to
have no problem finding a job in two weeks, nevermind two years. Quit, shop
around and burn some savings until you find something good enough. If it's not
your dream job, stick with good enough while you shop around some more.

No one worth working for actually cares about some amount of job-hopping. More
employers care about long gaps than about minor job hopping. Neither is a
showstopper if you find a good destination.

~~~
jogjayr
> Almost no one has enough savings to last two years. It's an absurd metric
> and enforces how out of touch the author is.

You should check out r/financialindependence sometime. A whole community of
people (358k subscribers at present) who would consider that amount table
stakes. I'll admit not all 358k of those subscribers would actually have that
much money but it's still hardly "almost no one".

~~~
wilsonnb
It really is almost no one.

57% of Americans with less than $1000 dollars in their savings account. Only
25% with more than $10,000. What fraction of those with more than $10,000 do
you think have enough to live for two years on it?

[https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/13/how-much-americans-at-
have-i...](https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/13/how-much-americans-at-have-in-
their-savings-accounts.html)

------
delbel
You know, in this day in age you really need to give more then a two weeks
notice. Maybe 6 weeks or more. I've had to fire clients before by giving
notice and I always try to work out the best possible scenario where the least
amount of damage is done. I even had to deal with yelling, screaming, threats
of lawsuits. I always keep my cool and do everything I can to de-escalate the
situation, stay professional, etc and try to minimize damage. Every single
time this has happened I get some kind of contact or letter of appreciation
thanking me for keeping things professional no matter how bad things got. It
just makes me feel better as a person to know that I did everything I could to
minimize potential damages and to seek the best possible scenario.

~~~
wil421
Why would you give companies this kind of consideration? Most will not
certainly hesitate to walk you out the door when times are bad.

I have some friends who have told bosses they and leaving. By the end of the
day they are told to pack their personal belongings and leave.

Two weeks is the law for an employee giving notice. There aren’t many laws
protecting employees especially in Work at will states.

~~~
joezydeco
Where are you located where two weeks' notice is law?

If you are in an "at will" state, the law applies in both directions. Two
weeks is a _professional courtesy_. An employer that is neither deserves
nothing.

~~~
phyzome
I've seen contracts that say both "at will" and "14 days notice required". Not
sure if those are in conflict.

It doesn't really matter, though. Always give 2 weeks notice, as professional
courtesy, but _also_ take any of your fragile or expensive stuff home first.
Depending on your employer, you may not even get a chance to revisit your
desk, and instead may be escorted to the door and met with a box of your
belongings.

(Most employers don't pull that shit, of course, and instead are very happy to
have you tie up loose ends and commit any relevant documentation before you
go.)

~~~
joezydeco
If you are under a contract, then you are under the terms of the contract.

The "at will" we are talking about here are typically employees in US states
that were not offered an employment contract.

You are free to go when you please, just as the employer is free to fire you
at any time (not counting certain protected classes and etc)

------
deckard1
......................

~~~
phyzome
Unemployable after 2 years? In what world?

People take sabbaticals all the time. They raise kids. They start businesses.
They take care of sick family members. They work on personal projects. There
are a _shitload_ of reasons people take time off. And then they pick up at a
new job.

~~~
deckard1
..

~~~
ardit33
I disagree.... I am doing this, and I have friends that did the extended "1
year" \+ holiday/sabbatical, and yes they found jobs fine after it.

------
seajosh
"You have enough savings to last at least two years." \- fuck. me.

~~~
tdeck
I don't understand why you can't just get a new job before quitting the old
one. That's what everyone does.

~~~
lovich
The current style of tech interviews makes it very difficult. A lot of places
have a long interview that you end up burning a whole day on it and you only
have so many vacation and sick days

~~~
tdeck
I agree it's a pain, but I work in the industry and most people I have known
don't quit without another job lined up. Facebook gives 21 vacation days;
Google (relatively stingy) gives 15 or more. Plus you can call in sick (I
don't recommend this but if you're out the door anyway it's an option). I just
don't think it's good practical advice to follow the procedure in this
article.

------
nunez
There is nothing different about quitting a job at a brand name than most
other places except in people asking you "You worked for WHO? WHY?????" And
issues regarding bonuses and stock award vests.

Unless you came to such a company through a visa. Things get harder when the
implication of quitting is "get shipped right back to where you came from."

------
hellllllllooo
2 years of savings is a crazy suggestion. 3-6 months should be fine especially
if you've got top tier company on your resume.

~~~
wil421
Why would you quit before finding a job? I work on a relatively mundane but
desirable platform at a boring megacorp and get hit up by recruiters on
LinkedIn weekly.

~~~
Cofike
Take some time to work on stuff you find interesting? That's been the reason
I've done it so far.

If you are in the financial situation to do it I would recommend. Granted I
work in a location where no one cares if you have a two year gap, let alone a
two month, on your resume.

The real trick is not just bum around the entire time otherwise then yes it
was probably a bad call.

------
boffinism
Oh good lord. If you want to quit a job, quit it. Top tier tech is no
different to anything else. OP should have titled this post "How to not
realise you're having an existential crisis and respond to it by massively
over-complicating a very simple career decision."

~~~
bthornbury
Fundamentally this is true, but bringing yourself to the point where you "just
quit" is quite difficult.

I think you're ignoring a lot of human things like that a lot developers are
quite isolated and working 60+ hours a week. Their social group is quite
likely just their co-workers. Especially for new devs who have relocated.

~~~
Cofike
That's a good point I didn't think about. Assuming you are most likely burning
some midnight oil at a top tech company, you'd be stressed to keep up a social
circle besides your coworkers.

I think that plays a bigger part in it than we are thinking

------
chubot
This is one of those posts that should really be written in the first person,
perhaps titled "How I decided to quit my job at Facebook".

Although I work in the same industry as this person, my point of view couldn't
be more different. None of this is useful to me and I don't know what he is
talking about.

It's presumptuous to assume others share your viewpoint and values. It feels
like he is living in a bubble, which is not an uncommon criticism of Silicon
Valley employees.

------
codingdave
Most people who want to quit, will. It is more a question of when. There are
many valid reasons for sticking around a while -- to try to invoke change,
waiting on vesting, set up your next move, etc. But I have talked to very few
people who, in hindsight, wish they had stayed longer. Most people who quit,
when looking back... they wonder why they ever stayed so long in the first
place.

------
southphillyman
The article is blocked for me, but writing a blog about why you quit and what
you plan to do next seems to be pretty effective. Any insider blog or article
about FANG seems to do well, but one's which describe why a person DOES NOT
want to work there have increased likelihood of going viral. I'm sure those
writers get flooded immediately by recruiters and the like.

~~~
phyzome
Does this work for you? [https://archive.fo/4XcXQ](https://archive.fo/4XcXQ)

~~~
southphillyman
Thank you kindly, sir

------
kolpa
Why is it untenable to want to quit a job? If you want to quit a job (or make
any other life choice), and you can afford it, go for it.

~~~
scribu
The article isn’t talking about someone quiting just any old job, but about
the situation in which they believe they already have one of the best possible
jobs in the industry.

In such a case, I imagine it’s easy to keep putting it off, precisely because
you can’t think of a better scenario for yourself.

~~~
magic_beans
The person at at top-tier company who can't think of a better scenario AND has
two years of savings seems to have no imagination or desire to enjoy life in
any way...

------
soneca
For some reason, I was so sure it was a sarcastic post, that while clicking to
read it I was already half-smiling imagining the first topic would be:

\- _" First, make sure you write a public post announcing to the world that
you quit Facebook/Google. What's the point of quiting if you can't tell
anyone??"_

Imagine how disappointed I was.

------
tradedash
Quitting a top tier tech job isn't the difficult part. The difficult part is
figuring out what to do next.

I quit my job as a Head of R&D for a major tech/publishing company and started
[https://tradedash.io](https://tradedash.io) (crypto desktop trading platform)
with an old friend of mine who also quit his job as one of the first employees
in a major fintech unicorn. For both of us, it was hands down the best
decision we've ever made career wise.

For years we were depressed, working jobs that we didnt value only for nothing
other than the money and stability. Even though I make a whole lot less today,
I haven't had a single night where I don't sleep like a baby. Quitting our
jobs was the easy part once we figured out what it is that we wanted to do.

For anyone looking to quit their job: figure out what to do next. Once you
know what you want to do, everything else will become much easier.

~~~
paulie_a
Because the author is delusional and thinks people actually give a shit about
their "top tier" company...which most likely just sold ads on the internet.

~~~
askafriend
I think my comment in this link applies to your comment as well:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16711642](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16711642)

Is this person not allowed to put his own thoughts down on his own personal
website? It's not like he's getting on CNN and preaching.

~~~
paulie_a
My comment was mostly in regards to the snobbiness of the "top tier" aspect.
The person is free to explain his decision to leaving a job of course, but the
bragging is just sad.

~~~
askafriend
I think that's fair. Either way people don't need to be so unnecessarily
harsh. It was pretty clear OP didn't intend anything particularly harmful. It
was probably just naivety or a lack of self-awareness...but people are talking
in here about it as if it were pure evil.

------
em3rgent0rdr
> "I stopped having a career vision for myself for the last year or so of my
> tenure at Facebook, for no particular reason."

Author cites "career vision" as motivation for leaving, but why no moral
qualms about working at Facebook?

------
sizzzzlerz
Beyond 2 years salary in savings, one should also factor in the cost of
medical insurance. One bad accident or illness will eat that savings account
in a heartbeat.

~~~
Cofike
The two year salary metric is very strange in my opinion. I've quit jobs and
taken time off without anywhere near two years of savings.

------
jonjojr
How to Quit? really?

"Hey Jerry, got a min? Look, I don't think this is working out. Here is my
letter of resignation, and my two week notice. Thank you."

Done!

How hard is that to do? There is nothing holding you in chain in that job
unless you are actually being held in chain in that job, at which point you
should seriously analyze your life choices.

~~~
CiPHPerCoder
> and my two week notice

That might not be a good idea to give.

~~~
coastal-fiesta
What makes you say that?

~~~
bacongobbler
2 weeks is the norm for regular jobs, but top tech companies are really
struggling to fill top talent spots these days. While it is perfectly legal to
give only 2 weeks notice, it's normally better to ask your manager how much
time they'd reasonably need to fill your position, then have a conversation.

So, I'd re-phrase the original conversation as

"Hey Jerry, got a minute? Look, I don't think this is working out. I intend to
give you a letter of resignation by the end of the day, but I want to discuss
how much time you'd need to reasonably fill my position before I give my
notice."

Then again, if you

1\. hate your job, or

2\. your manager is being unreasonable about how much time they need to fill
that position, or

3\. don't care about burning your bridges

Then go right ahead and give 2 weeks notice. It's up to you to decide how you
want to frame the conversation.

~~~
vonmoltke
> top tech companies are really struggling to fill top talent spots these days

Maybe they should do something about their interview false negative rate then.

------
ben509
> If your company's reputation can widen the eyes of everybody you meet when
> they learn where you work, your company has given you a very powerful perk.

But you worked at FB, so everyone knows you're just a PHP monkey. j/k

~~~
paulie_a
To be fair, in my eyes working at Facebook is now a red flag.

------
ravensremix
Relevant XKCD?

[https://xkcd.com/1768/](https://xkcd.com/1768/)

I was able to bide my time and leave at just the right time.

------
matte_black
I find the only people whose eyes go wide almost popping out of their head are
younger people just entering the workforce whom may have never met someone who
works at a big company whose products they use everyday (or recruiters I
guess). It's like you're a celebrity to them. Hell, some of these kids used to
get pumped when I was telling them I was merely heading to some Apple
conference or Google I/O.

No one with experience in the industry gives two shits even if you worked at
Facebook, Google and Apple, because they have no illusions about what it means
to work there or what it must say about you.

~~~
dandr01d
Speak for yourself. I would definitely give a shit if someone who applied to
my theoretical company worked at a top-tier company.

~~~
pathseeker
Do so at your own peril. Google is approaching 100,000 employees. The vast
majority do boring data pipelines for CRUD apps.

Top-tier company != top-tier employees.

~~~
aje403
You're forgetting they all read all the way through cracking the code
interview, the most difficult math book in history.

~~~
mandeepj
> the most difficult math book in history

It is not a math book rather more of a puzzle book. On a side note - it's full
of mistakes (your experience may vary though)

If you like to see difficult math then please try to apply for a self-driving
car engineer's job.

~~~
andbberger
_whoosh_

Pretty sure the prize for 'most difficult math book in history' goes to Dummit
and Foote's ponderous tome, _Abstract Algebra_.

