
Ask HN: I quit my job. Need advice - rajeshmr
Dear HN&#x27;ers,<p>I have quit my job last week. I work in a typical MNC and the corporate culture just took the soul out of me and i decided i got to take a decision to take back control of my life. There was simply no plan B for me. I decided its now or never.<p>What 8 years of IT experience has shown me is that you are constantly thrown at the hottest problem &#x2F; issue and asked to resolve them. Rarely did i feel the sense of accomplishment and i didn&#x27;t feel that under such pressure to deliver there was any scope for mastery of a subject. Everyone has just 24 hours in a day, and all the time was taken up by the job + commute + daily grind. Not complaining as such, but i had to face the truth.<p>Shallow work was prevalent everywhere, and no scope for solid work. It left a void in me, and i crave fulfillment.<p>What i wish to do is instead search for work instead of a job (i deliberately differentiate here). Currently i can manage to stay afloat for 3 months with the savings i have. So any guidance on how i could make this time fruitful would be highly appreciated and i would be thankful. I would also appreciate any guidance on how to design my career and work life so i wouldn&#x27;t find myself facing this again.<p>i have worked on linux (have basic sysadmin skills) + shell + perl + python ( actively learning currently ).<p>PS : I have self-taught all i know about  development.
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mindcrime
My advice (which I'm sure some others will disagree with) is this:

Don't look to your job for any kind of fulfillment or satisfaction, unless
your job is your own company and you're doing something you're passionate
about. Otherwise, be a complete mercenary and treat your job as nothing more
than a way to keep the rent paid, the lights on, and food on the table. Then
find ways to achieve fulfillment or whatever it is you're looking for, outside
of work.

Maybe that means volunteering at a soup kitchen, maybe it means working on a
startup as a side project, or maybe it means playing video games every hour
you're not at work. Whatever, it's up to you. The point is, take control of
finding whatever meaning it is you want to find in life, and don't let it be
all commingled with your job.

Ultimately you may decide you don't even want a "normal job" at all. Maybe you
will decide to freelance. Maybe you're meant to be an entrepreneur and run
some kind of business, or possibly multiple businesses. Maybe you want to go
all Tim Ferris "four hour work week" and move to Thailand or something. One
thing that will help you maintain maximum flexibility is to avoid things like
a mortgage payment, car payment, etc. If you already have those things then
you'll have to deal with them, but if you don't, consider _not_ buying a new
car, or a house, etc. until you have things figured out. It'll be easier to up
and move, or make other dramatic changes without those encumbrances.

Some people will say to choose startups over a big MNC, but I find that
startups can be worse in many ways (again, unless it's _your own_ startup).
Work hours may be more demanding, there may be more stress, etc... OTOH, if
you accept my position about being very mercenary towards work, you can often
find a boring position at a stodgy large company, where you can "punch the
clock" for pretty much exactly 40 hours a week, do relatively boring /
undemanding work, get paid a decent salary, and - most importantly - reserve
as much of your energy (mental, psychic, spiritual, or whatever you want to
call it) for your own initiatives outside of work.

~~~
panic
I think you're right, but I also think it's a shame. Large companies produce
most of the things making up our modern world. I'd rather these things be
built with passion than as a side-effect of people trying to make money.

~~~
taway_1212
I think it's a pure fantasy that most people can be passionate about their
jobs.

~~~
rajeshmr
True, passion may not be everything - there are aspects of work which are the
boring and mundane. But mastery is another goal. In our tech industry, before
you hit mastery the next big thing catches on..and before you know it everyone
is running after it.

I really like the approach of some companies which evaluate their tech stack
and only transition to other technologies in a phased manner.

------
taway_1212
I agree about your assesment of programming jobs. We are mostly replaceable
cogs and means to an end. We're only getting paid so much because this job is
so unpleasant and most people would rather make 2-3x less than learn to
program and spend most of their life sitting in front of a screen going
through code bases.

My personal answer to that was to start learning to draw. Getting from zero
art skills to professional artist is a super-long journey (at least 5-10 years
from what I'm reading), but at least it gives me hope.

~~~
rajeshmr
Very true - we are treated like a replaceable cog. We all have a craving to
feel important. But i think i personally dislike the language in the industry
- resource. I am a human being for god's sake not a 'resource'. I have
feelings and emotions and i wanna feel like a human,not a number. Also, i
noticed non-tech people seem to be into management - they simply dont
understand software. This causes part of the frustration. They seem to think,
you can replace one person with another and the machinery would work fine - it
wont. on top of it, they are the one planning unreasonable timelines too.

~~~
cholantesh
Resource/resourcing seems to be verbiage employed in corporate circles in
general, and yeah, it makes me wince.

Practically every non-technologist that I know is baffled that I don't want to
go into management. There are exceptions - as I work in finance, I get to talk
to many analysts and portfolio managers. Everyone else though...it seems like
if you view being a technologist as anything other than a means to an end -
the end being some form of management - you lack ambition or are content to be
a grunt.

------
jason_slack
About 7 years ago, I had a technology job that was sucking the life out of me.
I started to push back and they fired me. This was good because I could get
unemployment.

I spent 6 months on unemployment looking for jobs that I would care about and
something that would let me lead a less stressful life.

After the unemployment ran out I started working at a Starbucks.

This was a life saver.

It was fast paced. They were always changing some process. It taught me to be
flexible and roll with whatever. I got to talk with customers everyday. I
could be making coffee and look down the whole line of people, out the door,
and know each and every drink to make. I worked hard, but it was fun.

A customer that I would see daily offered me a job after a year at Starbucks.
I still have this job. It has allowed me to move to a happier state where I
live on a lake and life isn't so faced paced.

~~~
rajeshmr
Nice to know :) At the end of the day you should feel happy. Only then you
will be a happy dad / happy son / happy neighbour / a happy member of the
society. which is very important in the larger scheme of things. :)

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dbrunton
Do something completely different, and start immediately. Maybe it's working
in a coffee shop, maybe it's laboring on a farm, maybe it's teaching a pottery
class or bagging groceries. But it's something that provides some amount of
income, and it provides you a needed break from development.

I promise you'll think more clearly about it once you've done this. Don't plan
your next step after this second one (the first being, y'know, quitting).
After step two, step three will come to you.

~~~
rajeshmr
well said, i too wanna take it one step at a time.Hope the universe takes care
of me.

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alando46
Hey great job and congratulations on making the leap! Sometimes it can be hard
and scary to know what the right path is, but usually the first step is making
a change to get off of the wrong path. Step 1 complete!

I'd consider taking a short break from programming if I were you. Why not get
a temporary job as a river guide or something outdoors? Maybe go on a long
backpacking trip or do some other kind of adventure. After getting crushed by
years of corporate culture, I'm sure your soul could use a little fun and
adventure to reinvigorate and recharge itself! In my experience, (I'm a
software engineer engineer) the perspective gained from taking a temporary
break and trying something completely different (that maybe puts you a little
out of your comfort zone) can drastically improve overall
confidence/happiness/wellbeing much more than any minor resume addition. Take
a moment to emotionally regroup before you charge back into career life!

Seek adventure!

~~~
rajeshmr
Very well said and thank you. Yes, i am thinking on those lines too. need some
breather time. Cant keep running all life. :)

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JSeymourATL
> any guidance on how to design my career and work life...

You might find of interest this recent book on Designing Your Life by two
Stanford professors-

Here's a podcast interview with the authors, to give you a flavor of what it's
about > [http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2016-10-03/using-design-
th...](http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2016-10-03/using-design-theory-to-
build-a-better-life)

Also, NY Times review > [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/fashion/design-
thinking-s...](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/fashion/design-thinking-
stanford-silicon-valley.html?_r=0)

And - Goodreads reviews here >
[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26046333-designing-
your-l...](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26046333-designing-your-life)

~~~
rajeshmr
Thanks for sharing the book.. Looks interesting.. shall check it out..:)

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ak39
Job and other tips I learned the hard way (still making some mistakes):

Rule #1: Negotiate from a position of strength.

Fact #1: We tend to negotiate badly when we are desperate. Human nature.

Fact #2: Desperation is a state of mind. You can really be in dire
circumstances but keep a calm mind. This can be learned. I know stoic folks
who are cool as ice when negotiating at the precipice of existence! Super men!
(This is where I fail many times.)

Fact #3: (Certainly my experience) When we quit one job summarily without
alternative options already lined up, we are likely to create a desperate
mindset. It creeps into our attitude and plants the seeds for exploitation.
Avoid this as a rule no matter how shitty things get. Plan B first, then quit.

My advice to you is find another job but don't expect it to be better. Plan
your Plan B while there.

Best of luck, bro/sis. Employers can be ruthless sometimes.

I would take some time during the next job seeking stage to do stuff I like.
Travel? Perspective comes with distance.

~~~
rajeshmr
Woah Bro! :) That was awesome advice. I am aware of the desperation that sets
in when we don't have a plan B. But I am resisting such a state of mind. I
believe sometimes when you let go, your mind calms down and starts facing the
facts.

Same here, would love to travel and take a break. :) For now as you have said,
would take up another job and start planning my exit from the rat race. :)
Hope I will get my ticket soon :)

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fooledrand
Won't you be serving notice period for 2 months? For the satisfaction you are
looking for, it will come from deep knowledge of a specific topic. If you are
say interested in Data Analytics look for companies in data analytics, read
their job description and skill set they require. Approach them (works best if
you know someone to refer you) demonstrate the skills you have through some
project. The project need not be perfect but should reflect the maturity of
its age.

~~~
rajeshmr
Yes I have notice period but i might leave earlier (still unsure). Exactly,
interview screening is broken and the best way currently seems to be through
referrals.

Indeed I would like to have deep knowledge on a subject. I am learning and
working on some topics of interest. As u have suggested will try to build and
showcase some projects. :)

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sharemywin
get into some online class now that you have the time.

start putting your resume out as soon as you can. start finding a away to cut
expenses and build more runway next time.

maybe look into something closer and/or a startup which is more fires and
chaos at 75% of the pay but has an easier line of sight to "changing the
world"

~~~
rajeshmr
> start putting your resume out as soon as you can

i feel the interview process is broken too. this causes me pain just to think
about it. but then we all face the same situation so i ll put up with it and
as you suggested gotta take classes and make myself more relevant.

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everybodyknows
Python is a great language, but three months isn't much time to become
proficient and find work. You'll need to hit it hard. One way to build your
resume would be to find a Python-based project on github, and submit a bug
fix. Good luck!

~~~
eb0la
A good way to prove yourself are hackatons and programming contests. Why?
because you have a clear deadline not set by you.

Hope this helps

------
rajeshmr
Thanks to all of you for taking your time off to advice. I really appreciate
it. I hope things would turn out to be ok.

Please keep in touch.

