The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
Please vote in the Forum Structure Poll. Polling will close at 2PM EST on January 21, 2025.
Hate my job, got another offer
Killgrimage
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
My situation is thus: I've been at my current job at a large stable company for almost three years. I've been absolutely loathing it for about 2 years because of things like scheduling and general asshattery. For example, my hours for a good three months were Monday: 10 pm to 8 am (tuesday). Tuesday same as Monday. Wednesday same as Tuesday. Friday 8 am to 4 pm. Weekend work was required every weekend. Lately, I've been doing 2 pm to 11 pm, giving up only my Sundays, with the occasional 20 hour shift thrown in for good measure. I'm salaried with no extra benefits. My market anchor is low for someone on call 24/7 or working generally odd hours. I am extremely good at what I do.
I have a baby on the way, due in July. I really do want to see my baby, so I've been seeking other opportunities. I have an opportunity, but it has a lot of catches. I have a nice suburban commute, about 20 minutes right now. This new position is in the city, about an hour. It is a small start up, I would be employee #4. The offer they made me is more than I make right now, but only just enough to cover the extra gas it will take me to get into the city. They've offered me better benefits in terms of health insurance. And they've offered me a stake in the company. The company is worth $20M and I would get a 0.5% stake. They've got funding for two years, an existing product, and a large pipeline of potential products. They've also got a lot of partnerships with big companies. I don't know much about where the company wants to go, and seems like they might want to stay small and wait to be bought out. I also hear that startups are a lot of work. I would require a little training.
My current company doesn't want to lose me and has offered to match whatever offer I get. They also promised to be better about hours, but I've heard this song and dance before. I've been hearing it for two years, so I think it is BS.
For reference, the industry is biotech in nature. Also, I am Killgrimage's husband, not Kill herself. Posted with permission.
tl;dr My dilemma: Do I stay with the evil I know, maybe get a little pay boostie, or do I go with something that I can almost guarantee will give more job satisfaction for a little more aggravation in commute and a lot more risk?
I have a baby on the way, due in July. I really do want to see my baby, so I've been seeking other opportunities. I have an opportunity, but it has a lot of catches. I have a nice suburban commute, about 20 minutes right now. This new position is in the city, about an hour. It is a small start up, I would be employee #4. The offer they made me is more than I make right now, but only just enough to cover the extra gas it will take me to get into the city. They've offered me better benefits in terms of health insurance. And they've offered me a stake in the company. The company is worth $20M and I would get a 0.5% stake. They've got funding for two years, an existing product, and a large pipeline of potential products. They've also got a lot of partnerships with big companies. I don't know much about where the company wants to go, and seems like they might want to stay small and wait to be bought out. I also hear that startups are a lot of work. I would require a little training.
My current company doesn't want to lose me and has offered to match whatever offer I get. They also promised to be better about hours, but I've heard this song and dance before. I've been hearing it for two years, so I think it is BS.
For reference, the industry is biotech in nature. Also, I am Killgrimage's husband, not Kill herself. Posted with permission.
tl;dr My dilemma: Do I stay with the evil I know, maybe get a little pay boostie, or do I go with something that I can almost guarantee will give more job satisfaction for a little more aggravation in commute and a lot more risk?
Killgrimage on
0
Posts
I would say that all other things more or less evening out, your real dilemma here is hours vs. stability.
Your hours right now are - let's face it - shitty. Especially with a new baby on the way, soon to be here.
Losing your new job because the company is less than stable is also shitty. Especially with a new baby on the way, soon to be here.
What does Killgrimage think?
I don't see why you wouldn't tell them to F off other than job security at the moment.
That way nobody can say otherwise.
If I had to call it like it is right now I would say take the new job.
It might start off slow but you never know.
3DS FC: 5343-7720-0490
In their mind, rightly or wrongly, you're no longer a "team player." It is what it is- once you tell your current employer you're thinking of leaving, you're basically gone in their mind and their goal is to try and avoid disrupting their operations.
You should have mulled your options over and only told your current employer about the new job when/if it came time to give your 2 weeks notice. At this point, taking the new job is the best option for you, long-term.
Rigorous Scholarship
Anyone have any experience with getting employed with a startup? Is it a wise-ish move? They seem pretty lucrative...but then again, they would try to spin it that way.
It can also be the complete polar opposite. They're expecting your expertise to guide their success. Not all of them need long hours to be successful, but they need people that know their stuff to get them off the ground. If it's already a semi-successful startup it's just a matter of keep doing what you're doing and expanding.
My experience has been with startups that are in the process of succeeding but someone fucks up and it causes it to fail so, take it for what it is. Also, protip to you or anyone, never lie to your customers and then blame it on your coworkers when they catch you. So much hate for people that do that.
I would use this as leverage to change your hours and salary with your current employer, especially with a chillun on the way
It's going to depend a lot on how far along the idea is for the startup. That being said, from talking to people who've worked at start ups, they're pretty much what they seem to be.
1. You will have a lot of work to do. Sometimes this means working all the time, sometimes this means you need to work at a much faster pace than usual. Just for reference I have a friend working at a startup now and he is currently on day 40 of straight work (i.e. he worked 40 days without taking a day off). Which has been pretty normal for him; but his company is still in the earlier development stages, which means they need results to keep the money coming in.
2. Of the few people I have talked to, all of them have made more money at the startup than the would have with a similar type position at a standard company. That being said, if my friends startup loses funding he will have worked his ass off for essentially the same pay he could have made working much less somewhere else.
/anecdotal advice
It depends too, it sounds like the startup company is producing results and probably doesn't need someone chugging 15 hours a day on it like your normal startup does.
Be weary, of course, but it sounds like startup is being used to describe "relatively new successful and expanding company" rather than "3 of us are getting together to make software, want in?"
Startups always require more than 40 hours. Also, be wary of the company being "worth" 20 million and being valuated at 20 million by the investors. One means they actually have money, the other means they might possibly garner the stake holders that money in a buyout.
O_o
Yeah maybe if you're the CEO. This is clearly not the case for every start up. Some people work smarter not harder (or longer). I've known a few successful start ups that took little more than 4-5 hours of work over the course of a week, anecdotes be anecdotes. If the company is willing to hire him for 9-5, then, well, tough luck on them if they want to make him work 9am-midnight.
Regardless, it seems to me like a no brainer to go to the new company. Working a job you absolutely despise is one of the worst things you can do.
https://medium.com/@alascii
This and also, I had to re-read what you said for your current hours, because I didn't catch the overnights and swings on the first go. Your current schedule sucks flatulent asshole dude. You prolly wont be sleeping for a year after your baby comes anyway, but those shifts are just going to make everything way worse. Even longer hours in general would be better than trying to survive with that ugly mess.
It's a risk, but you said its going to be solid for two years? That's a while, and although there is risk, the payoff could be exceptional. At worst it's something pretty cool to have on a resume.
You pretty much have to go with the new one now. Rule #1 in changing jobs is you don't breathe a word to your current place until an offer letter is in hand.
I'd take it the new gig an start looking for a more stable, 8-5 thing after 6 months if not sooner.
Thanks guys, I have decided to take the new job. It might not be much more money, but it's a lot better opportunity and with lots of space to grow.
Is this company your only experience?
I've interviewed lots of people, and I don't bat an eye if people ask that you not contact their current employer as a reference. I have to imagine it's the same in HR, but maybe not.