Ask HN: Should I quit the well paying job that I hate | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Should I quit the well paying job that I hate

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I am working at a late stage startup with good compensation and the stock payout would be pretty good if it could exit. The problem is I find my job to be boring and unfulfilling. I don't think I learnt much over the past year. Now I am almost depressed after days after days' bug fixing (mostly) and some uninspiring tasks.

I need two more years for the stock to be fully vested. Now I am thinking if I should quit so at least I could find another startup at least I could have interesting work to do.

Would love to hear what you guys thought! Thanks!

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Check your options before quitting. Go to a few interviews. Tell friends you might be free for offers. Stop ignoring recruiters on linkedin. Make an educated decision between real options, not between a real option and a hypothetical option.

Fixing bugs is part of the job anywhere. Sure, starting something new is fun - but getting something to be scalable and reliable is just as challenging.

Can you improve your work conditions at your current job? Can you initiate new and exciting tasks? Can you identify problems your company is dealing with? can you come up with unique ways to solve them?

Be proactive with your career, or you'll always find yourself ending up depressed with the job. Early stage, late stage or corporate.

Does the position you're holding now prioritize a proper work/life balance? If so, the position might be a good investment of your daylight hours while you sharpen your technical talents (and others) at night.

My suggestion: if the position lets you and if it's sufficiently well compensated, hold that gig while you work on yourself and tackle personally fulfilling and challenging technical hobbies. Outside all of that, keep your CV etc. polished and keep a low level job hunt going just in case you come across something equally as rewarding on the compensation front as it is on the technical front.

Could you provide a bit more information? The information is not really enough to give a properly founded advice. Some examples that show you what I mean:

- Do you depend on the money for e.g. Mortgage and be 100% sure to keep the house?

- Do you hate your job so much you get so depressed you don't get up in the morning or see friends?

- Do you work in a large company where you can change jobs within the company?

- Do you just hate your job because of the boring software tasks you currently have but if you switch want to work for a big company? (All big companies have these tasks sooner or later for a period of time).

- etc.

More information on your current situation and type of company would help or else this becomes a large thread about people who like to take risks vs those who take less (or don't).

The only real reason the answer should be "no" is if you'd go to jail if you couldn't make $X K /month. Life is too short to spend it hating your job.

But you may have a gap while you look for other jobs. Plan to fill that out. It will get stressful, you might have to lose your current residence.

Life might be a little bit more exciting quitting your job, but you'll have different problems to deal with. If you're adaptable, then why haven't you adapted already?

> Now I am almost depressed after days after days' bug fixing (mostly) and some uninspiring tasks.

How much are you working? Are you doing the normal startup hours?

The only time I've personally had a problem with this is when I'm working > 6hrs (real productivity) a day.

Maybe you can make some adjustments that will bring you back up to enjoyment levels?

If you feel comfortable, speak to your management? Maybe they can give you a task that is more challenging.

> The problem is I find my job to be boring and unfulfilling. I don't think I learnt much over the past year.

Changing companies & jobs is fairly easy. Relative to your problem-- exactly what kind of effort have you put into your personal/professional growth?

On this subject Marshall Goldsmith has some masterful advice > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LInGemfSBZU

As long as you have an option when you leave (another job) I say go for it. People always think this sounds a bit...grim.. but you're going to die anyways. You should enjoy your life. Making sure you have a safety net is a good idea, but 2 years is a lot of your life. If you have the option, head out, get a job you enjoy, or at least enjoy the adventure.

Did you have early exercise of your options? Otherwise you may consider the tax impact of leaving the company and having to exercise. Can you afford it? Does it matter to you?

If you have free time outside of work, and you enjoy learning, I would suggest starting a side project in something that interests you. You can build a new skill, and you will have something that drives you.

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