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Comment by sillysaurusx | Hacker News Reader

OP, there's a lot of wisdom in this comment. I suspect you might be 20-something instead of 30-something, and in hindsight I wish I'd relaxed more. And I especially wish I'd learned to play the politics game, or at least pay attention to it. Your alliances will make or break your career at BigCo. You should make sure that your manager feels like you're directly advancing their career, not just yours.

I suggest channeling your ambition into your own projects, hobbies, and interests. If I'd spent more time making my own game engine rather than working on theirs, I'd still have it today.

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OP, I’m also a twenty something that moved from a fast paced start-up to a Behemoth.

It’s been 7 months so far and throughout the first 6 months, I have fought and resisted how BigCo operates—it left me tired and even more miserable. Within the last month however, I have stumbled across the same advice as has been given by the wise members above. This advice is invaluable, accept that within these organisations a lot is outside of your control. Rather, focus on projects, learning and hobbies outside of your work that bring you joy.

If your feelings remain unchanged within a couple of months to a year then consider making a change to another Co. Good or bad, these experiences are invaluable in helping us to decide on how we wish to pursue our careers.

Early in my career, I wasted way too much energy and emotion getting upset about things that I probably couldn't change and just didn't matter. I'm not talking about just going with the flow on everything! But I did get unnecessarily upset and angry at people way more often than I should have.

Do you guys ever think there's more to life than being really really really ridiculously well compensated?

When you have a wife and kids the pressure is on earning. It’s fucking expensive to have a family.

But do both you and your wife have to be at BigCo? Maybe you could take a more flexible, fulfilling job that lets you have more time with the kids while she focuses on money. Break those gender stereotypes?

I will simply not do that

It's expensive to live in the bay area and try to do everything well.

Nobody in my family ever made more than $10/hr growing up. I turned out okay. I think. :)

There is. That's what the ridiculous compensation is funding.

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