Ask HN: Career advice for junior, do I wait for perfect job to job hop? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Career advice for junior, do I wait for perfect job to job hop?

4 points3a2d294 comments

Hello all,

Currently debating my first job hop as a software engineer. Through some different pacing of job interviews (and the hiring freezes), I am in a situation and I am not sure whats the best path forward.

I have an offer that I really like. Great pay increase, hiring manager seems great, in a city I really want to move to. The only downside is its a generic Java Backend role (which is what my first job it). Its not bad, because I do enjoy backend work, but I have been really interested in moving into low level programming. I've wanted to try getting a job working in C/C++/Rust and on OS stuff or low level cloud stuff.

I currently have a chill job and I could turn this offer down and keep applying to jobs in hopes of getting everything I want + also the low level aspect, but I don't know if I am gonna regret turning down an offer that basically has everything just because I want to keep searching.

It is not like I am unemployed so I have no real reason to jump ship, but I am not payed well now and live in the middle of no where. I can tolerate it in the short term, but I don't want to spend another 6+ months here. I want a new job relatively soon.

EDIT: I guess my question is, is it a good idea to try and wait? I am a bit inexperienced (1.5 YOE) and I work at a bank not an actual tech company, while the offer is a tech company. So should I go there first as a stepping stone? Then go for the ideal job once I have more experience?

The sad reality is that you will need to switch jobs lots of times in this industry just to get your compensation to where it needs to be. There is no other way to do it.

Don't worry about it though. I found my "dream job" a few years out of school, then again a few years later for double the money, then again a few years later for double again, and again at around 10X the total comp from that first one. Trust that it'll keep getting better, and go.

Another important point is to make sure you always work for a Profit Center and never for Cost Centers. That is, build the product that brings in the revenue. Never build tools for the accounting department.

If you pay attention to developers talking about the industry here, you'll notice that some see software as a miserable place where you get taken advantage of and treated as a replaceable cog. Others see it as an amazing gig where people are constantly fighting to pay you more money to build cooler stuff. Dig a bit and you'll see that those two camps are pretty clearly split along that Profit Center/Cost Center axis. Make sure you get yourself on the right side of it as early as possible.

Good luck!

If it’s hard to find a job doing what you want with only a Java role on your resume, then it’s not going to be any easier with two Java roles on your resume. In fact it may be harder for you to want to leave if the new job pays better. This isn’t to say it will be impossible, but you have to have a plan to get where you want to go.

To me a more important question would be, how are you planning to get the experience you need to move into that area if your day job can’t / won’t provide it?

Have you looked for Java backend roles at companies that also work on the lower level stuff you’re interested in? Moving between job areas is sometimes easier when you’re moving within the same company.

I would say that if we invest the first few years building a solid skillset base, possibly with a reputed company, we can get what we want later and then they may not be any stopping.

As a junior, most jobs on the market will be rather crappy. Take what you can at first. You can be picky at a "senior" level.

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