This post is a combination of a rant, advice and self reflection. I have recently been given some terrible advice, that is, I should stick to my current job to further my career (full context coming further in the post) and I just couldn't scratch the itch that there was something wrong with this way of thinking.
The advice comes from my mother who by all accounts is a wonderful person, she has her issues but she means well. The thing is that I come from a family of immigrants and when my parents first came to this country, they kind of had no choice but to grind it out due to a variety of factors. I however am not in that position and I fully recognized I am privilege in that sense (which makes me sad for my parents).
To give some background on my career, I am a software developer. I went to a low cost city college, got my computer science degree, went to a bootcamp and finally started my career. As many know, being a software developer in America brings in good money but for my first Company (lets call them company A), I got paid far low the average comp sci salary. I was okay with this because I just needed something to get me into the door. The real problem came from that this was a consulting company and I had to move out of the city I grew up in and go wherever the next client was. Some people may have liked this and I did for a time but I began to miss my friends and family. So I started looking for another job back in my city.
So I got a job at company B and even increased my salary by a third! Fun fact, Company A tried to keep me by offering me a fucking test for the CHANCE to raise my salary and a title change, what a fucking joke, the salary change was also fucking pathetic. Anyways, I worked in Company B and by all means it wasn't bad. I struggled early on but that struggle kind of force me to recognized that I will not know everything and that was okay as long as I took the time and effort to teach myself. The problem I had with this company was that I did not care about the work I was doing at all, half of the time I was doing nothing and when I was working, I did not really care about the end product. Not to mention I had to deal with an obnoxious know it all with an attitude, although he eventually left for another team. So here was when I had a choice, to stay with Company B and earn my way up or look for something else. My mother gave me the same advice as I mentioned before, stay with the company because if I leave then I have to basically start all over to further my career but I was not happy here so I followed my feelings to look for something else.
Finally I come to Company C, who were a lot smaller than Company B (a fortune 500 company) but it was a nice change of pace. Another fun fact, Company B asked me what it would take to keep me and I wouldn't have mind a nice salary bump but I couldn't say that right? Not after I had ALREADY emailed my boss about wanting a salary raise and he basically ignore me. They just asked for me to stay for a title change and nothing more, fuck that especially after another big salary increase from the Company C. ANYWAYS… Company C had a fuck ton of issues, right away I knew management were disorganized and no direction, plus the role they hired me for disappeared as their pivoted their core focus to something else so now I was force to work in a set of technologies that I had no experience with. But I stuck it out because I felt uncomfortable looking for something new right away. But here there was something different. My boss was fucking amazing. He welcome me with open arms and was very chill, kind and funny. He recognized the position I was in and eased me into the company and the role. Unfortunately it was not enough for me, I did not enjoy the work. I was hired during the beginning of the pandemic and I made up my mind to leave at the start of the new year but in the meantime, my boss and I got along pretty well and we had some good laughs. He also had nothing but praised for me, constantly encouraging me and my work. I would also find out later just how much he talked me up to other people. I knew by this point I was pretty adequate at my job after seeing other people code but my boss thought I was amazing apparently.
But then at the beginning of the new year, things started to changed…for the better. Company C got a pretty solid investment and it's entire direction pivoted (again). I no longer worked on that thing that I had no experienced in, I got to choose the tech I wanted to work in as long as it was used to for our new direction. We started hiring, like crazy. New people were joining, like really good people, like really really good, kind, smart people. New teams were being created for our goals. We got new leadership and our entire culture changed. It felt like a startup but with the capital to fully fund themselves to not fail. And the craziest part of this? My boss recommended me to lead one our new teams! I was terrified and I debated this considerably but I had already knew at this point that if doing something made me uncomfortable, then that was when I had to do it, so I did it. I not only became the tech lead of our team but I got a title change to Senior Software Engineer AND a salary increase. That's how you fucking do it company A & B. Anyways, things continue, more people got hired, I got to experience lots of new things, got travel to meet people, go to conferences, learned a fuck ton and I was finally working on things that I like! That I was passionate about! And best of all, I absolutely loved the people I worked with! Even got to refer a friend. I had everything I could have ever wanted along with an advancement in my career. I know we generally don't like bosses around here but I owe my boss for everything good that has happened during my team in Company C. But of course, nothing good can last forever.
I am sure many of you already know of all the recent tech layoffs right? Company C was not immune from this. Half of the wonderful people that I got to work with got laid off. My friend who I referred got laid off and of course, the person who I owe half of my career to, got laid off. My boss loved this company, he worked there for 5+ years but Company C didn't care. This affected me, it felt like a betrayal to everything I have worked on thus far. I wanted to quit but the VP of my company's Software Engineering Division reached out to me. My work was got noticed, the praise I was getting made its ways to people. The VP asked me where I want to take my career. I was kind of stunned here. I have the chance to get a new title with a better salary right? I can be a manager, an engineer with an even higher title, or something entirely different. But how can I stay here after everything that has happened?
Finally we come to what my mom has said. I told her what happened and my thoughts about leaving Company C and what the VP told me. She told me to stay in order to further my career and get better opportunities but this was all so conflicting. Then I self reflected on my entire career. Grinding for company does not get you noticed. I had the same thought about Company A, about staying there to further my career but I chose my own happiness over that and got a better position at Company B. My mom offered this same advice for me when I was debating to leave Company B but if I stayed in Company B then I would have never been in the position I am now with the experience and knowledge that I have now. This was all due to my boss, by noticing me, encouraging me and giving me a chance to prove myself I was able to succeed further than I ever would had on my own or by some other bosses who can't seem to get the fucking hint that I wanted a salary bump.
So fuck you Company C, you never had my loyalty and you fired the one person who ever did have it, other than some close friends and family of course. I know how important I am to our current initiatives and without me you'll struggle like hell. That's why the VP reached out to me and that's why they are offering me a chance at a promotion, not out of respect but out of concern. My previous boss was the only one who actually wanted to see me grow and he was the only one that actually gave me that opportunity.
I don't know who will actually read this but if you do, but TL/DR;
don't grind at one company hoping for a promotion or a way to further your career. They do not care about you, instead keep switching jobs until you find a boss/manager that actually wants to see you succeed. That is the only way you can really grow in your career
Sorry for the really long post, this was mostly me just wanting a place to write my thoughts