I am currently in a back and forth when it comes to my next career move. Looking for some advice if you've experienced the same. I am currently in a "mid level" position where I can grow financially and professionally (albeit slowly) and have an amazing work life. My performance reviews are always very positive, the job security is unbeatable,my manager is supportive and makes my life easy. For many people this is the "dream" job. The pay is OK considering the area. The problem is that the actual work is boring, repetitive and not challenging. It can be very tedious at times. I do not consider myself a "top tier engineer", the work just happens to be easy and I am not trying to brag. I could try negotiating for different work with my manager, but I do not think that I'd be excited about anything he could give me considering how much the domain itself bores me. I am constantly fantasizing about leaving with the ultimate goal of up scaling and ultimately to take more challenging work. But at the same time, it is true that I can stay here and take it easy for a while. As a side note, I am also a little concerned that I am acquiring more experience in terms of years but not necessarily in experience and that this could hurt me in the future if I decide to leave. TC : 100k base with some variations depending on performance. YOE : 4.5 If I stay here, I can probably bump by TC to 120-130k~ within 2-3 years considering my position and my promotion plan. #tech #engineering #software #swe
Never get into comfort zone. Change team or look outside
You can find similar WLB at double the TC.
This^ Quite a few companies with good culture and WLB. Cycle within these companies, getting a jump everytime. Stay short term (<5 years) with each of them.
Don’t make the mistake of leaving your job just because you miss something you could get outside of work, and when you feel good about your position overall. You can get the challenges and the professional growth and still keep your current job and ideal situation. You can look for projects outside, paid or unpaid, do voluntary work, mentor others, start a side company etc.
I just left a team where I was working ~10 hours a week and getting high ratings. I wasn't growing and that was going to do far more damage than I would benefit in the short term.
After working my first few 80-100 hour work weeks, this is my dream. Nothing is better. Haven’t spoken to my family and friends properly in weeks. Feel lonely and burnt out
You are still too early in your career to be taking it easy. I would encourage you to start preparing for interviews
I left a “boring” role like this for something more challenging, that was more senior, and had better pay. While I certainly learned a lot, I regret it. - My health suffered because I was stressed and working all the time - I rarely saw my family and friends - I didn’t have time for my hobbies or leisure activities - I was exhausted all the time I understand wanting to do something more. Be very selective about your next role. Roles exist that strike a good balance. Wait to find one. I just can’t stress enough how important a good work life is until you experience a bad one. If you’re bored in the interim, learn new things on your own time and terms. It’s not exactly the same but then at least you’d be less bored.
Trust your gut, op
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Start looking for something new, but be very selective about what you choose. You’ve got the benefit of being in a very cushy position, so you can take your time with interviewing, possibly up leveling skills, and don’t leave for the first thing that comes your way. Make sure it’s something that you’re excited about, that the culture isn’t going stress you out, and that give you an opportunity to learn something more exciting