Fed up and thinking of leaving software engineering

Oct 4, 2020 32 Comments

Non traditional SWE. I am strongly contemplating leaving tech. I have a 1.5 year gap on my resume followed by 1.5 years at MS after which I got PIP. Another 8 month gap followed by a startup that went downhill. Joined another startup for 10 months and was just recently PIPed and given severance- the manager hired the senior dev to replace junior me 3 mos ago. I feel so fed up with the rat race and fear of feeling replaced I want to leave. Who will hire me like this in the future anyway. #engineering #PIP

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TOP 32 Comments
  • Facebook
    Buzzing.Ai

    Go to company page Facebook

    Buzzing.Ai
    First you need to address the root cause. Why do you keep getting pip’d?
    Oct 4, 2020 0
  • Facebook
    iscbjorfhj

    Go to company page Facebook

    iscbjorfhj
    No real advice, other than fake it till you make it. I know what that feels like.
    Oct 4, 2020 14
    • Oracle
      vsuhwja

      Go to company page Oracle

      vsuhwja
      10 yoe here
      false gave good advice.. I endorse their message
      Oct 13, 2020
    • New
      TechGuru42

      New

      PRE
      Dell EMC, Cloudera, Informatica, Cisco
      TechGuru42
      I have double yours at big and small companies.

      False talked out of his ass (never fake it till you make it - smh) and clearly has his own interests at heart.

      He clearly can't debate on facts so he relies on ad hominem attacks which immediately discredits any good advice.

      Endorse at your peril.
      Oct 13, 2020
  • OP
    In the first case I was put on a role that I wasnt even qualified for (a mobile dev role). I did not even find this out till my first day of work. After being PIPed from MS recruiters were only willing to offer me the same mobile platform role. I needed money so I took it. In the 10 month company, I was doing well but post COVID I became the only mobile dev on the team (I am pretty junior). Certain tasks I needed more time to do and some help. The one person who could help me, ex mobile tech lead, moved onto management and didnt like that I kept reaching out for help so he hired a senior dev put me on PIP and things went downhill
    Oct 4, 2020 1
    • Uber
      IQuitUber

      Go to company page Uber

      IQuitUber
      Wrong place , wrong time and definitely wrong role. Don't think about missing out on a single year of experience. Careers are long and you can keep experimenting for as long as you want .
      You haven't done anything wrong. Be strong buddy.
      Oct 10, 2020
  • Google / Eng
    rcb csk

    Go to company page Google Eng

    rcb csk
    First of all, don't worry about the PIP. Work is very small part of your life. It really doesn't matter if you keep getting PIPed. There are thousands of companies and the worst case is you will move very slowly. As long as your other life is going well, this pip thing wouldn't matter much.

    This can very well be a way to go about your career TBH. Just keep getting PIPed every few years but keep earning decent party. Gladly SWE can easily make 200k which is 3 times the median US income.

    Maybe you just didn't find the work meaningful enough to work hard with passion and interest. You may find it in the future in which case this PIP thing would end. Or you may not find it and you will keep changing the companies. Ultimate goal is to live a great life and for that you will need time and money. Assuming you spend minimal time at work, this gets you enough time and swe role gives you decent money. Just enjoy.
    Oct 5, 2020 0
  • Pip at Microsoft? Tell me more
    Oct 4, 2020 0