11
ltlian
5y

So here's a rant I never thought I'd write.

I'm pretty happy with my current job. I'm working for a small non-tech business where I'm making a complete solution by myself. It's pretty chill just coding away all day and being my own project owner and manager.

The iffiest aspect is that my boss(es) don't know what (or if) I'm working on when I'm implementing a vital logging system, fixing bugs that cropped up due to implementing necessary, baseline security, and so on. They see a login page and figure the entire project is shippable, and when the login breaks because I'm configuring the wsgi for https the reaction is "it worked, why mess with it; just put it how it was". But I digress.

Today I got a job offer with a pay increase that made me exclaim "are you fucking serious" irl, in a business with a more professional environment consisting of senior devs, and with benefits I had never heard of.

I can't not accept, but that means just legacying the entire project I'm working on here. They'd basically be left with nothing after shelling out wages for me for these few months. Keep in mind this is a fairly small business who debated if they could afford this to begin with.

Disregarding whether they are willing/able to make it hard for me to leave, it stabs me in my scrubby dev soul to up and leave on a personal level.

They had a 3d printer at the other place though.

Comments
  • 9
    "I can't not accept, but that means just legacying the entire project I'm working on here."

    Presumably they can hire another dev to replace you? Just because you leave doesn't mean the project has to die.

    Also, never feel bad about moving onto pastures new. There's never an "ideal time", and if they really have no backup plan for an employee leaving (especially their only technical employee) then that's on them.
  • 3
    @AlmondSauce Yeah that's part of what I was getting at. I'm entirely in a position to make the switch both legally and ethically, but you can imagine you get invested on a personal level when working on a single big project in a cozy little environment like this.

    I've more or less decided to accept the new job, it just sucks making it hard for these guys.
  • 1
    @ltlian You could always offer to work for the current company on a freelance basis remotely during your evenings and weekends until they find someone new or you complete the project.

    You get a some extra income, and work continues on the project. Win win.
  • 2
    @ltlian Oh absolutely. I'm not quite in the same boat as you, but I am working for a pretty tiny company and think it'd also be taken reasonably personally if I were to move on (yet I've thought of moving on), so I totally get the feeling.

    I've occasionally been tempted by rather good offers that have come through StackOverflow of all places - but they've all involved more travelling, which isn't really for me.
  • 2
    @delegate212 That's certainly the default plan as it is now. My only reservation is whether it would turn into a support hotline for life type thing.

    The cake and eat it too would be if I can wrap things up here to an extent where the system is usable as-is and come in for occasional tweaks or upgrades, or if they found someone willing to put up with my codebase laden with // TODO PROTOTYPE ONLY segments.
  • 2
    @delegate212 Totally see the logic, but personally I wouldn't advise it - you risk coupling yourself to that project for a much longer term, and leaving them in an even worse position if you decide to break away at any point later.

    I know it seems harsh, but I honestly think the best thing for both sides is for you to work your notice, wish them well, then break ties. If they're decent people they should totally understand, and thank you for all the work you've put in up until this point.
  • 4
    Having one single dev resposnible for everything is always dangerous because of bus factor. That has nothing to do with tech, that's basic management knowledge. If your current boss has opted to go for that risk, he can't whine if it materialises.

    Since you will have some sort of notice period, it's now his job to get someone else QUICKLY and do the handover.
  • 3
    @Fast-Nop I like what Nop said. Take the job and give them enough notice. That's your best move.

    I've been in this situation and I prosped a solution through some 3rd party services and an offer for minor contract work but they declined.
  • 1
    Go. Now. Accept the offer. What happens when these bosses lay you off in six weeks and you didn't accept the offer? Dude, this is the adult world! This is a golden opportunity! And what will they do with your project? If you have a history of easily fainting, sit the fuck down. Because THEY'LL HIRE SOMEONE ELSE!
  • 0
    I guess this thread is my personal blog on this subject now.

    I broke the news to one of my employers yesterday and he took it pretty well, though now they're scrambling to match the offer I got from the other place. They matched the salary off the bat but which only made me feel like I have been underpaid as long as I didn't complain about it.

    They're apparently in dialogue with a small dev company to come in and ramp up production on this thing I'm making - which I assume is in response to me wanting to work in an environment with other devs.

    I'm not too stoked. I can't think of anything that would make me change my mind again at this point. Progress will come to a halt if we bring more people in, and it's too slow if I work on it alone. I could probably demand that they need to accept the current rate of progress, but that still puts me in a job where half of my time is spent googling and testing solutions before deciding it's not what I need.
  • 1
    @ltlian

    "They matched the salary off the bat but which only made me feel like I have been underpaid as long as I didn't complain about it."
    Its nothing personal its just business it's the same everywhere. This is usually the only real way of getting a decent pay increase.

    As for progress its a simple case of setting expectations it can be hard at times when the other party doesn't want to hear that, but you just have be straight forward.

    Anywho, decline the counter offer you clearly don't want to work there any longer. You'll be better off with other like minded people, and you'll progress far faster.
  • 1
    @ltlian

    What have you decided to do? I'm mildly invested in this story now.
  • 0
    They're hustling to show me the new place I'd potentially be working at today, so I figure I'll entertain them for that before I give my final word.

    I'm also crunching to get some stuff working that needs to be up and running within a couple of days, which only exasperates the issues I mentioned earlier with regards to progress and expectations.

    Still haven't signed the new contract and the new place is pretty patient and understanding, but I figure I need to get that out of the way within a few days.
  • 1
    Hello diary. Signed the new contract a couple of days ago.

    The old place actually managed to line up a company to take over the project and it sounds like they are pretty serious about ramping up production on it which is cool. I agreed to assist in the handover for a couple of months which will be a new experience for me.

    No plot twists or morals of the story that I can think of, unfortunately. I suppose it was interesting to go from impostor syndrome to having people pull at my sleeves as soon as I start leaving.
  • 2
    @ltlian sounds like it was successful for both parties. Well done.
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