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I'm about to be the last one on a sinking ship. Advice?

2 points by cakeonaflame ↗ HN
TL;DR: I've been working for the startup since November, and I don't think I could have picked a worse time to join. Right now I'm the last remaining member of full time staff yet to hand in notice, and wondering if I should secure a new job first, risk riding this ship till the bitter end, or, if I should bail now and hope I can pick up something good and new quick enough.

FULL: I'm a fairly recent graduate, with a years placement experience, and a lot of open source contribution. The company I work for right now was small when I joined, however had been around a few years and was/is part of an incubator of sorts. Since joining though the only other (senior) developer has moved onto a better role elsewhere, and the MD was removed shortly after when a couple of new investors came on-board.

When I started it had a great vibe, the team worked closely together, and we all believed in the product. There was also the promise of imminent funding to hire more dev's to really polish off the product. Unfortunately we're now a few months in and no cigar just yet. To make it worse all but myself, and the new (hands on, but never seen) investors, are going to be gone due to better offers elsewhere. It turns out that the management and guidance from the incubator has been not so great, and has been on the decline for a while.

However, the company (whats left of it) is finally about to sign on the illusive investment which could give it a chance to actually bring on new developers, and have runway to get things through till the end of the year.

I'm currently looking for something else, as at this point I'm surprised things haven't just been shutdown. Though I'm not sure if I should:

* bail immediately, * wait till I have something new secured, * or, risk sticking around to make the most out of this new investment and using it as a growth/learning opportunity.

Does anyone have any experience in this sort of situation or advice on what they would do?

7 comments

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smt88
Start looking now. Leave when you gave something else or when this company can't pay you, whichever comes first.
venusiant
Hi, it's your career and it's your responsibility to look after yourself. There are always better jobs. The longer you look for a job, the more likely you will get a job you really like. Some people like to quit first, because this makes it easier to look for work. There's plenty of work out there so you won't be looking for long.

It's pretty easy to look for work while you are working, so why not do that? There's usually not a good reason to bail immediately.

If you stick around you will have limited control over what happens with the company, so either the new investment works out well or it doesn't, but either way it's out of your hands. If you find a new job, you can select a job with the right circumstances for you.

moondev
Why would you bail without having anything secured? If you are not happy start interviewing elsewhere now and see what you can find. Then leverage the offer to see if it will make it more worthwhile to stick around.
cakeonaflame
I'm really not too keen on being the only person sat in the office (or out of it) with no real direction on what I should be doing. I didn't join to work solo on somebody else's project, I joined to work with and learn from the interesting people that were there when I started.

I guess it just seems like the lesser of two uncertainties, and so more comfortable as a choice to have on the table.

willwong
It's good that you believe in the product, but it sounds like you don't believe in the management. Which means that even if you get your funding the chances of success are slim. It doesn't matter how good your product is, the business determines your profitability. Great businesses are not run by lousy people (at least, not for long).

Have you considered helping your employers sell the company/technology?

ultrablue
I've been in a similar situation. I bailed immediately, but I had a fairly nice severance package to cushion the transition. If I hadn't had that, I would have started looking for a new position while I was in the old one. You're chances of getting a job are better of you're already employed (they say).

In addition, it sounds like you're young. Skinning your knees is part of cutting your teeth (ouch sorry mixed metaphors), and I would say it's much better to do that sort of hill-climbing (job-seeking) when you're young.

As trite as it sounds, it's true: doors open when others close, and everything has an opportunity within it. Enjoy the ride, it's all part of the adventure!

I wish you the best possible outcomes.

cakeonaflame
Thanks for the advice, and no worries about mixed metaphors.