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Ask HN: Overworked Developer. 70 hours a week

3 points by sam-a ↗ HN
I joined a startup not too long ago, there're 2 of us working as engineers there, but we're overworked. Sometimes i have to work about 70 hours a week, the pay is okay, but not as much as it could be, it's lower than industry standard, and i don't have equity either. Also communication with the founder is a challenge.

Has anyone been in this same situation before? How did you handle it?

I've started searching for other opportunities, and i've seen a couple, i'll be leaving soon. I want to hear other people's experience & opinion. Is it always like this with startups?

9 comments

[ 4.4 ms ] story [ 32.5 ms ] thread
jaabe
I’m Danish and I realise our benefits and rights are generally a lot better than most places, but I would never work 70 hours a week unless I owned the company. So I think you have the right idea in leaving as soon as you can.
lacbuddah
If you have a family, wife/kid(s), etc, and you're looking for "balance", maybe the compensation isn't worth it. But maybe you have a mortgage and having the income is very important regardless of how hard you're working. Doesn't sound like you have the above pressure, because you'd probably would have never taken a job in a startup in the first place.

You're single (maybe not) but renting an apartment, saving a little money while you work... get the hell out. 70 hours a week is only worth it if you have equity or are well compensated, which you said you are neither. Also doesn't sound like you're working on something you personally believe in, otherwise you wouldn't lodge your question in the first place.

You know what to do. Good luck.

sam-a
Thanks. Appreciate your comment. You made a very good point.
vinhnglx
Let's find a new job.

Working overtime just make your doctor richer.

sam-a
lol. You're right. Point taken.
highhedgehog
70 hours a week? What the actual fuck. How can you even handle it? How can you even do a quality job working 70h week?
sam-a
Me and my colleague doing the same thing, both 70 hours sometimes, we've had issues and bugs in code we write, because it's affecting our productivity.

No matter how much we explain to our boss, the founder, it looks like we're complaining. He does not understand you need space and time to do a good job.

I wonder if there're other founders like this, who don't understand or try to empathize with engineers, and they give ridiculous timelines for project completion.

Do very successful founders have some technical background? I wonder, because if he was an engineer, he would know the amount of time it'll take to work on a project and do a good job.

highhedgehog
Yeah it really looks like you need a better job. You don't owe anything to the employee.

> who don't understand or try to empathize with engineers, and they give ridiculous timelines for project completion.

I'm sure they are out there. I'm sorry to say but I think the problem is also that people are willing to put that time and effort in. As long as he has people who are still willing to do it, he's gonna make his own interest.

Now, I understand it could happen one time, but if it happens frequently, there is definetly something very wrong about it.

Run away. Don't look back. Be happy.