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Ahhhhh devrant... long time no see.

I just need to get something off my heart. The past two years, I worked for the same ISP in Germany, but now as a devops engineer. Well, popo hit the fan really quick lately..

First a good friend, team lead for one of five areas in Germany, quit his job. He was one of the nicest persons I knew, and he believed that all that five areas should work together and share dev resources. Thats why I work mostly in other areas as developer.

Shortly after, his deputy quit as well. I heard that this specific area, the management were a bunch of dicks, but wow!

A short while later, I learnd the hard truth, why those two good friends quit, and that brings me to this story. In a meeting I readied myself up to present my new plattform - a social room - to management. I got a lot of positive feedback from others and we thaught managment would approve of the project. But nope. "We can buy from external, we dont need to program ourselfs. In fact lets stop spending money on internal programming, we should outsource everything!"

I was baffeld... Wtf did i just witness? My team lead didn't say anything, and afterwards I didn't dare to question it, but I told most of my close dev friends and we all realizied, that the rumors were true... We will be shifting into project managment.

At this point, I realized that I wasnt having it, and made a linkedIn account, not because I wanted to switch jobs, but because, meh you never know.

One week ago, one of my bestest buddies said he will quit and join his team lead that left eariler this year, I was heartbroken. Me and our other buddy are devestated, because now we have to do everything he had done. Management didn't listen as we told them that nobody can maintain his code. I have so many projects, I can bearly keep up with them. Now I got a lead role for creating the server infrastucture for a huge project my buddy was working on. Only as specialist and not PM, but his Team Lead thinks I am replacing him!

Last week I got a message on LinkedIn, a consulting firm reached out to me to aquire me as a new consultant or devops engineer. They look great, only less vacation (26 instead of 30 days), 40h shifts instead of 38h and only slightly more base payment. I currently receive about 53.000€ a year, the new firm only grants up to 60.000€ a year for anyone. Otherwise, they look great.

With all my buddies quitting around me, work getting more while time developing decreasing, I don't know what the right thing to do is... There is no way I can get a payment increase in my current position. I always say "my workplace is save, but my work isnt". I don't want to do project managment.

Today I have a meeting with my team lead, she is really nice btw. This is an annual meeting where we discuss my future in the company etc. Shortly after, I have a meeting with the new firm to discuss a bunch of questions I have.

I dont know what to do...

Edit: I missed you, devrant

Comments
  • 28
    Sounds to me like your current job is going nowhere good for you, but this role you were approached for doesn't sound quite right either. Don't rush into a change, but start actively looking for a new job, change your LinkedIn status, maybe reach out to your old lead?
  • 5
    Sounds like you have the best things in mind already. Ask the hard questions in both those meetings. Write down what you want to ask
  • 6
    When people you respect start jumping ship, it is perfectly natural to start keeping an open mind about a new position somewhere else. I’m the same way, I’m always the last to leave after I’ve burned myself out into oblivion out of some misguided sense of loyalty.
  • 0
    Where are you inspiring? You have genius' thoughts.
  • 2
    I’m the kind of person who regrets not playing with open cards. So what I would do is tell you manager there (the nice one) something along those lines: “look, I have the feeling that this is going into PM instead of dev. And this is not the work I like to do. Then there is the projects that I maintain atm, which are hard to get into for a new employee, especially if I can’t induct them. We can have a deal here that you find a new hire for this management position (that I don’t want to have), in the next half year, I can induct the new acquire, and then I’m off/different team in same company whatever).” Maybe play with pay rise for that year too, but I’m not good at this 😅
    “If we can’t make a deal, I’d be gone in like two months and then you guys are fucked” she should understand that on her own already, but just to be sure.
    Counter offers worked great in my old company, and if there is any promises made, make them to paper (Papier ist geduldig!)
  • 1
    Which I know is hard, but i found the phrase “yes I believe you and your word, but if you’re not there, for whatever reason, I need to show something to someone else, that we had this agreement. So I sure think it is no problem for you to write it down on paper. That way also, we make sure we understand the same thing”

    Also what I needed to understand the hard way: doesn’t matter how much you love the project, big companies don’t give a flying fart about you personally. They are mostly economically oriented.

    Good luck bro! You seem to be a very nice bloke!
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