Ive worked in start-ups over the past 6 years. Even now, Im working in a start-up.
I cant seem to avoid them lol
The 2025 Bum Thread
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Ive worked in start-ups over the past 6 years. Even now, Im working in a start-up.
I cant seem to avoid them lol
Haha, same here! I worked in a big tech company for 8 years, then jumped to a startup that got acquired 18 months later by another big tech company, which acquihired me and my fellow colleagues. I left said big tech company about seven months later to work for another startup for 2 years, before leaving that startup to join another startup, which I've been working at for about 2 months.
Startup life pays me less than I could earn in a big tech company but I love the flexibility, the lack of bureaucracy, the camaraderie, and the immense opportunity to learn new skills (i.e. wear many hats) and work on fun projects. The equity is very much like a lottery ticket. Maybe it'll work out, maybe it won't, but I'll certainly have a ton of fun along the way!
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I'm definitely enjoying it so far. Just having all the tools I want without having to go through bloody approvals processes and begging for budget is a joy. And an empty calendar!
Obviously massively helps that the CEO is someone I worked for before, when we built some cool stuff at JPMC years ago, so no settling in time or figuring each other out.
The AWS Summit was interesting - it showed that all the tech companies are pushing AI still, even suggesting risk is less of a problem that it really is (pull the other one!).
I may end up downloading a local LLM and then using it to do job applications at this rate. It can also then be used with LinkedIn articles to perhaps help separate me from the flock.
The only other way is human connections but to be honest a large number of people I've worked for are part of larger organisations that have (you guess it) put freezes and downsizing in favour of AI. The rest are running around like crazy with start ups and creating AI..
I may end up downloading a local LLM and then using it to do job applications at this rate. It can also then be used with LinkedIn articles to perhaps help separate me from the flock.
The only other way is human connections but to be honest a large number of people I've worked for are part of larger organisations that have (you guess it) put freezes and downsizing in favour of AI. The rest are running around like crazy with start ups and creating AI..
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Got to love the stupidity of the job market:
1. Searches for the 5 miles radius here in glorious sunny Surrey. Salary in line with a UK cloud architect.
2. Second search result indicated GU2, is a UK based registered company..
3. First line of the description bangs on about how awesome the opportunity is in Saudi Arabia, later the role states the applicant must relocate (no hybrid). Also seems to want lots of qualifications..
4. Nick laughs because the salary isn't going to cut it to convince him to relocate to SA (I assume this is NEOM) let alone the number of tick box qualifications.
1. Searches for the 5 miles radius here in glorious sunny Surrey. Salary in line with a UK cloud architect.
2. Second search result indicated GU2, is a UK based registered company..
3. First line of the description bangs on about how awesome the opportunity is in Saudi Arabia, later the role states the applicant must relocate (no hybrid). Also seems to want lots of qualifications..
4. Nick laughs because the salary isn't going to cut it to convince him to relocate to SA (I assume this is NEOM) let alone the number of tick box qualifications.
I wouldn't mind giving NEOM a whirl tbh, if an interesting role came up. I've lived abroad a long time and kinda miss it. Plus I'm tee-total these days so not so much of a culture shock
I'm still waiting for the funding to properly materialise for this startup, before I am fully comfortable in shutting down discussions on game dev options. Hopefully not too much longer.
Soldato
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Par for the course it seems.
Junior role? yeah you need to basically know an entire IT departments worth of stuff. Salary? laughable.
Absolute joke. Delusional employers are getting worse.
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With no job still and my partner about to find out if she is being made redundant we are going to have a conversation about selling the house. We are not sure if we want to fight a losing battle paying the mortgage and scrimping by.
Its a massive decision. But if I'm going to be taking a massive pay cut and who knows if she will even be able to work if she loses this job it might be game over.
No way I'm going to live a slave to paying a mortgage and having no cash left over. I'd rather do something ridiculous than that.
Its a massive decision. But if I'm going to be taking a massive pay cut and who knows if she will even be able to work if she loses this job it might be game over.
No way I'm going to live a slave to paying a mortgage and having no cash left over. I'd rather do something ridiculous than that.
Soldato
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With a partner it's more difficult, but over last 5-8 years way before entering tech I was giving serious thought to vanlife, even way before it became fashionable with all the posers on instagram.
Reduce my bills to bare minimum, and go be an actual bum. For people with kids / partner though different story.
Yeah my partner is very limited in that she needs A WFH job. If I was on my own I'd definitely do it. I just don't think 2 people in one van is viable. She does. But I don't think she can really imagine how hard the limited personal space would be.
I'm very torn at the moment between being sensible (working paying off mortgage etc) and just doing something like van life. You only live once and life feels very mundane.
This was before I lost my job
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Back when I was dolescum the DSS paid my mortgage interest for 6 months.
@Quartz
It's no way to live. We'd just gradually burn through our savings.
I don't really know what to do. It's going to take a lot of thinking.
If we sold house that would be 120k probably after costs.
That would leave me with 180k of Cash.
I would have to sell a lot of stuff I own. Probably 40ks worth.
So let's say 200k of liquidity.
Its very tempting. And does open up some possibilities where might be able to do "get by" work. But it's so "irresponsible".
I dunno if buying a rental and living in a van is viable or not. That's probably possible. But I don't know if it's profitable.
It's no way to live. We'd just gradually burn through our savings.
I don't really know what to do. It's going to take a lot of thinking.
If we sold house that would be 120k probably after costs.
That would leave me with 180k of Cash.
I would have to sell a lot of stuff I own. Probably 40ks worth.
So let's say 200k of liquidity.
Its very tempting. And does open up some possibilities where might be able to do "get by" work. But it's so "irresponsible".
I dunno if buying a rental and living in a van is viable or not. That's probably possible. But I don't know if it's profitable.
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Sounds like a good idea but nobody should be busting their backside years of work and paying taxes. Just to end up doing vanlife to save money.
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For me it's a bit of both. I've wanted to do it for ages. But salary and doing the sensible thing has always stopped me.
But now everything has changed. It's first time I've been unemployed since after uni. I have 1200 of monthly costs (bills + mortgage).
This isn't so bad while my GF is working. Even though I'm paying 1200 out of savings per month. But should she lose her job we will be paying 2000ppm (our monthly bills) out of our savings.
This is not sustainable.
I'm susprised I haven't got a job by now. But it's worse than that. It's not even getting interviews. But the GF? If she loses her job I genuinely don't know where she sill find an equivalent.
FYI I'm. Applying for jobs up to 15k lower.
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Soldato
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You work in IT or did work in IT correct? what area specifically?
That rate is amazing - buys you a ton of time to. Seriously would see it out tbh but it's up to you! Maybe look at just any job to cover bills and keep you busy while you are looking for something more perm.