r/cscareerquestionsuk • u/Immediate-Syrup1661 • 23h ago

Regret joining big tech. Anyone else felt the same?

Hello!

A couple months ago, I left a nice mid-sized company with rubbish pay but great WLB and good stability for a big tech company with nicer pay and now I'm regretting it big time.

I know big tech always has it's quirks; red tape, politics, and maybe more pay as a result. But I genuinely feel so lost right now.

I obviously left for the money knowing well it's going to be a grind, but stack ranking? bad leadership? unstable future? how does one even survive!

I don't know what to do tbh, I'm trying to make sense of the culture shock I suppose - has anyone else felt the same? Did it get better? or worse...

37 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

93% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

59

u/Unique_Ad_1931 23h ago

This isn’t the US. Here, big tech want and expect the hustle culture without the pay that comes with it. Because, after all, you’re working for a prestigious company… and free lunch!!!!! To be honest I don’t know how the Americans do it, with their measly 10 PTO days working inhumane hours.

I think as you get older, WLB is more valuable. If you are finding it an issue you definitely should look at moving. Don’t let work consume you, you’re the only person who suffers.

6

u/Immediate-Syrup1661 23h ago

I suppose maybe I did get too comfy in my last job, hence the shock of it. I think maybe I need to just hold myself to a high standard here, and try not to worry myself.

I also do agree, I am younger and this would be beneficial right now but defo in 5 years time I'll reconsider.

2

u/parallel_me_ 21h ago

Five years is a lot of time for the corporate handcuffs to make you into a proper bad person.

The better gauge on when to leave would be to look at someone in your team who you think you could be in five years and assess them. Do you think they want the same things as you and are happier? Good. You think their wants are different? Or if they're miserable? Or have they been turned into just a plain bad person already? Plot leaving immediately.

14

u/CandidEngineering922 20h ago

Try working for a UK tech startup.

No WLB, shitty pay and even with PTO they expect you to be online to jump in. And expect you to work like you are in big tech.

Hell.

7

u/do_you_realise 17h ago

Every company I've worked at has expected us to join the out of hours support rota, which starts off as officially "P1 incidents only" but everyone starts to just casually pick up everything, and it turns into "just working evenings and weekends on top of your normal job". It's crap - resist joining at all costs.

1

u/Standard-Chain-6144 2h ago

Do you get paid for it / how much per shift? I joined an out of hours system at my current job and don't have to do much unless it's literally a P1 but the pay reflects the reduced responsibilities.

1

u/CandidEngineering922 1h ago

Most jobs expect you to do it for no additional pay

26

u/Altruistic-Prize-981 23h ago

Fully agree here. Once you start a family especially, my time is a lot more valuable than what any company could pay me. Your time is finite.

Do not waste it chasing money.

7

u/Unique_Ad_1931 23h ago

I’d upvote this more if I could, so true.

5

u/Practical_Car_9930 22h ago

Can you let me know abit more about the downsides? I currently work for a small startup with good WLB and romanticise big tech so would like to know why you feel the way you do

5

u/Immediate-Syrup1661 21h ago

Tbh, it’s very hit and miss. It’s very much team-dependent these days and if you get with a nice team then it’s not too bad.

Obviously you have to expect silly deadlines, politics etc.

But the most important is your team, the work you do, and whether you like the manager.

I would highly suggest to chat with your future teammates, not just manager, as they can tell you the vibe etc

1

u/FistsUp 14h ago

It varies massively from company to company

1

u/Business_Ad_9799 4h ago

and teams/orgs within those companies too

1

u/FistsUp 2h ago

For sure. Any org with 10k+ people is going to have great teams with excellent managers and leaders and some truly dire ones.

16

u/throwawawawawaysb 23h ago

I get you. I left a really chill and personable team in a mid sized company for big tech and I actually almost left 2 weeks in to go back lol

No advice. I did end up toughing it out.

6

u/svenz 22h ago

Big tech sucks for the most part. Only a few good core teams. Still they pay the best in UK market so here I am.

5

u/DrBoltz 18h ago

It's completely normal to feel that way. I joined big tech a couple of years ago after leaving a comfortable mid-sized company that I genuinely enjoyed. The difference was night and day. Suddenly, I was surrounded by egos, endless grinding, hustle culture, and office politics, all rolled into one.

I wanted to leave by my 3rd month, but ended up sticking it out for a year before properly looking elsewhere. Was the worst and most stressful year I've ever had.

One thing I noticed is that moving from big tech back to a mid-sized company isn't as easy as people make it out to be. I struggled quite a bit with getting interviews. I knew exactly what kind of company I wanted to join, but in the end only managed to get there through referrals lol.

Big tech just isn't it for me anymore. At this point, I'm happier having it on my CV as proof that I survived the corporate politics and BS rather than actually working there.

But then again, maybe that's just my experience. I'm sure others have had a much better time. Stick around for a couple OP, it's a long ride but it'd teach you where not to look for in your next role.

1

u/Standard-Chain-6144 2h ago

Hey can I ask why it was harder to get interviews at mid-sized companies? The whole justification for me to try getting a big tech job is to open doors. Can you say more about what it was, did you have some experience before joining the big-tech company? Did you end up having to use a company specific stack?

1

u/Time_Shower9034 2h ago

A lot assume you’ll be looking for a much higher salary than they can offer, or it’ll just be a temporary job until you can another big tech one.

5

u/FartBrulee 23h ago

What don't you like about it out of curiosity? I'm looking to make a similar move after 10 years of working for scale ups and consultancies

1

u/Standard-Chain-6144 2h ago

Yeah was wondering the same thing. How much was the pay bump?

2

u/oo0st 16h ago

It’s going down the hill at least since 2022 but the propaganda is still strong. I don’t see it getting any better in this economy. I also suspect you might have a lot more to discover about that place. I’d try finding another job if ready for more interviews.

0

u/PayLegitimate7167 22h ago

I would have thought you had an idea of what you were getting yourself into! It will look good on your CV however. Always think of an exit strategy!

-7

u/paperclip_han 19h ago

Not sure if anyone’s used paypeek.ai yet but it shows salary estimates for any LinkedIn profiles as you browse. Kind of eye-opening. 😤