From my personnal experience, this describes perfectly why people coming from poorer backgrounds struggle to get good jobs. Quite often, you just can't wait for the right job - you need to pay the bills so you take the first one available, even if you know that it's not the best choice for you. But it's the only realistic one, because waiting 3-6 months for the good opportunity is simply off the table. Then the job you take, it takes you a lot of time and effort anyway so this right opportunity 3 months later is no longer realistic neither.
You hit the nail on the head, and it's very difficult to communicate this to someone who has only experienced the luxury of not having to worry about having a roof over their heads between jobs.
I honestly have trouble understanding the other side of it. I have always been working class. I have a good job now in tech now and could weather 6 months of job searching if I needed to, but if I lost my job today, I would absolutely take the first available job I could find, even if that is something "beneath" me like retail or hospitality. I don't think I could ever be convinced that it was safe to be unemployed for any length of time. Sure, I could take the time now, but what if I need that money later on for something that I don't have a choice about, like an illness, natural disaster, etc.?
It's just too risky to ever be unemployed in the United States unless you are already so wealthy that you don't need to work at all anyway.
If your Windows / macOS / iOS / Android / Linux isn't doing Z right, just move to (whatever happens to be my favorite) Android / Linux / Windows / macOS.
Such ultra-reductive advice, in any arena, personal, technical, professional, is as as low quality as mouth babble gets.
Decisions that involve many trade offs and hurdles, both obvious, and specific to individual's circumstances, are not helped by annoyingly illiterate advice.
I wouldn't mind an HN rule aimed at curbing this kind of comment, which unfortunately, comes up regularly.
I’ve been casually looking for another job for years now. Nothing ever seems worth the risk.
At this point I feel like I should just ride things out and cross that bridge when it’s forced upon me, if it ever is. In the meantime, I’ve sought to keep my cost of living low and save as much as I can, in an effort to derisk.
Quite true, usually it comes from fortunate people that got good in life, or live in world regions where they can leave one job and walk the next one right in front.
Even if we reduce this to the supposedly lucky ones to work in technology, in many countries that is associated as any other kind of office job, very very far away from SV culture.
It's a very good post.
From my personnal experience, this describes perfectly why people coming from poorer backgrounds struggle to get good jobs. Quite often, you just can't wait for the right job - you need to pay the bills so you take the first one available, even if you know that it's not the best choice for you. But it's the only realistic one, because waiting 3-6 months for the good opportunity is simply off the table. Then the job you take, it takes you a lot of time and effort anyway so this right opportunity 3 months later is no longer realistic neither.
You hit the nail on the head, and it's very difficult to communicate this to someone who has only experienced the luxury of not having to worry about having a roof over their heads between jobs.
I honestly have trouble understanding the other side of it. I have always been working class. I have a good job now in tech now and could weather 6 months of job searching if I needed to, but if I lost my job today, I would absolutely take the first available job I could find, even if that is something "beneath" me like retail or hospitality. I don't think I could ever be convinced that it was safe to be unemployed for any length of time. Sure, I could take the time now, but what if I need that money later on for something that I don't have a choice about, like an illness, natural disaster, etc.?
It's just too risky to ever be unemployed in the United States unless you are already so wealthy that you don't need to work at all anyway.
If your Windows / macOS / iOS / Android / Linux isn't doing Z right, just move to (whatever happens to be my favorite) Android / Linux / Windows / macOS.
Such ultra-reductive advice, in any arena, personal, technical, professional, is as as low quality as mouth babble gets.
Decisions that involve many trade offs and hurdles, both obvious, and specific to individual's circumstances, are not helped by annoyingly illiterate advice.
I wouldn't mind an HN rule aimed at curbing this kind of comment, which unfortunately, comes up regularly.
I’ve been casually looking for another job for years now. Nothing ever seems worth the risk.
At this point I feel like I should just ride things out and cross that bridge when it’s forced upon me, if it ever is. In the meantime, I’ve sought to keep my cost of living low and save as much as I can, in an effort to derisk.
Anecdotal but we had someone leave us for a better job in spring 2025 and they had already been part of a company layoff by November.
Just too risky in this economy, and doesn't help every company is "AI for X" which isn't that appealing and asks for office time.
I'll stick with my fully remote job.
Quite true, usually it comes from fortunate people that got good in life, or live in world regions where they can leave one job and walk the next one right in front.
Even if we reduce this to the supposedly lucky ones to work in technology, in many countries that is associated as any other kind of office job, very very far away from SV culture.
Wow, it’s almost like having health insurance tied to employers creates a giant obstacle to pursuing less exploitative opportunities.
Sure. But this post resonated with me even though we have universal healthcare in Canada.
While that definitely doesn't help, I think the post shows that it's clearly not the only problem.