Episode 425: Org chart bait and switch and ole' reliable

Sep 9, 2024

The conversation dances between the pitfalls of unexpected job reassignments and the challenges of navigating workplace dynamics. A listener reflects on sacrificing a direct line to the CTO for growth, only to find themselves distanced from leadership. Humor sneaks in as the hosts discuss tech memes and community banter, adding levity to serious career talks. They also tackle job searching in a tough economy, emphasizing preparation and the need for effective communication with management regarding roles. Engaging vocabulary discussions round out the fun and insights.

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ANECDOTE

Magnolia's Downfall

Jameson Dance recounted Magnolia's shutdown after a database drop without backups.
This emphasizes the importance of backups.

ADVICE

Negotiate Everything

Negotiate all job aspects, not just salary, as non-financial terms change easily.
Taking pay cuts for non-financial perks is risky, as seen with the listener's situation.

ADVICE

Contact the CTO

Inquire about the CTO's involvement in the reporting structure change.
If the CTO was involved initially, speak with them directly.

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In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

I was hired at a medium sized company as a staff level IC a few months back and a big reason I accepted the job was because I would be reporting directly to the CTO. I took a significant paycut in exchange for the opportunity to learn and grow directly under this leader, as this is a career path I am interested in.

Three months later and without any heads up, I was reassigned to a different manger one rung lower in the org chart. One month after that, my new manager abruptly left the company. Still don’t know why. I was then reassigned to a leaf-node manager and I am now several hops removed from the CTO. So far I haven’t said much because rocking the boat too early in a new gig has gone poorly for me in the past. In hindsight this was probably a mistake but I’m afraid I missed the opportunity to say “hey now, wait a second…”.

I don’t want to hurt this current manager’s feelings by telling them I don’t want to report to them, but also I am now both severely underpaid and reporting to someone who is technically at a lower career level than I am. What do?
I’m a manager in a company which I joined after college. I’ve been here for 16 years. We have grown to 180 employees but still work like a startup in many senses, like talking multiple responsibilities. So although I manage a team I’m still hands in the code at least 50% of the time. I know most of tech stack and services but am jack of all master of none type.

Recently, management has been pushing me to take more technical responsibility. I want to do that, but it is challenging and takes more time. My CTO is super fast and churns out CODE like a machine and I feel much slower than them.

The work is pretty decent and challenging. I get to work on new stuff but have gotten comfortable here. When I think of looking for a change and look at the expectations from other companies they are technically challenging. I worry I have missed out on learning new things by staying so long at one place. What should I do, stay or move on? I haven’t interviewed for a new job in 11 years, so that’s another fear I have.