from Hacker News

Ask HN: Got fired from one of my 2 jobs

by easyalgocode on 3/18/22, 11:36 PM with 18 comments

I know most might think I should let it go or man up of some sort but lost currently one of my two jobs as a software dev. I am only 22 and the other job is pretty well paying so I am not in a bad financial situation, this is just an ego/confidence hit to me as in it really hurts deep inside to get fired and makes me think if software dev (especially in startups) is what I should be doing? The fact of telling my SO/family about it even makes me shake, even though its really no big deal. I always have this pressure of being best at what I do.

  • by cowvin on 3/19/22, 12:32 AM

    Your friends and family won't judge you poorly for this. Don't worry.

    Early in my career I lost a job at a startup and it also shook me up. I say "lost" because I asked if I was fired or laid off and they said I could call it whatever I wanted lol.

    But yeah, basically, the head of the company had an inhuman work ethic and expected the same from his employees. I got in trouble for leaving work at 10pm on a Friday. I got in trouble for coming in late on the weekend because I was doing laundry. I got in trouble for spending time with my friends on my birthday (on a Saturday).

    Basically, startups can be extremely unprofessional so if you get fired by a startup, it's no big deal.

  • by bluehorseray on 3/18/22, 11:42 PM

    Most of the good software devs I know actually only have one job, so sounds like you're back to the baseline. But who knows, keep applying and maybe you can push 4/5+ jobs at once, which would obviously mean you're 4/5 times better than most software devs. Good luck.

  • by ggm on 3/18/22, 11:43 PM

    It won't get easier to talk about by waiting. Waiting just begs the question "why did you wait to tell us"

  • by GianFabien on 3/19/22, 1:00 AM

    I had two jobs when I was 23 for 3+ years. One was a large company and the other at a startup. The startup flamed out. Looking back on those days, I realize that I burnt out from the over-work.

    You could look at your situation as an opportunity to develop a broader range of interests other than just work. Come clean with your SO/family. Keeping it bottled up only makes it worse for yourself. Ease off the pressure on yourself.

  • by maxharris on 3/19/22, 2:31 AM

    You are far, far more than just your ego. There is a vast world to explore, and fear is holding you back!

    I thought of sending you links to read and watch, but if you want them, you’ll have to allow your curiosity overcome your fear and reach out to me (@maxharris9) on Twitter.

  • by hindsightbias on 3/19/22, 2:00 AM

    Sorry about that, but if you need something related to laugh at:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUJ46Rnh2K8

  • by randomopining on 3/19/22, 12:41 AM

    You seriously care? Why did you get fired?

    Two jobs is awesome. Was it easy to get that going and did they both know?

  • by endisneigh on 3/19/22, 12:37 AM

    curious - did your other employer know you had another job?

  • by YuriNiyazov on 3/19/22, 12:02 AM

    Sorry about that, dude!