https://idiallo.com/blog/just-get-another-job Ibrahim Diallo Main Menu * [?] [ ] * Home * Blog * Book * Byte-Size * JavaScript * Video * Photography * About Just Get a Better Job Easier said than done By Ibrahim Diallo Published a day ago ~ 4 minutes read Fund this Blog I hear this all the time. If your employer isn't treating you right, just get a better job. If your manager is overworking you, just find one who won't. If your company has a chaotic codebase, just move to a sane one. In fact, if a stock in your portfolio is underperforming, just pick a better one. It's that easy... Except it isn't. With jobs, it sometimes feels like it should be that simple. When my friend and I were both looking for better opportunities years ago, I quit immediately and took the very next job I applied for. Her process was different. She spent weeks polishing her resume, ordered special paper, refined everything until it fit on a single page. She sent me job links asking what I thought. She researched benefits packages, looked up CEOs' political stances, ran background checks on companies. While she was doing her due diligence, I'd already left that new job because it felt too demanding. I found another one by just walking into a store. It took her a year to commit to a single position. "Just get another job" was an option for me then. I was young, didn't have insurance, didn't care about a 401(k). I was just trying to pay bills. For her, it was an investment. She needed to ensure her insurance wouldn't be interrupted, that she'd be comfortable staying for years, that she'd be making a difference. Even in a booming economy, you only get to have one job at a time. The years have passed, and I can't hop from job to job anymore. Recently, I was at a McDonald's negotiating the treaty of "15 minutes in the playplace" with my kids. At a nearby table, two women were deep in conversation. As they finished, the younger one approached the counter. "Are you hiring?" she asked. The cashier gave a simple nod. "Yes." A few weeks later, despite my own vows to cut down on fast food, I was back. And there she was behind the register, wearing a "Trainee" badge. She got the job. Just like that. I imagine her friend told her "just get a better job," and she did. But people in my circle struggle. I have a friend who moved back home with family after burning through his savings while job hunting for an entire year. When someone like that finally lands a job, they aren't leaving it on a whim. Every job is a monolithic investment. You can't treat it like a shirt you try on and return. It's more like a transplant. It consumes your time when you're giving it your best energy, your most alert mind. It requires a vesting period. Benefits, 401(k) matches, trust, meaningful projects, promotions, none of these are unlocked on day one. They're the interest earned on the capital of your time, paid out over years. And you don't get to see how good or bad your coworkers are until after you've made the commitment. By then, you might have relocated, signed a lease, or made other major life changes. "Getting another job" is like deciding to dismantle your current home, board by board, to build a new one on a different plot of land you've only seen in brochures. The process is exhausting and risky, and the new foundation might have cracks you couldn't see from the outside. This isn't an argument to convince you to stay at your job. It's just a reminder that getting a job is an investment, and a good part of it requires taking a leap of faith. A meaningful, sustaining career is not a collection of jobs you casually cycle through. It's a series of careful, consequential investments. In this economy, you don't just "get another job." You meticulously choose, and then fully commit to, the one job that will consume your next chapter. Make that single, consuming investment not out of frustration, but with the clarity of an architect. Because your time is the one currency you can't earn back. Invest it wisely. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Did you like this article? You can buy me a coffee. Share your insightful comments here. Join my newsletter [ ] [ ] Subscribe JavaScript is required to combat spammers. Follow me on Twitter, Spotify, or RSS Feed Previous: Boredom is the Gatekeeper On a related note, here are some interesting articles. In defense of boredom In defense of boredom In 2017, I set a new goal. I wanted to read. I wanted to read every book I could get my hands on. I started small with the Alchemist, and the next thing you know I was deep in the Game of thrones series, reflecting on Xaro Xhoan Daxos's story line. I loved every book I read, even the ones I hated. They gave me new ideas I never thought of. Reading is like living, but on steroids. You travel far and wide, through time, through history, and even into ideas, all from the comfort of your couch. I really enjoyed reading. But when I looked through my little online library this year, I found that I hadn't read a single book in 2022. Vibe Managing: The Future of Project Leadership Vibe Managing: The Future of Project Leadership I've tried vibe coding. It did not work for me. I think the problem is that I'm an actual developer, and I feel dread running code I don't understand. As Andrej Karpathy, who coined the term, described it, vibe coding is about fully giving in to the vibes, embracing exponentials, and forgetting that the code even exists. He talks about asking LLMs for "the dumbest things" because he's "too lazy to find it," accepting all changes without reading diffs, and simply copying error messages in until they're fixed. Do you work remote? Get a broom Do you work remote? Get a broom One day I suddenly started feeling sick. My throat tightened, my nose ran, and my body burned. I thought it must be the flu. I took some time off from work. After a couple of days, I developed a cough, a cough that wouldn't stop. My kids were turning one, and my in-laws were here to visit. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity, I started wearing a mask. View all articles Comments(1) Abu Hurayra a day ago: Thanks for writing this article. For years, I held this view that if someone does not like the way their company works, he/she should look for a better opportunity. However, this is not as easy as it sounds. And it gets tougher with time. Let's hear your thoughts Comment [ ] Your Name (Required) [ ] Your Email (Required) [ ] For my eyes only Your Website [ ] Would you like to sign up to the news letter? [ ] - Click here [Post Comment] About Me First of all, Wow! You scrolled all the way down. That means you want to know more about me. Well, here is a summary of who I am and what I do. 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