Old Job

off.the.walls

Hey everyone,

Left a job a few months ago due to another offer, which at the time was awesome, it was using latest technologies and in another country so I was able to go travel a bit and then since i've gotten here the new technology stack has been pushed back a number of times due to the old stack breaking so often because it's a heap of crap.

When I left my old boss told me the door was always open but the question i'm going to pose is should someone go back to an open invitation like that or should they move onto something new and always move forward?

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

dazberry

off.the.walls wrote:

Left a job a few months ago due to another offer, which at the time was awesome, it was using latest technologies and in another country so I was able to go travel a bit and then since i've gotten here the new technology stack has been pushed back a number of times due to the old stack breaking so often because it's a heap of crap.

It's not just me so - has happened to me a couple of times - was starting to think I have gullible written on my forehead. Actually in a similar position now, hoping to pick up something quick and move on.

It's been said to me a couple of times but I've never followed it up, but have worked in places where people have come back and have seemed happy enough. I think you need to be honest as to why you left your previous role, if there was any level of discontent the reasons most likely will not have changed.

off.the.walls

Left the previous place as I felt that I wasn't progressing in it and got kinda bored constantly working on a single product that mainly turned out to be just maintenance work towards the end, but I do reckon that if I were to have a chat with the old boss that I'd be able to get in and shake things up a little, I was one of the first on the team so I'd have the most in depth knowledge of the product their building and be able to provide a good bit of input with stuff I learned for this new position ( and now can't apply because we're not working on it yet ).

punk_one82

If you were getting bored of your old job I wouldn't go back. Sure it's the easy move, but why not look for something new and exciting that uses the tech stack you want to use.

14ned

off.the.walls wrote: »

Left a job a few months ago due to another offer, which at the time was awesome, it was using latest technologies and in another country so I was able to go travel a bit and then since i've gotten here the new technology stack has been pushed back a number of times due to the old stack breaking so often because it's a heap of crap.

Employers routinely lie about the new technologies you'll be working on to get you to come onboard. Always assume any claims during the hiring process are lies and that in fact you'll be tending to ancient crocks of sh*t using twenty year old or more ancient technologies. Trust me, I've seen it countless times now. Though occasionally I'm surprised when you onboard, and lo and behold they weren't lying. Which is nice when it happens.

off.the.walls wrote: »

When I left my old boss told me the door was always open but the question i'm going to pose is should someone go back to an open invitation like that or should they move onto something new and always move forward?

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Generally, but not always, it is unwise to return to a previous role under the same boss. You'll have broken their trust by leaving, and you'll pay for it in lots of small ways. You have to remember from their perspective, employee churn ruins all your planning and lumps you with finding a replacement which is tedious, not least having to go deal with HR and Legal yet again. It's a serious inconvenience, and it's very common for bosses to hold a grudge over it, even if never publicly stated.

The only exception is if many years have passed, or they keep nagging you to come back with increased salary offers which demonstrate they really want you personally. But if there's no new money on the table, then it's just words really. Best move onwards and upwards.

Niall

BrokenArrows

Has anyone ever seen a potential new employers code base before accepting a job offer?

Im just curious because they can make any job sound amazing from the outside but if the code was all written by blind monkeys and held together by a complex set of patches and quick fixes then the job will be hell regardless of whatever else they offer.

I wonder how that would be seen by an employer, a potential new employee asking to be allow to scan through their source control for a few hours to evaluate it before accepting the job offer.

off.the.walls

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Has anyone ever seen a potential new employers code base before accepting a job offer?

Im just curious because they can make any job sound amazing from the outside but if the code was all written by blind monkeys and held together by a complex set of patches and quick fixes then the job will be hell regardless of whatever else they offer.

I wonder how that would be seen by an employer, a potential new employee asking to be allow to scan through their source control for a few hours to evaluate it before accepting the job offer.

Unless they had a pretty solid NDA in place before letting you see it I highly doubt that would ever happen.

14ned

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Has anyone ever seen a potential new employers code base before accepting a job offer?

It's very very common for remote contracting. Either you sign a NDA and walk the source alone as part of preparing a bid, or for more cutting edge stuff the manager will walk the code at your direction over video chat. It gives a great idea as to the team ethos and what they care about, and is definitely one of the best parts of remote contracting.

Niall