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Should I quit my job as an underpaid and overworked .Net developer to work for a startup using Ruby on Rails or should I stick to Java / .Net?

  • When I took my current job, I was just barely trying to get into development and I had no degree or experience so I took the first job I was able to find even though the pay was mediocre. I've been there now for 3 years now and I've demonstrated that I am a self starter, a good problem solver and a passionate developer. I love what I do but I'm starting to ask my self if I should stick with this company. The company has several problems poor project management, lacks the necessary workforce for the amount of work there is, and they hesitate to hire the right people. Ex. Instead of hiring a seasoned devs they hired an intern. After getting burned out by the workload, I started looking for other opportunities and I let me boss know it. Immediately he asked me to please not quit. He said he would do whatever was needed to keep me. So I told him I wanted our environment to be better. Hire more devs, manage projects better, and pay me market rate. He has shown me that he is serious about managing projects better, and hiring more people but it seems like he is reluctant to pay me market rate. He says he values me but I'm having my doubts. I'm really thinking about leaving the company but I would like to see what others think I should do. Should I: 1. Stick with the company and be part of making the company better? 2. Find a new job working with more .Net? 3. Work for a well-funded startup using Ruby on Rails? I'm hesitant about #3 because I hear that Ruby on Rails is dying. Is this true?

  • Answer:

    My advice... It is doubtful that your current company will change.  You have worked there 3 years it is what it is the culture of this place will not turn around because you are disgruntled.  If you have a job offer pending at a startup where you can learn RoR that would be attractive as adding that experience will only help.  In this profession, the more skills  you have the better your future options. In reference to the specific question about RoR vs java/.NET...I don't know what geographical area you are in but in San Francisco area, take a look at Internet engineer job postings on Craigslist you will not see much .NET at startups.  In fact the best career advise I can give anyone including myself is to always look at job postings to see what skills are in demand and paying the $$$. If you start to see lots of jobs at places or types of places that you want to work at but you don't have those skills and your current job is not moving in that direction, it is time to think about doing what is necessary to acquire those skill so you will be in demand. Bottom line is this is a business.  Just like a good company will evaluate their current market position and make changes to stay relevant, the individual in the software profession needs to do the same and make decisions in their best interest - if those decisions don't line up with your current position it is time to explore other opportunities

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About #3 I would not worry too much, Ruby is not dying and in Europe I see only more and more demand for RoR developers. Also even if it died most of the experience you'll acquire will be on how the web works, JavaScript, HTML and databases. Those things are here to stay. Anothre good reason is that good companies value developers that are interested in trying different programming languages.

David Santoro

I would explore your options. Interview at a lot of places and ask a lot of questions, and figure out if life is better elsewhere. Same thing with .net vs Rails. Try it out and see what you think. I think you'll love it, but it is very different, and you might not have the same experience as I did. I learned .net and Rails at the same time. I prefer Rails by far. But you can write great software in either platform.

Jade Rubick

I am not sure what business area you've been working for with your .net skills, but my advice is to look at other business areas like finance and investments. You will be paid much better, and the business knowledge you will learn will be really raising your value as a developer as well. I have been working in this finance & investment area since 1995, and the dominant language being used is C# or Java because there needs to be a lot of interface/implementation work involved with vendor products (such as trading, accounting, market data feeds).  I am also programming in Ruby on Rails, and I really love this language and the framework.  Ask yourself "How much are you having fun now working at your place now?" I don't think the language you'd use won't matter. Good luck!

Jae Lee

Don't listen your company management. It's their job to make others fool and keep on taking overloaded work. It is same for all , If you start listening them you will make your life hell. Better do the quality stuff. Search outside for better opportunity in .Net only. Its good technology(I will advice you to learn WCF, MVC, Shareponits, Jquery, BizTalk. These all are in huge demand now a day.) Move out from the hell. (Keep n mind never listen your employer. Do whatever you think is good for you.)

Monika Singh

Just because the company you work for sucks , that does not mean .NET is bad. Their are a lot of good software companies doing work in .NET. Have you thought about doing some thing open source and posting it on GitHub / Codeplex etc ?

Jay Janarthanan

Find another .NET job. .NET devs are in fairly high demand in the agency and consulting world (and paradoxically, even more so at senior levels). Consulting jobs in particular can pay quite well, if you don't mind the need for mobility (i.e. travel to other cities on short notice) and talking to clients directly. If your main problem is with being overworked, then a startup is most definitely not for you. The lack of Rails experience in your resume might also lower your ability to negotiate for a high salary, especially if you're looking into more established rails shops where hierarchies have had a chance to start forming. On the other hand, if you want more freedom and less bureaucracy, and don't mind living at the office with your co-workers, then a startup might actually be a good choice.

Leo Horie

My advice - as a non-tech founder of a startup that helps connect tech and biz cofounders... Join the startup. But not because of ROR. The experience you will gain from working in a startup is unlike anything you'll ever gain in the corporate world. One day you'll find yourself coding, the next you'll be out talking to customers and the day after that you'll be pitching investors. It helps to round you out as an individual...and that helps you write better code. If you're good at what you do, it'll also open up a lot of doors. Good devs are always in demand and if you're unhappy with your current salary/conditions you could be doing much much better working at a startup.

Ryan Wardell

In addition to what others, and Jay said: Why don't you give RoR a fair shot in your spare time and then think about making any shift. If you are unsatisfied with the job, then it is better to follow your own instincts.  Even if your boss has outlined a commitment to you, it is useless unless backed up with a definite action. Lastly, while learning rails, you would definitely be exposed to lot of different coding practices and can proactively apply them into rails inspired frameworks into your technology stack (ironruby, http://asp.net mvc3)

Sumit Bisht

knowledge of new languages significantly increases your chances for the new interesting job.Whats wrong in shooting from both hands?You can be expert in Microsoft, ROR and Java world in the same time.

Alexey Sapozhnikov

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