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I am in a service based startup company in India . Although I love my work, I don't like my company a lot. It is a startup company with an occasional ridiculous amount of work. Sometimes, even though the deadline is not close, I am asked to complete a task in my home, or during weekends or holidays.

So, now that I am 7-8 months in it, I am willing to look for better opportunities. However, I am terrified that I may not find a new/better job at all. it is certainly not due to pandemic. I know getting a job in the current situation is not easy. But, I am certain that it is my common fear, irrespective of this COVID era. This is my general fear, as if what if I am stuck at the current workplace forever, where I may not be able to improve myself, or find better opportunities. How do I avoid this tension?

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    How old are you? In your twenties? Thirties? Is this your first job or tenth? Are you working in the US, Europe or in Asia?
    – Mari-Lou A
    Mar 21, 2021 at 14:26
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    I am 24, and I am in India. And this is my first job
    – Skumar
    Mar 21, 2021 at 14:27
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    You should add that in the question. It's relevant, the answers are (I'm guessing) from the US it's a completely different culture, with different expectations etc.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Mar 21, 2021 at 14:29

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Sure, you might not find a better job. But there's a fair chance you will - just get out there and start looking. The only thing which guarantees you won't find a new job is if you don't apply for any.

For the rest of this post, remember nobody here is giving you a professional medical opinion.

Stepping back a bit, your post reads as if you are engaging in "catastrophic thinking" - seeing the worst in a situation. If you find this is something which is having an impact on your life, you should consider talking to a medical professional about it.

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  • What you said, is exactly the problem with me- excessive thinking. It always keeps demotivating me. And thanks a lot for pointing that out. However, should I delete my question, since it could be psychology based ? Because trust me, I dont want your answer to go.
    – Skumar
    Mar 21, 2021 at 13:37
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    I'd say it's on topic because it's how your thinking is affecting your work and your ability to improve it - just that you shouldn't trust anyone on the Internet for medical advice.
    – Philip Kendall
    Mar 21, 2021 at 13:42
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It's a case of bad news / good news.

First the bad news:

  1. Working at startups is very tough

  2. Working at startups, the money is very bad

  3. Working at startups, there is the dream that after only seven years you will make $120,000 bonus from "shares" when the company "goes big". Of course, this is just ridiculous. Better to buy lottery tickets.

Now the good news:

However, there is good news. In fact great news! No need for tension or depression, because:

  1. Working at startups really toughens you up and makes you attractive to new employers.

Repeat, working at startups really toughens you up and makes you attractive to other companies.

Bingo!

Having worked at the start-up for 8 months, OP is now perfectly situated to get a new better job. Nothing is better on your resume - it's a mark of a hard worker who grabs life by the balls and learns new stuff every day until it hurts and really contributes.

You're in a golden position to find a new great job. Enjoy it!

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  • Thanks for the positivity.
    – Skumar
    Mar 21, 2021 at 14:19
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    Easy - since it is factual. Paying your dues in a startup is the "fire that forgers a programmer". You can now easily get a better job.
    – Fattie
    Mar 21, 2021 at 14:24
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    Not to throw shade on anything you said, Fattie, but... in my experience, people working at startup's aren't as good at working with really old legacy code. With startup's your mostly doing greenfield development and are able to create a project from scratch with best practices as they stand today. With older legacy code bases, even assuming best practices were utilized, there's a good chance that they're not considered best practices today. Thus people who are over focused on best practices might feel compelled to try to rewrite everything instead of just working with it
    – neubert
    Mar 21, 2021 at 14:37
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    @neubert On the flip side to that, the pressure in a startup is also a lot greater. So there are benefits to working in both.
    – Gregory Currie
    Mar 21, 2021 at 14:54
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    Hi guys, out OP is specifically asking for a positive outlook.
    – Fattie
    Mar 21, 2021 at 15:54

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