Ask HN: Have you ever been demoted months after being hired?
7 by ambalaika | 9 comments on Hacker News.
Have you ever been in a situation when you joined a company as a software engineer at a certain level (written clearly in your job offer) but then after a few months in found out that your level was actually one ladder step lower? What was your reaction, how did you handle it and what was the management response? This is what happened to me at the current company a couple of years ago. I didn't raise it with the management at the time and assumed that I just needed to get a bit better for it. I've been working towards the promotion to my job offer level for the past year, but so far it's always been "come back next cycle". My reviews have always been good, but it seemed like I needed to get just a bit better or for just a tad longer. I've been mentoring people of my level, working on various internal company side projects on my own time for most of these years to build reputation and prove myself, but it doesn't seem to pay off as much and I feel that I'm starting to lose motivation. Is there anything you would suggest to stay positive? Do you know anyone else who went through a similar experience and came off on top?