For experienced devs, were you put on PIP early in your career? How did you bounce back from it to stay in the industry?

I'm a new grad who started at one of the Big Tech companies this past year. Been recently notified that I'm in danger of being placed under PIP due to underperformance, which I thought was fair due to extenuating familial circumstances. I'm personally feeling despair in being capable or being able to stay in the tech industry considering my lack of ability or general aptitude.

jeff,
@jeff@programming.dev avatar

Some really good advice in this thread already. I'm a manager and have administered a few PIPs but at a much smaller company than "Big Tech". Some have been successful(the individual completed the PIP and stayed at the company) and not(employee did not complete PIP and left the company).

Both sentiments in this thread can be true, a PIP is a first step in firing and it is also a way to get underperformers to stay in the company. I never wanted to fire anyone, but I also wanted to make sure my ass was covered if I had to.

Big Tech isn't for everyone. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't work out. Sometimes the team, or project, or company and you aren't meant to be.

rei,

Can someone explain what pip is, I am assuming its not the python package manager, and I am not getting the meaning from context.

seedot11,

Performance Improvement Plan, I've never seen one in real life either, but I'm British.

AssaultPepper,
AssaultPepper avatar

I recently came out of a pre-PiP. It took some work but most of the heavy lifting was just listening to and actioning on advice. It was also a culture that used this quite frequently for course correction and usually tries to avoid PIP'ing when possible.

That said once on a PIP the advice even at that company was to look elsewhere generally. I currently have 3 YOE if that helps, and the pre-PIP was fairly early in my on-boarding.

monomon,
@monomon@programming.dev avatar

I was on a PIP early on, and i was also in a low place in my life. The managers were thoroughly well-intentioned, though, and i bounced back, eventually becoming the goto for technical questions in our department, after the team grew a year later. It was a nice place to work. Eventually i quit for something i preferred.

My advice is don't sweat it, put in the work, and try to gauge your managers' intent. Chances are, they are really trying to improve your situation.

itsybitesyspider,

If you are this early career and the company is still paying you, PIP or no PIP, it's very likely that they want you to succeed. Question your assumptions and make sure you really understand the feedback they are giving you. Don't put in extraordinary hours (you want to have clear judgement, get plenty of sleep) but look for every resource, mentors, books, ask for help, and focus on doing your best. This will put you in the best possible light no matter what happens.

There are a lot of different companies out there each with a different culture. One of them might be a better fit.

holdthemayo, (edited )

I wasn't PIP'ed but I was fired once early on I was put on projects I really shouldn't have tried my best but it wasn't enough

it hurt a lot at the time but I moved on and almost two decades later i'm now a 'top performer' and have successfully worked on many well known products

my advice is just to keep going in a few years you likely won't even remember this job

ndotb,
@ndotb@programming.dev avatar

Don't sweat looking around in more traditional companies. There are a LOT of big tech and big 4 refugees that chose family over work.

JackbyDev,

All the advice I've ever heard is to start looking for a new job if you're out on a pip. I don't know how well that advice tracks if severance is on the table though.

I will say this though, there is no harm in looking. Ever.

sj_zero,

Unfortunately, you're also entering into big tech at a time when most big tech companies are laying people off. It's going to be a highly competitive time.

Personally, I'd follow the process, put my nose to the grindstone, and work hard to improve. It's about all you can do, since you're playing in their sandbox. Don't take your paycheck for granted, put money away for a rainy day.

If anything does happen (and I'm not going to sugar coat it, the PIP is definitely the first step out the door), remember that not everyone is a fit for every job, but it doesn't mean you're not going to be able to do tech work. It might just mean you need to find a less competitive job outside of the highly competitive big tech field.

My first job wasn't a good fit for me. I'm a doer, and that job was about planning things that might never get done ever. I'd just put a plan together and they'd tell me to put it on the shelf and start on the next one. Spent a lot more time on reddit than I'd like to admit, I found it hard to get motivated. My next job was much more immediate, things I did would be rolled out immediately once testing was successful. I found that it was a much better fit for me, and I did very well in that job.

Makan,

...PIP?

sj_zero,

Personal Improvement Plan. It's a nominally a management tool for getting underperformers to get up to where they're expected to be.

JackbyDev,

Many will tell you that it is just a step in the firing process. That's how I've heard it described.

sj_zero,

Honestly, that's usually how things work out and it's just one of the seven circles of Hell a manager need to put you through to finally get you out the door, but people do occasionally get out of PIPs with their jobs intact.

buxton,

I've seen a few people put on PIPs at a FAANG and none of them survived. The main reason for the PIP was to make sure enough data was gathered to be able to fire them without worrying about being sued.

Makan,

An app?

sj_zero,

Not usually. It's a business process, so it's often done on paper or something. "Write down how you plan to stop sucking so badly, we'll come back in 6 weeks and review your progress"

Makan,

oof

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