There are three pillars that I look for in any job: the idea or goal of the company, the day-to-day, and the compensation. In order to stay at a given job I need at least two of these pillars. In the following post I will dig into each of these pillars within in the context of the tech industry and explain what they represent and why they are important to me.

The first pillar is the company product or idea. It has to be something I believe in - something I am motivated to work on. No matter how much money I am making or how much I like my coworkers, if I am working on a project that does not motivate me, I will not be fulfilled. This may not be the case for you. In fact, a majority of my friends could care less whether they are sending rockets to space or working on a manure processing application (not saying manure processing can’t be cool). If that sounds like you, the following two pillars will be critical to your fulfillment at a job.

The second pillar is the day-to-day of the job. This encompasses a lot: work life balance, good coworkers, interesting tech, learning opportunities, etc. If I am working for a company with a cool product and a great day-to-day, money is less of an issue. That being said, if either of the previous pillars falter, that is where the third pillar comes in.

The third pillar is compensation. The importance of this pillar will vary from person to person. If you are new to the industry compensation should be your last priority (within reason). Your main goal should be to work at a cool company with great coworkers and learning opportunities. Focus on gaining skills to chase bigger paychecks in the future.

If you’ve lost one pillar, it’s time to start looking, although it’s not necessarily time to jump ship. It’s simply time to sharpen up your interviewing skills and see what is out there. You want to be prepared in the event that you start to see a second pillar crumbling. It is said time and time again to quit early. Don’t stay in a position that will burn you out or hold you back from opportunities and growth. These pillars provide a simple framework to do a pulse check on your satisfaction level at your current job and determine whether it is time to move on.