Off the VPN

Would you take a job sure to end in a layoff if it meant a free European vacation? Would you accept a job without a formal offer? If these questions throw up red flags, you’re in the right place. In this episode of Off the VPN, hosts Allison and Jasmine answer your questions about bizarre tech industry red flags and how to handle them. 
 
Got a question you’d like answered on the show? Drop us a line at jellyfish.co/offthevpn. And don’t worry! We promise to keep it Off the VPN.

Highlights:
The Interview Shakedown: Ever been rushed through an interview process and felt unsure about the company afterward? Allison shares the story of a person who was prematurely introduced as the “new hire” to a group of would-be colleagues.
European Vacation or Financial Disaster?: Your company sends you on a fully-paid European trip, then lays off a third of the staff. We dive into a bizarre story that might sound like the next Fyre Festival and discuss the true costs behind such stunts.
Can You Fix the Chill? Struggling because your workplace is too laid back? Jasmine and Allison offer practical advice on how to address these "good problems." They discuss how to bring up concerns with leadership, take small steps to improve team accountability, and push for better developer experiences.

Jump into the conversation:
03:22 Awkward coding interview with uncomfortable vibes.
07:54 Luxurious team building trip ends with layoffs.
17:49 Costly consequences of joining a laid-back company.
23:12 Assessing company culture through insightful interview questions.

What is Off the VPN?

Is bringing up your software engineering salary a dating red flag? How do you strike a balance between career ambition and incendiary burnout? Is it ever okay to hold your code hostage in escrow? Navigating a career in tech raises a lot of tricky questions that aren’t exactly appropriate for the daily stand-up. So let’s take this off the VPN.

In this new podcast from Jellyfish, work besties Jasmine and Allison scour the internet to find the real questions engineers and developers are whispering over drinks and posting about anonymously. Together, they’ll tackle the most troubling of inquiries with authenticity, humor, and absolutely no holding back.