The Reasons Why I Left My First Job

2020年我离开了我第一份全职工作。离开的原因有很多，但大致可以分成4个部分：城市、行业、公司、个人的发展。

I left my first full-time job in 2020. There are many reasons for leaving, but they can be roughly divided into four parts: the development of the city, the industry, the company, and the individual.

City / 城市

我第一份工作是在北京，中国最难扎根的地方。北京的房价在7万-10万/平，我不吃不喝到30岁才付得起首付。户口的话更不用说了，积分落户得20年。同样的钱和时间，我可以在其他城市过更好的生活。

另外走在北京大街上和走在南方城市的大街上，是两种完全不同的体验。在北京过马路总是小心又紧张。留给行人的绿灯时间很紧凑，汽车不让人，散步一点都不放松。而在成都闹市一个没有红绿灯的T型路口，我一个人过马路时，所有的车离我十米远就停了下来。

My first job was in Beijing, the hardest place to root in China. The house price in Beijing is between 70,000 and 100,000 per square meter. I can’t afford the down payment until I am 30 years old without eating or drinking. Not to mention the account, the points are settled for 20 years. With the same money and time, I can live a better life in other cities.

In addition, walking on the streets of Beijing and walking on the streets of southern cities are two completely different experiences. Crossing the road in Beijing is always careful and nervous. The green time for pedestrians is very tight, the car does not allow people, and walking is not relaxing at all. And at a T-shaped intersection with no traffic lights in downtown Chengdu, when I was crossing the road alone, all the cars stopped ten meters away from me.

Industry / 行业

这个公司所处的行业叫另类数据行业，主要的业务是通过非官方的数据计算出跟上市公司经营状况相关的指标，卖给投资机构帮助他们做决策。这部分我会单独写一篇，这里先简单介绍一下。

这个行业的客户分为三类。VC用另类数据做项目的尽调，都是短期项目。大厂战略部用另类数据对比跟踪竞争对手的情况。对冲基金根据数据加杠杆买卖股票，他们是这个行业的主要买家。

这个行业有两个问题：市场规模有限，规模效应很小。

市场规模有限。每年在中国区有百万预算的，非高频量化交易的对冲基金数量有限。这些财大气粗的机构都在建自己的团队。这不是赢家通吃，一家独大的生意。

规模效应很小。随着收入的增加，需要投入的成本没有大幅下降。监测的上市公司越多，需要的员工越多。因为已经稳定的产品每个月仍然占用很多时间。

The industry in which this company is located is called the alternative data industry. Its main business is to use unofficial data to calculate indicators related to the operating conditions of listed companies and sell them to investment institutions to help them make decisions. I will write a separate article for this part, here is a brief introduction.

Customers in this industry are divided into three categories. VC uses alternative data for project due diligence, which are all short-term projects. Dachang Strategy Department uses alternative data to compare and track the situation of competitors. Hedge funds buy and sell stocks based on data and leverage, and they are the main buyers in this industry.

There are two problems with this industry: the market size is limited, and the scale effect is small.

The market size is limited. The number of hedge funds with a budget of one million in China each year and non-high-frequency quantitative trading is limited. These wealthy institutions are all building their own teams. This is not a winner-takes-all business.

The scale effect is small. With the increase in income, the cost of investment has not dropped significantly. The more listed companies monitored, the more employees are needed. Because stable products still take up a lot of time every month.

Company / 公司

我入职的时候，公司的氛围很好，互相帮助，没有甩锅的事情，内部也比较透明。但是到了2020年，出现了团队之间甩锅的现象，福利基本取消，感觉所有新的规章都是基于不信任展开的。

最关键的是竞业协议上出现了三个公司名单。

白名单：可以去的公司；

黑名单：包括了几乎全部的互联网大厂；

灰名单：除去黑白名单中提到的公司，要加入其他公司的话需要书面通知这家公司并得到许可；

不管这些条款合不合法，这都是一个强烈的信号。明确表明公司跟员工已经不是友好合作伙伴关系。

Personal Career / 个人发展

对我的专业技能来说，我感觉这几年进步不大。当然这有我自己的原因，但另外一部分是从工作中学不到东西了。每个项目用到的技术相差不大，只是在重复利用已有的技能。

Triggers / 两个导火索

一是我工作几年攒了一些家底，有了底气。没收入在北京也能活两年。第二个导火索是某天公司换新办公室，在进新办公室的第一天，装修还在收尾，甲醛味道特别大。那一天真的很难受，第二天我就提了离职。