Bad job switches and hard feelings

Some readers saw our “What it’s like to make the wrong job switch” story as a slam against IOActive. That’s unfortunate.

The article was about Erin Jacobs switching jobs and discovering the move wasn’t right for her. One of the main points she tried to make was that she left IOActive on good terms and that one should never burn their bridges.

But when readers started filling in the comments section, the story started to take on a different, more bitter flavor.

“Sounds like this person learned what a lot of us have always known about IOActive: they are all flash and style and no substance,” one reader said in the comments section. “It probably explains why they have been bleeding staff for years and never seem to hang on to anybody for very long. I know of plenty of security people who have little to no respect for them any more. All they do is issue press releases and stage sensational hacking demos. They don’t seem to be able to actually help companies improve their security.”

Naturally, this comment was filed under “anonymous.”

Others slammed Jacobs for exposing her dirty laundry and suggested she didn’t fit in because she couldn’t operate at the company’s advanced level.

Like I said, this is all unfortunate. The article, after all, was not meant to be about whether company A or B is good or bad. It WAS about the uncomfortable reality people sometimes find themselves in when they make a job switch only to find it isn’t the right fit for them.

That’s not the fault of the company the person switches to.

It’s simply a matter of one person’s personal expectations not measuring up to reality.

It’s about being human.

–Bill Brenner