I was poached for a new tech job on LinkedIn. It was a good financial decision but came with its own set of challenges.

• Danny Eng was poached by Affirm to build a bargain now salary later paper successful 2021.
• Eng antecedently worked astatine Credit Karma, wherever he led cardinal projects and had a affirmative experience.
• Affirm offered Eng a elder domiciled pinch a salary rise, and he's happy pinch his determination to move over.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Danny Eng, a 29-year-old merchandise head successful San Francisco. It's been edited for magnitude and clarity.

I've been successful tech for complete a decade, starting arsenic an intern. I've worked astatine companies specified arsenic Nvidia and EA, successful wellness tech, gaming tech, and AI, and moreover sold a startup to Airbnb. I had nary thought I would extremity up successful fintech.

My first foray into fintech was a friend referral to Credit Karma, which hired maine arsenic a merchandise head successful 2019. I'm Canadian and didn't moreover person a credit score erstwhile I started there. I quickly learned nan US operates connected in installments and that financial literacy is simply a problem.

While moving astatine Credit Karma, my squad built a merchandise called Credit Karma Money and scaled it to a fewer cardinal users. I besides handled fraud, customer experiences, and maturation and was responsible for owning nan cardinal acquisition projects for Intuit's $7 cardinal buyout of nan company.

I worked astatine Credit Karma for 2 and a half years and was rather happy

The marketplace was doing well, and galore of america were semi-retired. I was making mid-six figures erstwhile I left.

After complete 2 years astatine Credit Karma, a head astatine Affirm contacted maine connected LinkedIn astir an unfastened position. They shared insights into nan company's civilization and expectations complete 3 calls. I didn't hesitate to return these calls — it was communal to shop astir offers and understand wherever nan manufacture was heading. The hiring process was beautiful casual.

When considering a caller job, I typically look for 3 things: awesome salary astatine an breathtaking company, maturation opportunities, and a equilibrium that fits good pinch my life. Credit Karma initially offered each three, but arsenic nan institution grew, nan squad sewage bigger, which was little appealing, and my maturation stagnated. I was unfastened to moving erstwhile Affirm reached retired and offered each three.

Affirm poached maine to build their bargain now salary later paper from scratch

I genuinely believed successful nan company's ngo of helping nan underbanked. The anticipation was that I would get my hands dirty, build a squad from nan crushed up, and motorboat it. The unit was on, and I enjoyed nan challenge.

I joined successful June 2021. Even though Affirm is simply a ample company, nan task felt arsenic innovative arsenic a startup.

Although I loved my clip astatine Credit Karma, I was happy astir being poached

Generally, erstwhile you're poached, it's because of a circumstantial acquisition aliases skill, and excavation was building financial paper products for folks large banks mostly forget.

I was besides gladsome it allowed maine to attraction connected and grow connected my career's ngo — to thief champion people's financial progress.

I was promoted to a founding and elder merchandise developer position, pinch a net promotion of astir 2 to 4 times more, depending connected nan banal price. It was a bully financial determination to move.

Being poached comes pinch its ain group of challenges

Expectations thin to beryllium higher erstwhile you subordinate a institution that poached you. Generally, it's because they targeted you for circumstantial reasons and skills, truthful nan learning curve is expected to beryllium shorter. It's besides important to debar sharing proprietary information.

Leaving Credit Karma wasn't difficult because its accuracy is, "We don't expect you to enactment present forever." The leaders simply dream you've learned arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable and made nan astir of your acquisition by nan clip you leave. Many of my erstwhile squad and colleagues knew I was going, and everyone was happy for me. I still bent retired pinch galore of my erstwhile coworkers.

Moving betwixt nan 2 companies was an invaluable learning experience

I don't person regrets successful life. There were awesome things astir Credit Karma that everlastingly shaped maine arsenic a amended merchandise manager, leader, and founder.

Affirm allows maine to do my champion work, thief arsenic galore group arsenic possible, and do truthful remotely. It's an absolute privilege to person these tech opportunities.

Have you been poached and want to stock your story? Email Lauryn Haas astatine lhaas@businessinsider.com.