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"Optimize your career, not your salary" — and this is how gamedev is never lacking those new fresh naive developers. Poor souls.

JonLim 10y ago
I don't disagree on your sentiment on the gamedev industry and how it treats devs, but I agree with the author on the point of optimizing for a better career than just optimizing for salary bumps. Their checklist shares a lot with mine, and I can only assume money will come with having grown in supportive and great development environments.
- UK-AL 10y ago
  Supportive and great developer environments probably correlates well with companies that pay well and respect(correlated with pay) their developers
noxToken 10y ago
Optimize doesn't mean that you should completely ignore salary, work/life balance or any other benefit. I read it as, "Don't immediately jump ship just because someone offers you a 3% increase." >and this is how gamedev is never lacking those new fresh naive developers I think I know what you mean by this, but just in case, I really think it's the over-representation of SV and startup culture on the Internet. One of the biggest concerns I had before I started working full time as a dev was work/life balance. I listened to the Internet rather than asking peers. It turns out (in my experience) that it's fine in most places. Blogs, Reddit, and HN had me thinking otherwise, and I'm sure the people who drink the SV and startup Kool-Aid are the ones falling prey to this.
- pmiller2 10y ago
  Do people really change jobs for a 3% increase? That doesn't even cover the risk of starting over at a new company for me, unless there's something seriously wrong with my current company or there's some other reason to move.
  - noxToken 10y ago
    Probably not. I pulled a small number out as an example of what not to do based on some single criterion. A 3% increase is meager, but other benefits could more than make up for it like better healthcare, 401k matching with a better plan, shorter hours, better coworkers, etc. A new job that only gives a 3% increase probably isn't worth it.

JonLim 10y ago

I don't disagree on your sentiment on the gamedev industry and how it treats devs, but I agree with the author on the point of optimizing for a better career than just optimizing for salary bumps. Their checklist shares a lot with mine, and I can only assume money will come with having grown in supportive and great development environments.

UK-AL 10y ago
Supportive and great developer environments probably correlates well with companies that pay well and respect(correlated with pay) their developers

noxToken 10y ago

Optimize doesn't mean that you should completely ignore salary, work/life balance or any other benefit. I read it as, "Don't immediately jump ship just because someone offers you a 3% increase." >and this is how gamedev is never lacking those new fresh naive developers I think I know what you mean by this, but just in case, I really think it's the over-representation of SV and startup culture on the Internet. One of the biggest concerns I had before I started working full time as a dev was work/life balance. I listened to the Internet rather than asking peers. It turns out (in my experience) that it's fine in most places. Blogs, Reddit, and HN had me thinking otherwise, and I'm sure the people who drink the SV and startup Kool-Aid are the ones falling prey to this.

pmiller2 10y ago
Do people really change jobs for a 3% increase? That doesn't even cover the risk of starting over at a new company for me, unless there's something seriously wrong with my current company or there's some other reason to move.
- noxToken 10y ago
  Probably not. I pulled a small number out as an example of what not to do based on some single criterion. A 3% increase is meager, but other benefits could more than make up for it like better healthcare, 401k matching with a better plan, shorter hours, better coworkers, etc. A new job that only gives a 3% increase probably isn't worth it.