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* What do you do? - Specialist consulting? I help large organisations migrate systems, develop API's in-house, train existing staff to use good tools and frame
by Mandatum 9y ago
* What do you do?
- Specialist consulting? I help large organisations migrate systems, develop API's in-house, train existing staff to use good tools and frameworks.. I wear a lot of hats, but it's mostly API development. I think most developers could manage it with a good foundation and knowledge of how things "should be done".
* What is your job title?
- Often something with "API", "Integration" or "Engineer" in the role. Varies by client, I let them decide.
* What is your total comp?
$350K/yr
* Who do you work for?
Varies; usually banks, education, government, insurance - not traditionally IT places.
* Where do you live (assuming you don't work from home)?
Australia
* How long did it take you to get here?
5 years from doing an internship where I was made to write VB6. In 2013.
* How did you get here (networking/raw technical skill/job board/dumb luck, etc.)?
Mix of luck, soft skills, good mentors and really hard fucking work. First job was a fluke - found a great team who I learned a lot from. Got the right title bumps at the right times. Was happy to tell people no and give ultimatums on pay and titles. Didn't put up with bad managers, shit code and toxic culture during downturns. My resignation is always the same, "right now I don't think this is the right environment for me at this point in my career, I've found another opportunity I wish to pursue. It's been great blah blah blah". Eventually just started selling my time by the hour, now I put up my rate every 3 months (or at the end of a contract which is usually 6+ months) until I can't find a job, then I take a holiday and usually land something within a few months at the new rate.
Honestly, I think most average developers at large organisations are just that - average. The kind of people who've been writing code for 20 years but still not using source control properly or in some cases at all. Ask them something obscure about anything in their code-base and they'll tell you what you need in under 20 seconds. I think this is usually because they've had a manager in the past who said no and questioned everything, so they stopped improving and just maintained.