5 ms·

> At some point, an engineer's economic worth plateaus, and the only way to justify a bigger paycheck is to have him offload the upper management. Why not jus

by flukus 8y ago

> At some point, an engineer's economic worth plateaus, and the only way to justify a bigger paycheck is to have him offload the upper management. Why not just accept a paycheck that plateaus as well? Mine's been pretty flat since I first (prematurely) got to that "senior" title. I'm not anticipating big gains in future.

01100011 8y ago
Yeah, I peaked in my 30s. I was happy about that - I was making good money. Unless someone at Google has an aneurysm and accidentally hires me, I expect my salary to stay about the same from here on out.
- barry-cotter 8y ago
  Why not go get a job at Google? If you’re good the received wisdom seems to be to inhale Cracking the Coding Interview and the Algorithm Design Manual. If they don’t have any open positions where you’d like to work that’s one thing but why not take the extra money if it’s there?
  - crispyambulance 8y ago
    It is not just about the interviews. Google and others in the big five also evaluate "career trajectory". That means you need to show continuous progression in your career as a non-entry-level hire. Someone who has reached a plateau in salary usually doesn't have that, a "grizzled" tech veteran won't be able to show continuous career progression after surviving ups and downs in the industry (layoffs, failed companies, career changes). There are exceptions, of course, but those of us who are "olds" have to be more than just "good" to compete with younger talent in many (but not all) workplaces.
    - repolfx 8y ago
      That's a misunderstanding. They want you to show growth at Google, and if you are hired as an entry-level engineer. It isn't about what you did up to that point. Source: did a lot of hiring at Google.
      - OnionBlender 8y ago
        Do you think Algorithm Design Manual is better to read than Introduction to Algorithms for preparing for programming interviews at the big companies?
        repolfx 8y ago
        I have no idea. Probably just spending some time on Wikipedia is enough. Interviewers ask algorithms questions mostly because it's hard to find programming tasks small enough to fit in an interview which cover all the basics and which aren't implementing basic algorithms.
      - crispyambulance 8y ago
        >show growth at Google, and if you are hired as an entry-level engineer. It isn't about what you did up to that point. Wait, do you mean: IF you are an entry-level engineer, they want you to show growth at Google upon getting hired at Google? What about NON entry-level? That's my point-- career trajectory is, I am told, very important to them.
        repolfx 8y ago
        Yes. There's an expectation that if you're hired below the level of Senior SWE you will get enough promotions over time to reach that level, more or less, although as long as you show the right trajectory there isn't any deadline attached. If you're hired right in at director level or something, it's not like you're expected to end up CEO or you get fired :)

by flukus 8y ago

01100011 8y ago

Yeah, I peaked in my 30s. I was happy about that - I was making good money. Unless someone at Google has an aneurysm and accidentally hires me, I expect my salary to stay about the same from here on out.

barry-cotter 8y ago
Why not go get a job at Google? If you’re good the received wisdom seems to be to inhale Cracking the Coding Interview and the Algorithm Design Manual. If they don’t have any open positions where you’d like to work that’s one thing but why not take the extra money if it’s there?
- crispyambulance 8y ago
  It is not just about the interviews. Google and others in the big five also evaluate "career trajectory". That means you need to show continuous progression in your career as a non-entry-level hire. Someone who has reached a plateau in salary usually doesn't have that, a "grizzled" tech veteran won't be able to show continuous career progression after surviving ups and downs in the industry (layoffs, failed companies, career changes). There are exceptions, of course, but those of us who are "olds" have to be more than just "good" to compete with younger talent in many (but not all) workplaces.
  - repolfx 8y ago
    That's a misunderstanding. They want you to show growth at Google, and if you are hired as an entry-level engineer. It isn't about what you did up to that point. Source: did a lot of hiring at Google.
    - OnionBlender 8y ago
      Do you think Algorithm Design Manual is better to read than Introduction to Algorithms for preparing for programming interviews at the big companies?
      - repolfx 8y ago
        I have no idea. Probably just spending some time on Wikipedia is enough. Interviewers ask algorithms questions mostly because it's hard to find programming tasks small enough to fit in an interview which cover all the basics and which aren't implementing basic algorithms.
    - crispyambulance 8y ago
      >show growth at Google, and if you are hired as an entry-level engineer. It isn't about what you did up to that point. Wait, do you mean: IF you are an entry-level engineer, they want you to show growth at Google upon getting hired at Google? What about NON entry-level? That's my point-- career trajectory is, I am told, very important to them.
      - repolfx 8y ago
        Yes. There's an expectation that if you're hired below the level of Senior SWE you will get enough promotions over time to reach that level, more or less, although as long as you show the right trajectory there isn't any deadline attached. If you're hired right in at director level or something, it's not like you're expected to end up CEO or you get fired :)