You can imagine a skill gradation of: 1. Follow implementation instructions from someone else. I.e. new programmer straight out of school. 2. Solve problems p

You can imagine a skill gradation of: 1. Follow implementation instructions from someone else. I.e. new programmer straight out of school. 2. Solve problems presented by someone else. They figure out the task, you figure out how to implement it. 3. Identify problems, and more broadly figure out what to do based on team goals. Some possibilities: A. You're in level 2, they wanted level 3. Solution: find a job elsewhere, and meanwhile up your skills (a lot of it is mindset, e.g. https://codewithoutrules.com/2018/02/11/working-long-hours/ https://codewithoutrules.com/2018/02/11/working-long-hours/) B. You're level 3, but you presented yourself as a level 2. In this case you want to emphasize (in resume, interviews, etc.) that you are able to identify needs independently. It's a subtle difference, "I solved this problem where company was losing money" vs "I identified that the company was losing money, came up with solution, implemented it." C. Like B, but you're underrepresented minority and facing (possibly unconscious) bias so you have to work even harder to demonstrate your skill level. Happy to discuss in more detail off of HN - email me at itamar@codewithoutrules.com