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Terrible advice. The FAANGs are highly competitive and people are eventually going to notice that this individual is not at the average job level they should b

Terrible advice. The FAANGs are highly competitive and people are eventually going to notice that this individual is not at the average job level they should be at relative to their years at the company. That will eventually make internal transfers very difficult (yes, hiring managers do check for duds for internal transfers) and motivate their management chain to wash this person out of the company as good attrition.

meddlepal 7y ago
Yea but that could take many months to years to happen. Keep milking it. They'll have a good financial cushion to find something else afterwards.
- ThrowawayR2 7y ago
  I won't say that's not a valid choice (I've seen it done) but if it comes down to that, the tarnished reputation is probably going to hurt them more than the money they get. This industry is not all that large at the FAANG level and the people who succeed or at least do moderately well at a FAANG tend to go on to senior positions at other companies. This person probably does not want a bunch of former co-workers around to say "Oh, that person; I remember them. A nice enough individual, I suppose, but no hire." On top of that, the wash out process isn't likely to be all that pleasant, particularly if this person has depression problems already. Getting negative feedback and the cold shoulder from their colleagues for months/years is probably very demoralizing even if they are still drawing a big paycheck.
  - itronitron 7y ago
    Nothing about the OP's provided context suggests they have 'depression problems', are getting negative feedback, or are about to wash out from Google. They are simply asking for what they should be learning in order to be competitive in the job market.
    - ThrowawayR2 7y ago
      > "Nothing about the OP's provided context suggests they have 'depression problems'..." Really? "...(the rest was on dating/dealing with breakups/dealing with depression/gaming/...)..." > "... are getting negative feedback, or are about to wash out from Google." Those are the long-term consequences of his current state, as I stated quite clearly.
Mikeb85 7y ago
Maybe they are at the average job level but just aren't feeling challenged? They did get a promotion, so they can't be that bad... Maybe they're just bored? Either way, leaving a secure, good paying job is almost always bad advice, especially without a firm plan in place..
- mattrp 7y ago
  100% in agreement. One major risk you’ve accumulated by slacking is that you may not easily get another job if google does eventually push you out. Your next employer will say, tell us what you’ve done - specifically. At some point you either have pride and integrity as a person or you’re an asshole. Google might tolerate that now when you’re young but I think fewer and fewer others will as you age. It sounds like you have some time to make some changes in your life - I would recommend you start there before kids and other life events take priority.
- chillacy 7y ago
  While L4 is terminal at Google, it's still not particularly high achieving for 6 years of career. Google also doesn't make it easy to jump from L4 to L5 either, so OP may feel like they're stuck in a rut because of that as well.
compiler-guy 7y ago
One promotion means he is L4 minimum, which is now the level which Google no longer requires you to move up. As long as he is getting "meets expectations" with the occasional "exceeds" every three cycles or so, he will be able to coast at the big G for a long time.
- grogenaut 7y ago
  Sure but how do you do that without becoming depressed or very angry? I know a few people who can.
  - lazyasciiart 7y ago
    You find meaning outside work.
  - compiler-guy 7y ago
    I was responding to the idea that he couldn't coast very long without losing his job. He can without too much trouble. Whether or not he finds meaning that way is a different question.

meddlepal 7y ago

Yea but that could take many months to years to happen. Keep milking it. They'll have a good financial cushion to find something else afterwards.

ThrowawayR2 7y ago
I won't say that's not a valid choice (I've seen it done) but if it comes down to that, the tarnished reputation is probably going to hurt them more than the money they get. This industry is not all that large at the FAANG level and the people who succeed or at least do moderately well at a FAANG tend to go on to senior positions at other companies. This person probably does not want a bunch of former co-workers around to say "Oh, that person; I remember them. A nice enough individual, I suppose, but no hire." On top of that, the wash out process isn't likely to be all that pleasant, particularly if this person has depression problems already. Getting negative feedback and the cold shoulder from their colleagues for months/years is probably very demoralizing even if they are still drawing a big paycheck.
- itronitron 7y ago
  Nothing about the OP's provided context suggests they have 'depression problems', are getting negative feedback, or are about to wash out from Google. They are simply asking for what they should be learning in order to be competitive in the job market.
  - ThrowawayR2 7y ago
    > "Nothing about the OP's provided context suggests they have 'depression problems'..." Really? "...(the rest was on dating/dealing with breakups/dealing with depression/gaming/...)..." > "... are getting negative feedback, or are about to wash out from Google." Those are the long-term consequences of his current state, as I stated quite clearly.

Mikeb85 7y ago

Maybe they are at the average job level but just aren't feeling challenged? They did get a promotion, so they can't be that bad... Maybe they're just bored? Either way, leaving a secure, good paying job is almost always bad advice, especially without a firm plan in place..

mattrp 7y ago
100% in agreement. One major risk you’ve accumulated by slacking is that you may not easily get another job if google does eventually push you out. Your next employer will say, tell us what you’ve done - specifically. At some point you either have pride and integrity as a person or you’re an asshole. Google might tolerate that now when you’re young but I think fewer and fewer others will as you age. It sounds like you have some time to make some changes in your life - I would recommend you start there before kids and other life events take priority.
chillacy 7y ago
While L4 is terminal at Google, it's still not particularly high achieving for 6 years of career. Google also doesn't make it easy to jump from L4 to L5 either, so OP may feel like they're stuck in a rut because of that as well.

compiler-guy 7y ago

One promotion means he is L4 minimum, which is now the level which Google no longer requires you to move up. As long as he is getting "meets expectations" with the occasional "exceeds" every three cycles or so, he will be able to coast at the big G for a long time.

grogenaut 7y ago
Sure but how do you do that without becoming depressed or very angry? I know a few people who can.
- lazyasciiart 7y ago
  You find meaning outside work.
- compiler-guy 7y ago
  I was responding to the idea that he couldn't coast very long without losing his job. He can without too much trouble. Whether or not he finds meaning that way is a different question.