4 ms·

OK, and what should I tell? I want to code and I want money, more money the better. Oh, and I don't want bulshit meetings (1on1s included). That's basically i

by krzyk 7y ago

OK, and what should I tell? I want to code and I want money, more money the better. Oh, and I don't want bulshit meetings (1on1s included). That's basically it for my career, I don't want to be a manager, I don't want to be a tech lead (been there, hated every 3 years of it). What is there more to talk about? My manager thinks that to be a better individual contributor (go up a ladder) I should do something outside my team, I'm not sure I want that (or know what to do outside) - so most probably when I hit pay rise wall I'll switch jobs again.

dehrmann 7y ago
> I want to code...and I don't want bulshit meetings (1on1s included) There's a role for ICs who just want to code alone, but they're always limited by not being able to be part of something bigger. And yes, while you can job hop a bit for higher pay, it will start to become apparent in interviews that you're really just a solo coder and probably not worth the money they're asking. You won't escape one-on-ones, but if you have a good rapport with your manager, if a performance review is generally positive, you can say you're happy where you're at right now professionally, you want to continue delivering the same quality work, but you want to focus on other parts of your life. Managers are happy to have people doing good work who don't want to leave. You also want more money? Nope, it doesn't work that way unless you're a brilliant asshole, and no one likes those. Either be content as a mid-level coder (and paid like one) or start building relationships with people and teams and take on larger, more ambiguous projects. There isn't a right answer here, you just have to decide what you value.
foobarian 7y ago
Depending on how well you know your manager it might be OK to tell him as much, and let him help you accomplish it. But I can tell you that there is a sharp limit to the money you can make as a coding-focused IC - to get more you need to level up to senior/principal and finish projects that take multiple people to execute - the more the better. That's just the way it is.
gambiting 7y ago
At our company, your performance is evaluated in 5 metrics, with a grade for each. Those grades affect your salary during review. So even if all you care about is just doing your work and being paid well for it, then it would make sense to ask your manager "hey, what do you want me to do to achieve max score in all 5 categories". Then you do the things they tell you to do - it's no different than any other work task you might be given.
- bosie 7y ago
  Mind sharing those 5 metrics?
  - gambiting 7y ago
    Achieve Consistently, Collaborate Constructively, Challenge Yourself, Leadership Mindset and finally Job Expertise. All of these apply to everyone, it's just that different levels have different expectations(so for example a Junior is still expected to perform well in "leadership mindset", but for them it's enough to demonstrate willingness to discuss and negotiate ideas, convince others to their plans etc, they don't need to be a manager to have a leadership mindset). They do have pretty formal definitions for each level and for each job title - so by telling people what is expected of them at each level it's easier to then do the final peer review at the end of the year(and no one is surprised at their score).
    - kentrado 7y ago
      Sounds a lot like the core "values" in my current company. Mind you, they are a bit different (are these protected by copyright?). I don't think I can play that sort of game. I know I have to do it in order to get promoted, but my mind won't stop complaining about the facade.
      - krzyk 7y ago
        Same for me, I just can't help it that I think this is just a game, might be fun for some (managers? HR folks?) but it is not for me.

by krzyk 7y ago

dehrmann 7y ago

> I want to code...and I don't want bulshit meetings (1on1s included) There's a role for ICs who just want to code alone, but they're always limited by not being able to be part of something bigger. And yes, while you can job hop a bit for higher pay, it will start to become apparent in interviews that you're really just a solo coder and probably not worth the money they're asking. You won't escape one-on-ones, but if you have a good rapport with your manager, if a performance review is generally positive, you can say you're happy where you're at right now professionally, you want to continue delivering the same quality work, but you want to focus on other parts of your life. Managers are happy to have people doing good work who don't want to leave. You also want more money? Nope, it doesn't work that way unless you're a brilliant asshole, and no one likes those. Either be content as a mid-level coder (and paid like one) or start building relationships with people and teams and take on larger, more ambiguous projects. There isn't a right answer here, you just have to decide what you value.

foobarian 7y ago

Depending on how well you know your manager it might be OK to tell him as much, and let him help you accomplish it. But I can tell you that there is a sharp limit to the money you can make as a coding-focused IC - to get more you need to level up to senior/principal and finish projects that take multiple people to execute - the more the better. That's just the way it is.

gambiting 7y ago

At our company, your performance is evaluated in 5 metrics, with a grade for each. Those grades affect your salary during review. So even if all you care about is just doing your work and being paid well for it, then it would make sense to ask your manager "hey, what do you want me to do to achieve max score in all 5 categories". Then you do the things they tell you to do - it's no different than any other work task you might be given.

bosie 7y ago
Mind sharing those 5 metrics?
- gambiting 7y ago
  Achieve Consistently, Collaborate Constructively, Challenge Yourself, Leadership Mindset and finally Job Expertise. All of these apply to everyone, it's just that different levels have different expectations(so for example a Junior is still expected to perform well in "leadership mindset", but for them it's enough to demonstrate willingness to discuss and negotiate ideas, convince others to their plans etc, they don't need to be a manager to have a leadership mindset). They do have pretty formal definitions for each level and for each job title - so by telling people what is expected of them at each level it's easier to then do the final peer review at the end of the year(and no one is surprised at their score).
  - kentrado 7y ago
    Sounds a lot like the core "values" in my current company. Mind you, they are a bit different (are these protected by copyright?). I don't think I can play that sort of game. I know I have to do it in order to get promoted, but my mind won't stop complaining about the facade.
    - krzyk 7y ago
      Same for me, I just can't help it that I think this is just a game, might be fun for some (managers? HR folks?) but it is not for me.