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@akiselev: I haven't only been applying to US locations of US companies (e.g. Google Switzerland). But a SWE from Google gave me a referral link to which I'm gr

@akiselev: I haven't only been applying to US locations of US companies (e.g. Google Switzerland). But a SWE from Google gave me a referral link to which I'm grateful. I wonder to what extent it will help though since it went through HN and we just met. I want a phone screen and be told that I am or am not good enough. I can have peace with this if one FAANG company shoots me down on my D&A skills. For my own sanity, I've resigned to the idea that I'm not going to get a phone screen as I have little faith in the Google referral to help me past the resume check, but we'll see.

akiselev 6y ago
I don't know how many satellite offices you've applied to in the EU but I bet your sample size is very small. Don't get discouraged! Hiring processes at most companies are byzantine, multinationals even more so. It's really hard to tell who's pulling the strings or what the constraints are unless you're directly involved in the hiring decisions. I've passed on at least one once-in-a-lifetime hire (brilliant engineer from the Indian space program) just because I thought the H1B paperwork would interfere with a project deadline since my employer was a startup and didn't have the HR infrastructure a big company would have. More importantly: fuck them. Don't judge your self worth based on the latest shiny megacorp's inscrutable interview process.
- mettamage 6y ago
  > Don't judge your self worth based on the latest shiny megacorp's inscrutable interview process. The following comment might be too candid and too unpopular. I'm sorry about that. I need to write it down somewhere with the potential for some interaction (it helps me learn). I know I'm not alone in this feeling though. Though, I'm pretty sure the majority of people won't share my opinion. So either there is something I should correct in myself, or I'm a bit odd regarding what I'm about to say. I guess some financially independent people feel similar about this --- It's not about self-worth. My financial worth depends on it and with it the freedom and possibilities I have. Now, I maybe be biased in how I view my options. Which is why I said, maybe I should find a career coach. The way I see it: no job at FAANG means less secure freedom. There is a lot of freedom to be had as an entrepreneur, or as an artist. It's also a lot less secure. There are indeed drawbacks for being in golden handcuffs and not having a lot of free time when working at FAANG. But as far as I can tell: while the freedom is skewed towards money and not time, if you don't have lifestyle inflation and save up the money, you can retire quite a bit earlier. I want freedom. I want to retire earlier. And now that I know that I have to work at least until I'm 67, because I can't get an amazing career start, that hurts. I know it's a spoiled statement to make compared to the rest of the population and perhaps even an insult to the world to consider this normal. Nevertheless, I've worked for this goal in particular and I'm seeing nothing of it back. My family has worked at this as well, they did their best into letting me succeed. Yet, I spectacurlarly failed. I'm not worth less because of it, but financially I am worth less because of it. And because I'm worth less financially, I am able to do less with the life that I want to do. Of the waking hours: - 50% of my life is spent working - 25% of my life is spent doing mundane tasks - 25% of my life is spent doing what I want If I could increase from 25% to 100%, then in a sense I live 4 times as long. Note: I like programming, but I don't love it. For me programming is similar to physically moving around, except now I'm physically moving around in the digital world. I like to do it when it's needed, but not much more than that. I'm not an athlete (a person who only loves physical movement). There are so many things that I love (that don't make any money or are very risky). I want to do those things instead, but I've seen with a lot of family members how that turns out (bad). Startup failures are real. Life changing successes don't come around often, if at all. This is even the case when you're a person who does everything right. Now I know that I have to be happy with living a life like the rest of us: mostly doing things that I don't want to do but have to. I know I have to grow up in this sense (despite my age), but it's a gloomy future and one I don't get excited by. It feels too boring. I don't really see the point of it other than raising children and doing your best they can live a life that feels fulfilling to them, if you have them already. If you don't, then one should reflect deeply on whether they want to burden their children with a father who feels that life is too boring (because they are mostly doing things they don't want to do) and couldn't care less.
ClumsyPilot 6y ago
When I was in a similar position, i had to make loads applications, almost a hundred. The ones that came off are the ones i least expected. I needed this many because in the begining I sucked at interviews, misunderstood questions/what people where after, etc. Also FAANG will not neccesarily give you the most meaningfull work, there are plenty of smaller firms working on important things in life
- username90 6y ago
  FAANG gives you money, in Europe there aren't that many better places to be. I started out with a typical salary and joining Google doubled it, and then raises at Google doubled my salary again over a few years, that has saved me many thousands of hours of work that I can spend on other things in life so far.
  - mettamage 6y ago
    I suppose I'm not the only one then. If you have any career advice, it would be appreciated (my email is in my profile).

akiselev 6y ago

I don't know how many satellite offices you've applied to in the EU but I bet your sample size is very small. Don't get discouraged! Hiring processes at most companies are byzantine, multinationals even more so. It's really hard to tell who's pulling the strings or what the constraints are unless you're directly involved in the hiring decisions. I've passed on at least one once-in-a-lifetime hire (brilliant engineer from the Indian space program) just because I thought the H1B paperwork would interfere with a project deadline since my employer was a startup and didn't have the HR infrastructure a big company would have. More importantly: fuck them. Don't judge your self worth based on the latest shiny megacorp's inscrutable interview process.

mettamage 6y ago
> Don't judge your self worth based on the latest shiny megacorp's inscrutable interview process. The following comment might be too candid and too unpopular. I'm sorry about that. I need to write it down somewhere with the potential for some interaction (it helps me learn). I know I'm not alone in this feeling though. Though, I'm pretty sure the majority of people won't share my opinion. So either there is something I should correct in myself, or I'm a bit odd regarding what I'm about to say. I guess some financially independent people feel similar about this --- It's not about self-worth. My financial worth depends on it and with it the freedom and possibilities I have. Now, I maybe be biased in how I view my options. Which is why I said, maybe I should find a career coach. The way I see it: no job at FAANG means less secure freedom. There is a lot of freedom to be had as an entrepreneur, or as an artist. It's also a lot less secure. There are indeed drawbacks for being in golden handcuffs and not having a lot of free time when working at FAANG. But as far as I can tell: while the freedom is skewed towards money and not time, if you don't have lifestyle inflation and save up the money, you can retire quite a bit earlier. I want freedom. I want to retire earlier. And now that I know that I have to work at least until I'm 67, because I can't get an amazing career start, that hurts. I know it's a spoiled statement to make compared to the rest of the population and perhaps even an insult to the world to consider this normal. Nevertheless, I've worked for this goal in particular and I'm seeing nothing of it back. My family has worked at this as well, they did their best into letting me succeed. Yet, I spectacurlarly failed. I'm not worth less because of it, but financially I am worth less because of it. And because I'm worth less financially, I am able to do less with the life that I want to do. Of the waking hours: - 50% of my life is spent working - 25% of my life is spent doing mundane tasks - 25% of my life is spent doing what I want If I could increase from 25% to 100%, then in a sense I live 4 times as long. Note: I like programming, but I don't love it. For me programming is similar to physically moving around, except now I'm physically moving around in the digital world. I like to do it when it's needed, but not much more than that. I'm not an athlete (a person who only loves physical movement). There are so many things that I love (that don't make any money or are very risky). I want to do those things instead, but I've seen with a lot of family members how that turns out (bad). Startup failures are real. Life changing successes don't come around often, if at all. This is even the case when you're a person who does everything right. Now I know that I have to be happy with living a life like the rest of us: mostly doing things that I don't want to do but have to. I know I have to grow up in this sense (despite my age), but it's a gloomy future and one I don't get excited by. It feels too boring. I don't really see the point of it other than raising children and doing your best they can live a life that feels fulfilling to them, if you have them already. If you don't, then one should reflect deeply on whether they want to burden their children with a father who feels that life is too boring (because they are mostly doing things they don't want to do) and couldn't care less.

ClumsyPilot 6y ago

When I was in a similar position, i had to make loads applications, almost a hundred. The ones that came off are the ones i least expected. I needed this many because in the begining I sucked at interviews, misunderstood questions/what people where after, etc. Also FAANG will not neccesarily give you the most meaningfull work, there are plenty of smaller firms working on important things in life

username90 6y ago
FAANG gives you money, in Europe there aren't that many better places to be. I started out with a typical salary and joining Google doubled it, and then raises at Google doubled my salary again over a few years, that has saved me many thousands of hours of work that I can spend on other things in life so far.
- mettamage 6y ago
  I suppose I'm not the only one then. If you have any career advice, it would be appreciated (my email is in my profile).