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> Since when is this the worst case scenario for a CS grad? Last I checked, FAANGs value and compensate their engineers more than basically every other industry

> Since when is this the worst case scenario for a CS grad? Last I checked, FAANGs value and compensate their engineers more than basically every other industry. Presumably this is considered a worst case by someone who values other aspects of life more than money. Sure, the FAANG companies are great for highly technical meta-work. And this is good for some people. Other people may prefer a more direct, less corporate, less textbook environment.

scottLobster 6y ago
Also some people don't particularly value FAANG tech. Speaking for myself and some of my co-workers advertising algorithms, consumer, enterprise and financial tech just aren't that interesting. Sure the engineering can be impressive, but all that effort for what? So Adsense can be better convince people to buy crap they don't need, Apple can make its products even less practical, Amazon can more efficiently abuse its warehouse staff and make AWS fees more opaque, and facebook can sell your information more effectively while it keeps you up to date with relatives' conspiracy theories? At least Netflix provides entertainment value. Not saying that's all said companies do, and some people (whom I lovingly refer to as "puzzlers") would enjoy the extra complexity and challenge for its own sake. But I wouldn't say the FAANG companies have any particularly inspiring missions. Not that such missions are easy to find, and they almost never pay as well, but they certainly don't seem to exist at FAANG.
- m4tthumphrey 6y ago
  > facebook can sell your information more effectively while it keeps you up to date with relatives' conspiracy theories The best one-line definition of FB I've ever read.
- bmikaili 6y ago
  What's an example of a company with an interesting vision for you?
  - scottLobster 6y ago
    Well SpaceX/Tesla are easy ones to point to, Blue Origin as well although I'm not sure what's holding them up, Sarcos Robotics perhaps with their robotic exoskeletons, some medical device and defense industry work that isn't executed half-assed, basically anything that links back to the real world with real stakes beyond shareholder value and/or moves the technological ball forward. Probably a lot of mid-range companies I don't know about because they lack broad marketing budgets, for agricultural software/train coordination/power grid management and such. To be fair the FAANG companies fit that description the early/mid 2000s, back when their various technological niches were less developed. They've since become the establishment, and some like Apple/Google/Facebook have started the descent into downright decadence and complacency.

scottLobster 6y ago

Also some people don't particularly value FAANG tech. Speaking for myself and some of my co-workers advertising algorithms, consumer, enterprise and financial tech just aren't that interesting. Sure the engineering can be impressive, but all that effort for what? So Adsense can be better convince people to buy crap they don't need, Apple can make its products even less practical, Amazon can more efficiently abuse its warehouse staff and make AWS fees more opaque, and facebook can sell your information more effectively while it keeps you up to date with relatives' conspiracy theories? At least Netflix provides entertainment value. Not saying that's all said companies do, and some people (whom I lovingly refer to as "puzzlers") would enjoy the extra complexity and challenge for its own sake. But I wouldn't say the FAANG companies have any particularly inspiring missions. Not that such missions are easy to find, and they almost never pay as well, but they certainly don't seem to exist at FAANG.

m4tthumphrey 6y ago
> facebook can sell your information more effectively while it keeps you up to date with relatives' conspiracy theories The best one-line definition of FB I've ever read.
bmikaili 6y ago
What's an example of a company with an interesting vision for you?
- scottLobster 6y ago
  Well SpaceX/Tesla are easy ones to point to, Blue Origin as well although I'm not sure what's holding them up, Sarcos Robotics perhaps with their robotic exoskeletons, some medical device and defense industry work that isn't executed half-assed, basically anything that links back to the real world with real stakes beyond shareholder value and/or moves the technological ball forward. Probably a lot of mid-range companies I don't know about because they lack broad marketing budgets, for agricultural software/train coordination/power grid management and such. To be fair the FAANG companies fit that description the early/mid 2000s, back when their various technological niches were less developed. They've since become the establishment, and some like Apple/Google/Facebook have started the descent into downright decadence and complacency.