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I've been wrangling software bytes for a while and I am pragmatic about the business. Software engineering is extremely difficult. High performance engineers a

I've been wrangling software bytes for a while and I am pragmatic about the business. Software engineering is extremely difficult. High performance engineers are rare and valuable. Some times, they become jaded and burn out. This is my career and my craft, so I'm inclined to ride the waves and trends in software engineering. Negotiate for above average salary while maintaining my tech stack and producing at above average output. Most people don't understand what it takes to develop and deploy software solutions. They only see the unicorns like Google, Facebook, and think software engineers are common. They don't see the vast swaths of land of failed software startups and dreams and incompetence in software engineering. Most people in software engineering doesn't know or comprehend basic data structures and algorithms, which form basis for all software solutions at scale. Yet, they are filled into dev position slots by HR/management and asked to develop complex systems. To have long term career in software engineering is like any other trade. Observe how the game is played, learn to play the game and play the game right. A software engineer with basic skill stack and right long term view can ride the software wave for decades, just by understanding basic CS principles and utilizing them to develop solutions. Switch jobs regularly and negotiate hard for salary and levels.

sircastor 6y ago
> Switch jobs regularly and negotiate hard for salary and levels. I’ve been at my current role for almost 7 years. It doesn’t pay nearly what I could be making elsewhere. I’ve interviewed and been offered better money, but it means giving up the kind of work I do now for something less interesting. I’ve turned down those offers and stuck where I am, even though it means less money. As my wife told me when we were talking about this: This is the work that you’re going to be doing every day, and that has to be worth it. That said, there is a cost to my career sticking here instead of moving around.
- wwww4all 6y ago
  There’s a phrase I heard while back, I don’t live to work, I work to live. High performance software engineers negotiate for higher salary and the type of work environment and type of projects. They work to live by taking control over their salary and project assignments. Sometimes, they have to work on less interesting projects. They deliver solutions. At the same time, they regularly have conversations on other more interesting projects. Make sure they line up more interesting projects in the roadmap. There’s more risk in stagnating position than taking control and regularly switching jobs for higher salary and more interesting projects. There are significantly more software engineering problems than people that can deliver solutions. High performance software engineers can have their cake and eat it too.

sircastor 6y ago

> Switch jobs regularly and negotiate hard for salary and levels. I’ve been at my current role for almost 7 years. It doesn’t pay nearly what I could be making elsewhere. I’ve interviewed and been offered better money, but it means giving up the kind of work I do now for something less interesting. I’ve turned down those offers and stuck where I am, even though it means less money. As my wife told me when we were talking about this: This is the work that you’re going to be doing every day, and that has to be worth it. That said, there is a cost to my career sticking here instead of moving around.

wwww4all 6y ago
There’s a phrase I heard while back, I don’t live to work, I work to live. High performance software engineers negotiate for higher salary and the type of work environment and type of projects. They work to live by taking control over their salary and project assignments. Sometimes, they have to work on less interesting projects. They deliver solutions. At the same time, they regularly have conversations on other more interesting projects. Make sure they line up more interesting projects in the roadmap. There’s more risk in stagnating position than taking control and regularly switching jobs for higher salary and more interesting projects. There are significantly more software engineering problems than people that can deliver solutions. High performance software engineers can have their cake and eat it too.