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Most people don't understand how much work goes into actually making a startup happen and flame out pretty quickly Understandable, this problem has worsened ov

by kirse 5y ago

Most people don't understand how much work goes into actually making a startup happen and flame out pretty quickly Understandable, this problem has worsened over the past 20 years as an increasing number of new grads just see computers == way to get rich quickly || a good job. Crypto is the worst example of this greed-oriented mindset, at least during the dotCom boom you generally had to come with a unique idea instead of just forking a git repo and rebadging it. There used to be a greater degree of intrinsic curiosity that drove most engineers & startup culture, but FAANG ideology has really taken over the bulk of the mind-share around what it means to be in tech. Some of this is not bad because it's been easier than ever to find quality brick-layers who view it as "just a job", but your genuine visionaries who are motivated by excitement about tech and great ideas are increasingly lost in the noise.

ck_one 5y ago
"[...]but your genuine visionaries who are motivated by excitement about tech and great ideas are increasingly lost in the noise." Do you have a few tips where a mid twenty SWE can find these type of people in SF and avoid the people who are mostly in it for the money?
- ipaddr 5y ago
  Have a great vision. Communicate it well and often. Branch out of SF.
  - mtnGoat 5y ago
    I’d think branching out of SF is important. It’s kind of a bubble full of the types you aren’t looking for, everyone there migrated there for the big paychecks and probably still need one to cover the big rent.
PragmaticPulp 5y ago
It's not limited to FAANG jobs or even tech companies. I volunteer as an advisor to a mentoring group for college students. An increasing number of college students are graduating without ever having worked a job at all. I spend more time than I'd like just mentoring some of these students on the basics of an employee/employer relationship and what's expected of them in a job, such as following through on commitments and communicating with their boss. That said, a FAANG job in tech is a perfectly acceptable career choice. Some internet bubbles like to look down on FAANG jobs or write them off as easy (once you pass the tech interview) but the reality is that they're generally quite challenging and rewarding. Companies aren't throwing huge salaries at people because the jobs are relaxing and the work is easy enough that anyone can do it well. There's nothing wrong with a FAANG job, and being a founder isn't morally superior to other career options. The real problem is when students get average grades at an average university, then take an average job at an average company, then get disappointed when they're not being paid top-1% FAANG salaries like they read about on HN and /r/cscareerquestions for the 4 years they were in college. Most of the students I work with are realistic, but it's a very difficult situation when someone's expectations don't match reality.

by kirse 5y ago

ck_one 5y ago

"[...]but your genuine visionaries who are motivated by excitement about tech and great ideas are increasingly lost in the noise." Do you have a few tips where a mid twenty SWE can find these type of people in SF and avoid the people who are mostly in it for the money?

ipaddr 5y ago
Have a great vision. Communicate it well and often. Branch out of SF.
- mtnGoat 5y ago
  I’d think branching out of SF is important. It’s kind of a bubble full of the types you aren’t looking for, everyone there migrated there for the big paychecks and probably still need one to cover the big rent.

PragmaticPulp 5y ago

It's not limited to FAANG jobs or even tech companies. I volunteer as an advisor to a mentoring group for college students. An increasing number of college students are graduating without ever having worked a job at all. I spend more time than I'd like just mentoring some of these students on the basics of an employee/employer relationship and what's expected of them in a job, such as following through on commitments and communicating with their boss. That said, a FAANG job in tech is a perfectly acceptable career choice. Some internet bubbles like to look down on FAANG jobs or write them off as easy (once you pass the tech interview) but the reality is that they're generally quite challenging and rewarding. Companies aren't throwing huge salaries at people because the jobs are relaxing and the work is easy enough that anyone can do it well. There's nothing wrong with a FAANG job, and being a founder isn't morally superior to other career options. The real problem is when students get average grades at an average university, then take an average job at an average company, then get disappointed when they're not being paid top-1% FAANG salaries like they read about on HN and /r/cscareerquestions for the 4 years they were in college. Most of the students I work with are realistic, but it's a very difficult situation when someone's expectations don't match reality.