3 ms·

I don't have the data but given the salaries I assume FAANG software eng is now the target of people that used to go for ibanking/MBB consulting, basically high

I don't have the data but given the salaries I assume FAANG software eng is now the target of people that used to go for ibanking/MBB consulting, basically high achievers motivated by achievement in the eyes of others. If that's true, it's going to be a massive demographic shift from the CS folks I went to school with in the late 90s. Based on some of the discussions I see, I think this has already happened in places.

908B64B197 5y ago
I don't think that kind of person would last long as a dev, or get promoted very much.
- mastazi 5y ago
  EDIT: I probably misinterpreted your point, I think you refer to "people that used to go for ibanking/MBB consulting, basically high achievers motivated by achievement in the eyes of others" Why? Are you saying that person with good social skills can't work as a dev? I don't see the connection.
  - 908B64B197 5y ago
    I've heard guys say "My goal is to stop coding after two years in the industry". It's tough to stay motivated and learn constantly when you don't like engineering and coding...
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
- vineyardmike 5y ago
  I think its exactly the people that get promoted disproportionately to the rest. That's their thing...
marcodiego 5y ago
I've this feeling too. The people on CS today is way more "normal" than even in the 90's. But there's a shift in salaries: the biggest bite now goes for managers and developers are mostly seen as replaceable lower value workers. True nerds don't feel at home in the marketplace anymore.
- taneq 5y ago
  That's why we start our own companies, or join small startups.
- sascha_sl 5y ago
  I mean, you can also be a """true nerd""" and not really be too interested in competition and hard hitting jobs. I found a really nice spot working in a developer enablement / platform engineering role. You can continue to be condescending to average developers and then steer them in the right direction!
vineyardmike 5y ago
As a recent graduate of a high-ranked uni, this is somewhat true, but i think CS pulls some from IBanking but also from law, general engr'ing, and medicine. I and many others i know entered school thinking about medicine. While many people in CS that go to FAANG, et. al are high-achievers, most are the cohort of those people interested in science and technical work more than social focused work. Much bigger overlap with pre-med defectors. Also we had plenty of "anti-social" kids, but interestingly they achieved less and were more likely to work at a small regional company after graduating than a SV tech firm.
bishoprook2 5y ago
Huh. I hadn't thought of that. I've scarcely worked anywhere with more than a smattering of younger people. You know, I wonder if a change in the type of people attracted to the profession might explain ageism more than any other factor.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
neilv 5y ago
Before software development was the career the rich kids went to, instead of, say, Wall Street, I don't recall us computer nerds being called "high achievers". I think it helps to think of "high achiever" as PR spin for the go-to status/prestige careers for children from affluent and connected families. Whatever that is at the time. If we wanted to call someone in software a "high achiever", I suppose it could be used to describe someone who breaks the class barrier, to get the affluent go-to status career. Despite whatever affluence-biased gatekeeping the affluent established once they took it over.

908B64B197 5y ago

I don't think that kind of person would last long as a dev, or get promoted very much.

mastazi 5y ago
EDIT: I probably misinterpreted your point, I think you refer to "people that used to go for ibanking/MBB consulting, basically high achievers motivated by achievement in the eyes of others" Why? Are you saying that person with good social skills can't work as a dev? I don't see the connection.
- 908B64B197 5y ago
  I've heard guys say "My goal is to stop coding after two years in the industry". It's tough to stay motivated and learn constantly when you don't like engineering and coding...
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
vineyardmike 5y ago
I think its exactly the people that get promoted disproportionately to the rest. That's their thing...

marcodiego 5y ago

I've this feeling too. The people on CS today is way more "normal" than even in the 90's. But there's a shift in salaries: the biggest bite now goes for managers and developers are mostly seen as replaceable lower value workers. True nerds don't feel at home in the marketplace anymore.

taneq 5y ago
That's why we start our own companies, or join small startups.
sascha_sl 5y ago
I mean, you can also be a """true nerd""" and not really be too interested in competition and hard hitting jobs. I found a really nice spot working in a developer enablement / platform engineering role. You can continue to be condescending to average developers and then steer them in the right direction!

vineyardmike 5y ago

As a recent graduate of a high-ranked uni, this is somewhat true, but i think CS pulls some from IBanking but also from law, general engr'ing, and medicine. I and many others i know entered school thinking about medicine. While many people in CS that go to FAANG, et. al are high-achievers, most are the cohort of those people interested in science and technical work more than social focused work. Much bigger overlap with pre-med defectors. Also we had plenty of "anti-social" kids, but interestingly they achieved less and were more likely to work at a small regional company after graduating than a SV tech firm.

bishoprook2 5y ago

Huh. I hadn't thought of that. I've scarcely worked anywhere with more than a smattering of younger people. You know, I wonder if a change in the type of people attracted to the profession might explain ageism more than any other factor.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

neilv 5y ago

Before software development was the career the rich kids went to, instead of, say, Wall Street, I don't recall us computer nerds being called "high achievers". I think it helps to think of "high achiever" as PR spin for the go-to status/prestige careers for children from affluent and connected families. Whatever that is at the time. If we wanted to call someone in software a "high achiever", I suppose it could be used to describe someone who breaks the class barrier, to get the affluent go-to status career. Despite whatever affluence-biased gatekeeping the affluent established once they took it over.