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I wouldn't say revere, it's FOMO. My biggest fear is getting old and not capable of providing for my family due to not finding good jobs because I spent my time

I wouldn't say revere, it's FOMO. My biggest fear is getting old and not capable of providing for my family due to not finding good jobs because I spent my time in the wrong track. Regarding the role, I liked what I saw but it's very different so I'd have to learn a lot. The team seems very nice and has this ex coworker who I like a lot. Finally, staying and helping with the transition would be a good thing, thanks for that.

ggm 5y ago
There are at least two paths to financial security: staying in a job you have some tenure and security in, for lower return but build your security in the slow path for lower risk (everyone has at-will or redundancy or other loss of job risk) Or, the fast path via high risk high return roles. But, at risk of faster exit, burn out. Obviously there are middle paths too. How you describe those roles, and your own risk acceptance informs how you choose what to do, regarding future financial security. Personally I didn't want high risk high reward. I took the slower path. Many friends did extremely well on the FAANG side. So, I don't wish to say it can't work, just that the risk/reward ratio was not for me. I don't think there is a perfect answer financially. It's possible to be happy frugal and sad wealthy. "Enough" is very contextual. Some days I think I overachieved because i am ahead of the mean. Most days I think I underachieved because I am aware of the potential I missed. That's FOMO I guess.
GianFabien 5y ago
Well you also need to ask yourself whether you still want to be in a tech role in your 40s. If not, then you might want to look at what industry / lines of business you'd like to be in and optimize your plans with that in mind.
- throwaway_16181 5y ago
  That seems wise but very hard to do - think about what I'll want to do 10 years from now. Do you have any advice to share? Because frankly I've never even considered the thought of not working in a technical role.
  - GianFabien 5y ago
    It is different for everybody. When I was young, I was ambitious. Wanted to earn more money, drive a nicer car, date pretty women. I guess my changes in roles came about because I was willing to take risks and learn new things. I have always had a lot of other interests outside of engineering, e.g. music, stage production, screenwriting, languages, psychology, read masses of business books, learnt accounting, etc.
runawaybottle 5y ago
Your role, while technical, seems very much aligned to ad-tech/analytics/analysis. Is that true by any chance? That’s a lot more specialized role that has a lot of value in a variety of industries.
- throwaway_16181 5y ago
  Yes, it's very aligned! Thank you for the positive comment, that's an angle I didn't look before.

ggm 5y ago

There are at least two paths to financial security: staying in a job you have some tenure and security in, for lower return but build your security in the slow path for lower risk (everyone has at-will or redundancy or other loss of job risk) Or, the fast path via high risk high return roles. But, at risk of faster exit, burn out. Obviously there are middle paths too. How you describe those roles, and your own risk acceptance informs how you choose what to do, regarding future financial security. Personally I didn't want high risk high reward. I took the slower path. Many friends did extremely well on the FAANG side. So, I don't wish to say it can't work, just that the risk/reward ratio was not for me. I don't think there is a perfect answer financially. It's possible to be happy frugal and sad wealthy. "Enough" is very contextual. Some days I think I overachieved because i am ahead of the mean. Most days I think I underachieved because I am aware of the potential I missed. That's FOMO I guess.

GianFabien 5y ago

Well you also need to ask yourself whether you still want to be in a tech role in your 40s. If not, then you might want to look at what industry / lines of business you'd like to be in and optimize your plans with that in mind.

throwaway_16181 5y ago
That seems wise but very hard to do - think about what I'll want to do 10 years from now. Do you have any advice to share? Because frankly I've never even considered the thought of not working in a technical role.
- GianFabien 5y ago
  It is different for everybody. When I was young, I was ambitious. Wanted to earn more money, drive a nicer car, date pretty women. I guess my changes in roles came about because I was willing to take risks and learn new things. I have always had a lot of other interests outside of engineering, e.g. music, stage production, screenwriting, languages, psychology, read masses of business books, learnt accounting, etc.

runawaybottle 5y ago

Your role, while technical, seems very much aligned to ad-tech/analytics/analysis. Is that true by any chance? That’s a lot more specialized role that has a lot of value in a variety of industries.

throwaway_16181 5y ago
Yes, it's very aligned! Thank you for the positive comment, that's an angle I didn't look before.