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Try strategizing in a mid-sized non technical mid-sized company. Here is where engineers are treated like mechanics at pep boys. You are either ignored or put

Try strategizing in a mid-sized non technical mid-sized company. Here is where engineers are treated like mechanics at pep boys. You are either ignored or put to your place about the kind of work your are supposed to do, with the exception of crisis scenarios or 'no-one is interested in the outcome' scenarios. In large companies strategy is mostly about helping power brokers to do their bullshit jobs. In my experience, only opportunity for engineers to contribute to a meaningful strategy is in a small team with business person as CEO/Owner and they really want to listen to the engineer's opinion. Maybe in tech companies engineers might have different experience.

twblalock 5y ago
> Maybe in tech companies engineers might have different experience. Of course they do! At non-tech companies, tech is a cost center. The only strategy that will be valued is a strategy to cut costs. At tech companies, tech is the product, so it's a profit center. If you want a fulfilling career as an engineer, don't work in a cost center. > In my experience, only opportunity for engineers to contribute to a meaningful strategy is in a small team with business person as CEO/Owner and they really want to listen to the engineer's opinion. That might be true at very small companies. At large tech companies most engineers will never meet the CEO, but they still have input on strategy. Of course that means developing some credibility and trust within the organization before people will listen, but that's true in all industries.
- Aeolun 5y ago
  > If you want a fulfilling career as an engineer, don't work in a cost center. You can definitely still have a fulfilling career. Somewhere along the ladder the right CTO or VP can make all the difference in how that branch of the organisation operates (and lo and behold, somehow that branch is particularly effective too).
- chandmk 5y ago
  >If you want a fulfilling career as an engineer, don't work in a cost center. By that definition, I guess the above article is not a help to a whole class of engineers out there. Now I really doubt if they even be called engineers?

twblalock 5y ago

> Maybe in tech companies engineers might have different experience. Of course they do! At non-tech companies, tech is a cost center. The only strategy that will be valued is a strategy to cut costs. At tech companies, tech is the product, so it's a profit center. If you want a fulfilling career as an engineer, don't work in a cost center. > In my experience, only opportunity for engineers to contribute to a meaningful strategy is in a small team with business person as CEO/Owner and they really want to listen to the engineer's opinion. That might be true at very small companies. At large tech companies most engineers will never meet the CEO, but they still have input on strategy. Of course that means developing some credibility and trust within the organization before people will listen, but that's true in all industries.

Aeolun 5y ago
> If you want a fulfilling career as an engineer, don't work in a cost center. You can definitely still have a fulfilling career. Somewhere along the ladder the right CTO or VP can make all the difference in how that branch of the organisation operates (and lo and behold, somehow that branch is particularly effective too).
chandmk 5y ago
>If you want a fulfilling career as an engineer, don't work in a cost center. By that definition, I guess the above article is not a help to a whole class of engineers out there. Now I really doubt if they even be called engineers?