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> It’s weird to me how many folks attest to “being at FAANG means you’re lazy.” I’ve participated in some mentorship programs for college grads. There are a lo

> It’s weird to me how many folks attest to “being at FAANG means you’re lazy.” I’ve participated in some mentorship programs for college grads. There are a lot of students who think that the FAANG career path is basically “Study LeetCode for a few months, get FAANG job, then rest and vest”. Of those who make it into FAANG, it’s common for them to be surprised by how demanding and competitive their jobs are. I’m not sure where people are getting the idea that the highest paid jobs in our industry also happen to be some of the easiest, but it doesn’t even make logical sense. I suspect a lot of it stems from sour grapes: People inherently get jealous of high earners in prestigious jobs, and tend to reach for excuses to bring them down a notch.

scarface74 4y ago
High earning: yes Prestigious: no It’s just a job.
- PragmaticPulp 4y ago
  Having a high-paying job at a well-known tech company that average people recognize is the definition of a prestigious job in society. If you don’t think FAANG jobs are socially prestigious, you’re probably thinking too narrowly within the HN comment section bubble. Talk to first-generation college graduates looking to make it big in the engineering world and FAANG jobs are the definition of prestigious to them and their families.
  - jjulius 4y ago
    Given the negative views that a lot of average people have towards some of those FAANGs (more specifically, Facebook and Google), I would disagree that they're viewed as "prestigious" jobs. Years ago, sure, but whatever air of prestige they had going for themselves is quickly disappearing.
    - PragmaticPulp 4y ago
      You’re misconstruing the company’s reputation with the career’s reputation. A lot of people have negative sentiment toward “lawyers” as a group, but getting a big lawyer job is still considered prestigious for the individual. Also, the average person actually really likes Google search, their Microsoft Xbox, their Instagram friends, and so on. If the average person actually disliked these products, they wouldn’t be the biggest brands in the world.
      - IntelMiner 4y ago
        Except part of the problem with these tech giants is they're truly inescapable I don't "like" Windows but I'm using it right now to type this comment because my option is the other FAANG, Apple. Or specifically going out of my way to use Linux. (This extends also to cell phones with the effective Google/Apple duopoly) I don't "like" Facebook but it's the only way I can keep in contact with my family across the planet, because they're technologically illiterate and only understand Facebook Messenger I don't "like" Amazon but they've sucked most of the oxygen out of online retail
        scarface74 4y ago
        You mean they are “inescapable” because people used their own free will to choose them? - Computers - you admitted that you could use Linux. But Apple and Microsoft provide a better experience for you - phones - you could use a PinePhone. But you choose to use an Android or iPhone because it is a better experience - your family chose to use Facebook products even though there are plenty of other messaging apps and methods to share pictures. Facebook gave them a better experience. - I can’t think of a single product that you can get from Amazon that you couldn’t get from somewhere else. You choose to use Amazon for the convenience
        IntelMiner 4y ago
        So what you're saying is, these are non-issues as long as I'm still able to go completely out of my own way to exercise as strained a free choice as possible?
  - tannhaeuser 4y ago
    Well tbh catering to a crowd that exists in reality, like HNers, still probably makes more sense than extrapolating over a crowd of mythical normies in the absence of data.
  - scarface74 4y ago
    I work for a FAANG. It’s just one of the eight jobs I’ve had in my 25+ year career. Just like the other 7 jobs, it’s just a means for me to exchange labor for money to support my addiction to food and shelter. Admittedly more money than I’ve made before.
  - VirusNewbie 4y ago
    It's prestigious to people in tech (for those that know about the pay and the challenges of getting in). It is far less prestigious to average folks who are likely to think that Google is basically like any ol' office job but cooler decor and free lunches. If you ask the average non tech person if working for Netflix or IBM is more prestigious they aren't going to laugh at the question like we would.
- fullshark 4y ago
  In some places, a job at a company someone has heard of, or a job that doesn't require you to be on your feet doing manual labor all day is prestigious. These tech companies are still jobs that carry prestige and life changing money for some people, it's all relative.
  - scarface74 4y ago
    When I was a corp dev living in Atlanta working at an unknown company in 2000 making $70K a year, many from the small town I came from thought that was impressive. People were impressed for some reason when I told them I was a developer at GE in 2008. It really doesn’t take much.
raincom 4y ago
Netflix and Facebook are tough places to coast or to rest and vest. Other places, if one just meets expectations, he/she is fine.
- theGnuMe 4y ago
  "Meets expectations" is part of managing workforce promotions.
- gamblor956 4y ago
  I was offered a (non-tech) job at Netflix for a position 2 levels below my current title for 3x my current salary. When I expressed surprise, the HR rep said that Netflix was "top of the market" because they expect employees to work hard. By the time I finished going through the interview process, the person who was supposed to be my boss had already left due to burnout. The person who was supposed to report to me had become my boss by the time I received an offer, but left by what would have been my start date. I would have ended up in charge of the department if I had taken the job. Netflix, at least, is a grinder, and they pay correspondingly.
  - notch656a 4y ago
    Anyone who has a spouse or children should also consider that in the very unlucky event the worst happens and a divorce or child support or alimony order is ordered while working for a FAANG, the judge may consider your FAANG income as your 'imputed income' in the future so taking a lower-stress job may not incur recomputing of your support orders. That is, your choice may look something like "grind at FAANGs forever" or wither in jail and/or always on the edge of bankruptcy. That's enough to scare the shit out of me from working at this double+ salary high-stress jobs. This is not legal advice, IANAL.
    - hiq 4y ago
      I mean if you have this kind of concerns, isn't it better to get a prenup? Doesn't it solve the problem?
belter 4y ago
"Average tenure at Google has been reported at 1.1 years, which stands in contrast to a broader average of 4.2 years for software developers across the board....Tech jobs at many so called titans and disrupters last less than two years, according to research from Dice..." - https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-stack-exchange-podcast/episode/whats-the-average-tenure-of-a-software-developer-at-a-big-tech-company-202474683 https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-stack-exchange-podcast/epi... I find 1.1 years as average incredibly low. Is this really the case?
- morelisp 4y ago
  "Ex-Googler" is somehow still a huge positive signal to some people, usually the ones who don't ask too many follow-up questions.
- SR2Z 4y ago
  It's a symptom of how broken Google's internal culture is. It can become clear REALLY fast if you're on a dead-end project that'll never result in a promotion. A lot of the time, it's because the project isn't some new and shiny thing getting pushed by a director. Lots of critical, difficult tasks don't get attention - which means that new engineers get saddled with them, realize they've been fucked out of a quick promo, and then leave for greener (on multiple levels) pastures where they'll be better appreciated.
tennisflyi 4y ago
> Of those who make it into FAANG, it’s common for them to be surprised by how demanding and competitive their jobs are. I’m not sure where people are getting the idea that the highest paid jobs in our industry also happen to be some of the easiest, but it doesn’t even make logical sense. This is where, - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33209621 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33209621 and - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33205375 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33205375

scarface74 4y ago

High earning: yes Prestigious: no It’s just a job.

PragmaticPulp 4y ago
Having a high-paying job at a well-known tech company that average people recognize is the definition of a prestigious job in society. If you don’t think FAANG jobs are socially prestigious, you’re probably thinking too narrowly within the HN comment section bubble. Talk to first-generation college graduates looking to make it big in the engineering world and FAANG jobs are the definition of prestigious to them and their families.
- jjulius 4y ago
  Given the negative views that a lot of average people have towards some of those FAANGs (more specifically, Facebook and Google), I would disagree that they're viewed as "prestigious" jobs. Years ago, sure, but whatever air of prestige they had going for themselves is quickly disappearing.
  - PragmaticPulp 4y ago
    You’re misconstruing the company’s reputation with the career’s reputation. A lot of people have negative sentiment toward “lawyers” as a group, but getting a big lawyer job is still considered prestigious for the individual. Also, the average person actually really likes Google search, their Microsoft Xbox, their Instagram friends, and so on. If the average person actually disliked these products, they wouldn’t be the biggest brands in the world.
    - IntelMiner 4y ago
      Except part of the problem with these tech giants is they're truly inescapable I don't "like" Windows but I'm using it right now to type this comment because my option is the other FAANG, Apple. Or specifically going out of my way to use Linux. (This extends also to cell phones with the effective Google/Apple duopoly) I don't "like" Facebook but it's the only way I can keep in contact with my family across the planet, because they're technologically illiterate and only understand Facebook Messenger I don't "like" Amazon but they've sucked most of the oxygen out of online retail
      - scarface74 4y ago
        You mean they are “inescapable” because people used their own free will to choose them? - Computers - you admitted that you could use Linux. But Apple and Microsoft provide a better experience for you - phones - you could use a PinePhone. But you choose to use an Android or iPhone because it is a better experience - your family chose to use Facebook products even though there are plenty of other messaging apps and methods to share pictures. Facebook gave them a better experience. - I can’t think of a single product that you can get from Amazon that you couldn’t get from somewhere else. You choose to use Amazon for the convenience
        IntelMiner 4y ago
        So what you're saying is, these are non-issues as long as I'm still able to go completely out of my own way to exercise as strained a free choice as possible?
- tannhaeuser 4y ago
  Well tbh catering to a crowd that exists in reality, like HNers, still probably makes more sense than extrapolating over a crowd of mythical normies in the absence of data.
- scarface74 4y ago
  I work for a FAANG. It’s just one of the eight jobs I’ve had in my 25+ year career. Just like the other 7 jobs, it’s just a means for me to exchange labor for money to support my addiction to food and shelter. Admittedly more money than I’ve made before.
- VirusNewbie 4y ago
  It's prestigious to people in tech (for those that know about the pay and the challenges of getting in). It is far less prestigious to average folks who are likely to think that Google is basically like any ol' office job but cooler decor and free lunches. If you ask the average non tech person if working for Netflix or IBM is more prestigious they aren't going to laugh at the question like we would.
fullshark 4y ago
In some places, a job at a company someone has heard of, or a job that doesn't require you to be on your feet doing manual labor all day is prestigious. These tech companies are still jobs that carry prestige and life changing money for some people, it's all relative.
- scarface74 4y ago
  When I was a corp dev living in Atlanta working at an unknown company in 2000 making $70K a year, many from the small town I came from thought that was impressive. People were impressed for some reason when I told them I was a developer at GE in 2008. It really doesn’t take much.

raincom 4y ago

Netflix and Facebook are tough places to coast or to rest and vest. Other places, if one just meets expectations, he/she is fine.

theGnuMe 4y ago
"Meets expectations" is part of managing workforce promotions.
gamblor956 4y ago
I was offered a (non-tech) job at Netflix for a position 2 levels below my current title for 3x my current salary. When I expressed surprise, the HR rep said that Netflix was "top of the market" because they expect employees to work hard. By the time I finished going through the interview process, the person who was supposed to be my boss had already left due to burnout. The person who was supposed to report to me had become my boss by the time I received an offer, but left by what would have been my start date. I would have ended up in charge of the department if I had taken the job. Netflix, at least, is a grinder, and they pay correspondingly.
- notch656a 4y ago
  Anyone who has a spouse or children should also consider that in the very unlucky event the worst happens and a divorce or child support or alimony order is ordered while working for a FAANG, the judge may consider your FAANG income as your 'imputed income' in the future so taking a lower-stress job may not incur recomputing of your support orders. That is, your choice may look something like "grind at FAANGs forever" or wither in jail and/or always on the edge of bankruptcy. That's enough to scare the shit out of me from working at this double+ salary high-stress jobs. This is not legal advice, IANAL.
  - hiq 4y ago
    I mean if you have this kind of concerns, isn't it better to get a prenup? Doesn't it solve the problem?

belter 4y ago

"Average tenure at Google has been reported at 1.1 years, which stands in contrast to a broader average of 4.2 years for software developers across the board....Tech jobs at many so called titans and disrupters last less than two years, according to research from Dice..." - https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-stack-exchange-podcast/episode/whats-the-average-tenure-of-a-software-developer-at-a-big-tech-company-202474683 https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-stack-exchange-podcast/epi... I find 1.1 years as average incredibly low. Is this really the case?

morelisp 4y ago
"Ex-Googler" is somehow still a huge positive signal to some people, usually the ones who don't ask too many follow-up questions.
SR2Z 4y ago
It's a symptom of how broken Google's internal culture is. It can become clear REALLY fast if you're on a dead-end project that'll never result in a promotion. A lot of the time, it's because the project isn't some new and shiny thing getting pushed by a director. Lots of critical, difficult tasks don't get attention - which means that new engineers get saddled with them, realize they've been fucked out of a quick promo, and then leave for greener (on multiple levels) pastures where they'll be better appreciated.

tennisflyi 4y ago

> Of those who make it into FAANG, it’s common for them to be surprised by how demanding and competitive their jobs are. I’m not sure where people are getting the idea that the highest paid jobs in our industry also happen to be some of the easiest, but it doesn’t even make logical sense. This is where, - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33209621 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33209621 and - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33205375 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33205375