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I think the difference is that it feels almost attainable, although for most of us it isn't. I'm a software developer, I can write code and build systems. In th

I think the difference is that it feels almost attainable, although for most of us it isn't. I'm a software developer, I can write code and build systems. In theory I could get these compensations if I worked harder. What's keeping me from making that much is 1) I'm not in the US 2) I can't pass faang interviews. Nonetheless it feels within reach. Unlike being the child of a billionaire. Hence the disconnect.

MichaelZuo 4y ago
Presuming you’ve tried more than once, if you can’t pass faang interviews, why do you still think it’s attainable?
- filoleg 4y ago
  Because they might have missed it by a tiny margin and were borderline. The feeling of totally bombing an interview and being within an inch of passing are enterily different. I wouldn't be upset by the former, but the latter would grind on me for a bit. To the grandparent poster: if you actually have the goal of passing that faang interview, just keep trying. Taking multiple tries to succeed doesn't make you a subpar engineer. I worked for one of those FAANGs for a while, but there was another one i wanted to work at, and I kept coming short every single time during onsites for that one specifically. Like, it would always be good enough to go to the hiring committee, but it would inevitably end up with "you were so borderline, only if that one interviewer out of 5 gave you a slightly higher score, you would have been hired." Turns out, 4th time was the charm, and I got hired. And now, I am not noticing being "subpar" to any other engineers i work with who got in on the first try, my perf review was quite good, and I like the job I do, so trying all that time ended up being worth for me. So if you have that as your goal, don't get discouraged by failing, just give it another try later.
  - seattleeng 4y ago
    Also, theres more companies than just FAANG out there that pay comparably, go down levels.fyi and start applying, for anyone who wants to try
rongenre 4y ago
This isn't about passing a faang interview as much as joining a startup which gets acquired, and you hang out while your shares vest (bad idea, unless you've got retirement money) That's a matter of luck rather than timing, although being in a VC-hub really helps.
tsol 4y ago
It's like a lottery you can only play in the US. It happens, but it's unlikely. Unfortunately you're right being out of the US makes the less likely(although I'm sure it exists for at least one person in most first world countries). It basically sounds like these people either get lost in the system, or are so important that companies pay them to sit around instead of working for a competitor.

MichaelZuo 4y ago

Presuming you’ve tried more than once, if you can’t pass faang interviews, why do you still think it’s attainable?

filoleg 4y ago
Because they might have missed it by a tiny margin and were borderline. The feeling of totally bombing an interview and being within an inch of passing are enterily different. I wouldn't be upset by the former, but the latter would grind on me for a bit. To the grandparent poster: if you actually have the goal of passing that faang interview, just keep trying. Taking multiple tries to succeed doesn't make you a subpar engineer. I worked for one of those FAANGs for a while, but there was another one i wanted to work at, and I kept coming short every single time during onsites for that one specifically. Like, it would always be good enough to go to the hiring committee, but it would inevitably end up with "you were so borderline, only if that one interviewer out of 5 gave you a slightly higher score, you would have been hired." Turns out, 4th time was the charm, and I got hired. And now, I am not noticing being "subpar" to any other engineers i work with who got in on the first try, my perf review was quite good, and I like the job I do, so trying all that time ended up being worth for me. So if you have that as your goal, don't get discouraged by failing, just give it another try later.
- seattleeng 4y ago
  Also, theres more companies than just FAANG out there that pay comparably, go down levels.fyi and start applying, for anyone who wants to try

rongenre 4y ago

This isn't about passing a faang interview as much as joining a startup which gets acquired, and you hang out while your shares vest (bad idea, unless you've got retirement money) That's a matter of luck rather than timing, although being in a VC-hub really helps.

tsol 4y ago

It's like a lottery you can only play in the US. It happens, but it's unlikely. Unfortunately you're right being out of the US makes the less likely(although I'm sure it exists for at least one person in most first world countries). It basically sounds like these people either get lost in the system, or are so important that companies pay them to sit around instead of working for a competitor.