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> Why would I go for promo to get a 20% raise and then have to put in more of my free time, when I have absolutely no need for another $75k or whatever? Those

> Why would I go for promo to get a 20% raise and then have to put in more of my free time, when I have absolutely no need for another $75k or whatever? Those that take that job and succeed figure out how to do it in the same time.

scarface74 4y ago
There is absolutely no way that I could enjoy the life I have now as a senior in my department. Right now, I’m the master of my own fate. I either get small projects where I manage the entire project by myself or maybe with one junior consultant including managing the customer, the meeting cadence, when and how often I need to travel to the clients site (if at all) etc or I slice off one vertical “work stream” of a larger project and still keep it where I can manage it.
oh_sigh 4y ago
Maybe, but from my experience I see people working harder and stressing out when they get promoted. Surely there is some level everyone reaches where they need to put more time and effort in to maintain their ideal state(ie most people who are happy to be a high performing L5 would not be satisfied being a low performing L6).
- scarface74 4y ago
  In my department (cloud consulting) an L5 is expected to be able to “manage their own work stream independently”. That means talking to the customer, gathering requirements, doing their own system design, presenting it to any facet of the business, doing the hands on keyboard work, automating the deployment and training the customer. You should also be able to manage your deliverables and the customer expectations and communicate the trade offs between time, budget and requirements. Of course if any of the technical areas are your weakness, you are responsible for bringing the right people in. An L6 is expected to manage multiple work streams and spend a lot more time in pre-sales. The advantage of being an L5 is that there is nothing stopping me from performing L6 tasks. But I don’t have to. No one is going to tell me that I have to take on L6 level work. But I don’t have to. On that same note “we control our schedule”. If I start routinely putting in more than 40 hours a week, my manager is going to talk to me and start asking hard questions like why am I not managing my customers expectations.

scarface74 4y ago

There is absolutely no way that I could enjoy the life I have now as a senior in my department. Right now, I’m the master of my own fate. I either get small projects where I manage the entire project by myself or maybe with one junior consultant including managing the customer, the meeting cadence, when and how often I need to travel to the clients site (if at all) etc or I slice off one vertical “work stream” of a larger project and still keep it where I can manage it.

oh_sigh 4y ago

Maybe, but from my experience I see people working harder and stressing out when they get promoted. Surely there is some level everyone reaches where they need to put more time and effort in to maintain their ideal state(ie most people who are happy to be a high performing L5 would not be satisfied being a low performing L6).

scarface74 4y ago
In my department (cloud consulting) an L5 is expected to be able to “manage their own work stream independently”. That means talking to the customer, gathering requirements, doing their own system design, presenting it to any facet of the business, doing the hands on keyboard work, automating the deployment and training the customer. You should also be able to manage your deliverables and the customer expectations and communicate the trade offs between time, budget and requirements. Of course if any of the technical areas are your weakness, you are responsible for bringing the right people in. An L6 is expected to manage multiple work streams and spend a lot more time in pre-sales. The advantage of being an L5 is that there is nothing stopping me from performing L6 tasks. But I don’t have to. No one is going to tell me that I have to take on L6 level work. But I don’t have to. On that same note “we control our schedule”. If I start routinely putting in more than 40 hours a week, my manager is going to talk to me and start asking hard questions like why am I not managing my customers expectations.