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as someone who started their software career working at 3M of all places (shitty software practices) and slowly worked my way up to a tier-2 software company (j

as someone who started their software career working at 3M of all places (shitty software practices) and slowly worked my way up to a tier-2 software company (just below faang) with a total comp of $200k+, don’t sell yourself short. Oh and i went to a state school, and also applied for these jobs directly online, no referrals. Where you start doesn’t matter if you are motivated and have some luck along the way. Yes the rich and smart have a head start, they are dealt better “cards” at birth. That’s true for EVERYTHING in life. That has nothing to do with software.

gabereiser 4y ago
With an attitude like that, you are richer than you realize.
- lurking_swe 4y ago
  100%! I’m blessed to be in the position that I am. But everything is relative. Some of my colleagues have it so much easier than me, because they went to school at Berkeley, etc. Started off their careers directly at a tier 2 company as interns! Got those sweet RSU’s at 22 years old. The goal of my reply was to encourage others and make them believe they can do it too. I endured some hardships on my journey (no connections to the tech industry, went to an average state school, etc). Others will be enduring much more, and i acknowledge that.
  - gabereiser 4y ago
    You're right, some of us couldn't afford college and so went into tech because back then it didn't require a degree. Worked their way up from a call center to web and software development. Learn some stuff along the way and release a game for the xbox 360 all while maintaining that career they worked so hard to build, only now they are a Director within the industry teaching others and directing others on how to build planet-scale data lakes and distributed systems. :D It's not about money (though we think it is when we start), it's about fulfillment and doing what you love.
  - adave 4y ago
    Yeah its best not to compare hardships and when the people more privileged than you got their RSU's. What you have is someone else's envy so keep the first statement and drop the rest.
geraldwhen 4y ago
I also did not find that my time at BUSINESS hurt my interviews. If anything, I suspect developers at non software businesses would have more room to explore and grow, or stagnate, than at a more tightly controlled tech company. Perform miracles at BUSINESS and you may not even be recognized for it. You might also not get recognized for doing absolutely nothing.

gabereiser 4y ago

With an attitude like that, you are richer than you realize.

lurking_swe 4y ago
100%! I’m blessed to be in the position that I am. But everything is relative. Some of my colleagues have it so much easier than me, because they went to school at Berkeley, etc. Started off their careers directly at a tier 2 company as interns! Got those sweet RSU’s at 22 years old. The goal of my reply was to encourage others and make them believe they can do it too. I endured some hardships on my journey (no connections to the tech industry, went to an average state school, etc). Others will be enduring much more, and i acknowledge that.
- gabereiser 4y ago
  You're right, some of us couldn't afford college and so went into tech because back then it didn't require a degree. Worked their way up from a call center to web and software development. Learn some stuff along the way and release a game for the xbox 360 all while maintaining that career they worked so hard to build, only now they are a Director within the industry teaching others and directing others on how to build planet-scale data lakes and distributed systems. :D It's not about money (though we think it is when we start), it's about fulfillment and doing what you love.
- adave 4y ago
  Yeah its best not to compare hardships and when the people more privileged than you got their RSU's. What you have is someone else's envy so keep the first statement and drop the rest.

geraldwhen 4y ago

I also did not find that my time at BUSINESS hurt my interviews. If anything, I suspect developers at non software businesses would have more room to explore and grow, or stagnate, than at a more tightly controlled tech company. Perform miracles at BUSINESS and you may not even be recognized for it. You might also not get recognized for doing absolutely nothing.