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Have you considered becoming a Solutions or Sales Engineer? I switched from engineering management to freelancing/consulting and back to working for The Man as

Have you considered becoming a Solutions or Sales Engineer? I switched from engineering management to freelancing/consulting and back to working for The Man as a Solutions Engineer. Honestly, it's all the upsides of consulting (getting to talk to people, solving technical problems, getting results quickly for people) with none of the downsides (chasing people down for money, finding new customers). As long as customers are happy, my boss is happy. My autonomy is through the roof. There's no sprint planning/story point stuff like many other "normal" engineer jobs. If you're on the pre-sales route, you get to hang around salespeople (which I enjoy) and have no pressure to meet a quota like salespeople do. If I run into a particularly challenging technical issue beyond me, I can rope in an engineer from the engineering team to help if it's a big enough deal. I wish I would have known about this route sooner. Now there's no way I'd go back to a normal engineering role

taurath 3y ago
Can you tell me anything about how to get into that type of role?
jameshush 3y ago
I was running the engineering team for an online virtual events company. Afterward, I quit and tried to freelance for a year (generally a pain in the butt unless you have a clear plan). Here's what I did: 1. Get REALLY specific around a skill and a VERTICAL. "TypeScript React Developer" is way too broad. I reworded my resume to be about WebRTC and video precisely and targeted a WebRTC SaaS company. The company I applied for wanted my previous company as a customer so it was a huge help. The job's all about being really great at something REALLY REALLY REALLY narrow in scope because, at the end of the day, you're helping customers understand just one set of APIs. 2. On the resume and cover letter (actually write a cover letter) focus on the people side. Stories about dealing with conflict, and shipping projects across the finish line, help a lot here. Remember, this is a customer-facing role, so the interview isn't coding-focused. They need someone who's friendly and professional and who can smile at a customer even if they're upset. 3. Nail the basics in the interview. Wear a dress shirt on the video call. Have your 5-minute "tell me about yourself" story rehearsed. Have answers for basic behavioral questions prepared. In my experience, I was usually given a paid or unpaid take-home test. Technical-wise, they were all much easier. 4. Focusing on a vertical is important because they'll want to hear stories about how you solved problems in that vertical. They could be technically "simple" problems. E.g. my present company loved that I ran an engineering team at a virtual events company because many of their customers were engineering managers at virtual events companies. I knew exactly how their customers felt because I had been in their shoes before. If all of these sound "obvious," then you're in luck, you probably have the right personality for this gig. :-) The tricky part is finding the opportunity. Remember when you first graduated and had difficulty finding that first tech job? It's a similar feeling. Ideally, if you have a relationship with a vendor you've worked with in the past that's the best way in. Ask for referrals in your network. Send applications out. Do not expect any recruiters to reach out to you directly for a role like this. When I did find the opportunity it took about three months to close the interview. So, don't be in a rush!
0x445442 3y ago
This is interesting. Are there any resources you would recommend which go into more details about these roles and the transition you describe?

taurath 3y ago

Can you tell me anything about how to get into that type of role?

jameshush 3y ago

I was running the engineering team for an online virtual events company. Afterward, I quit and tried to freelance for a year (generally a pain in the butt unless you have a clear plan). Here's what I did: 1. Get REALLY specific around a skill and a VERTICAL. "TypeScript React Developer" is way too broad. I reworded my resume to be about WebRTC and video precisely and targeted a WebRTC SaaS company. The company I applied for wanted my previous company as a customer so it was a huge help. The job's all about being really great at something REALLY REALLY REALLY narrow in scope because, at the end of the day, you're helping customers understand just one set of APIs. 2. On the resume and cover letter (actually write a cover letter) focus on the people side. Stories about dealing with conflict, and shipping projects across the finish line, help a lot here. Remember, this is a customer-facing role, so the interview isn't coding-focused. They need someone who's friendly and professional and who can smile at a customer even if they're upset. 3. Nail the basics in the interview. Wear a dress shirt on the video call. Have your 5-minute "tell me about yourself" story rehearsed. Have answers for basic behavioral questions prepared. In my experience, I was usually given a paid or unpaid take-home test. Technical-wise, they were all much easier. 4. Focusing on a vertical is important because they'll want to hear stories about how you solved problems in that vertical. They could be technically "simple" problems. E.g. my present company loved that I ran an engineering team at a virtual events company because many of their customers were engineering managers at virtual events companies. I knew exactly how their customers felt because I had been in their shoes before. If all of these sound "obvious," then you're in luck, you probably have the right personality for this gig. :-) The tricky part is finding the opportunity. Remember when you first graduated and had difficulty finding that first tech job? It's a similar feeling. Ideally, if you have a relationship with a vendor you've worked with in the past that's the best way in. Ask for referrals in your network. Send applications out. Do not expect any recruiters to reach out to you directly for a role like this. When I did find the opportunity it took about three months to close the interview. So, don't be in a rush!

0x445442 3y ago

This is interesting. Are there any resources you would recommend which go into more details about these roles and the transition you describe?