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I've been a SWE for about 10 years. Here's my pros and cons: + Compensation is insane. I don't think there is anything else in the world I am qualified to do
by freeplay 3y ago
I've been a SWE for about 10 years.
Here's my pros and cons:
+ Compensation is insane. I don't think there is anything else in the world I am qualified to do that would pay me nearly as much.
- Deceptively long hours
- Constant deadlines that are often solely dependent on you. If you are at the senior level or higher, there are often features that depend only on you. If you miss a deadline, several people up the chain will most likely know about it. There is no one to share the "shame" with. It's all on you.
+ Flexible schedule. Every place I've worked has been very accommodating (usually to the point of not caring at all) of family obligations, doc appointments, start time, etc.
- Constant objective changes. Speaking from FAANG, things are constantly changing. You could be months into a feature, priorities shift, and they shelf the whole thing. Not to mention the re-orgs.
Overall, I feel very fortunate to have this career. I often see folks my age grinding away at some soul sucking job and my gratitude intensifies. However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. The nap pods and ping pong tables are just a recruiting tool, not part of day to day life.
- throw555chip 3y ago> Compensation is insane. What? > Speaking from FAANG Oh.
- hotnfresh 3y agoComp's not insane in the rest of the industry, but is just about the only non-management route to the 1960s-1990s style middle class that remains. It's a lot of money compared to median income.
- madeofpalk 3y agoEven outside of FAANG the pay is still quite generous, at least from my experience in.... US/AU/UK/etc You get paid so much for relatively so little. Housemate was a chef who's work was so much more demanding physically and worked stupid hours, and was paid a fraction compared to developers.
- throw555chip 3y agoIf a meal is returned by a customer, the restaurant doesn't go out of business. If a C programmer forgets a break statement, the entire western half of the US loses phone connectivity for several hours: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34665023 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34665023
- freeplay 3y agoThis is the rub right here. Huge mental overhead that is often not mentioned. Not only the potential for great consequence (think errant deployment in AWS S3 that takes out an entire region and costs the company millions), but the requirement to constantly be evolving and learning new things. Not only learning but being proficient at them. All while not forgetting the original stuff you knew.
- thorncorona 3y ago> the requirement to constantly be evolving and learning new things. when is this not the case? there are no fields that pay well where stagnation is acceptable. not in (real) engineering, not in the sciences, not in legal, business, marketing, etc.
- madeofpalk 3y agoMost developers are making are not C programmers responsible for half of US phone connectivity.
- freeplay 3y agoI'm just saying, compare what you're making to the average person your age. Take into account the amount of debt that comes along with some of the professions requiring extensive schooling. Also consider the conditions and work life balance (ex: welders can make a great deal of money however they are often away from home for months and work 6-7 days a week in rough conditions). Even if you're not at FAANG, overall, we're making a lot of money working from a comfy chair with little to no required debt.
- Yhippa 3y agoHave you worked with people at the same professional level outside of FAANG? There are a lot of companies outside of those BigCo tech companies that pay well without the stressors that you mention.
- Infinitesimus 3y agoGot some examples in mind?
- Justsignedup 3y agoI will take the shit I get at work every day compared to the shit many I know get at work for a quarter of my salary.