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Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

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Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#391

Post by danShumway »

pjc50 wrote: post #140
danShumway wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People aren't advocating that OP should stop learning (although there is nothing wrong with Software Engineering being a safe, predictable career for some people). They're advocating that OP should focus on learning things outside of work. A lot of exciting opportunities open up when you don't need to care about money. You can do experimental, innovative stuff just because it's worth doing, and not just because a VC…

You will have a hard time finding a tech employer that doesn't have a restrictive IP clause.

This hasn't been my experience. My current employer doesn't have a clause like this, and although they wouldn't have needed to, they also in-writing cleared my side-projects when I joined, even commercial ones.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#392

Post by narrator »

jedberg wrote: post #210
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This blows my mind that in the US one can make such insane money in tech while still being a slacker and retire early with a dream house bought and paid for while in Europe devs are slaving away through SCRUM powered meat grinders burning themselves out for a 3% salary increase on a pitiful 40-80k/year, no stock options, without any hope of early retirement or owning a decent home without a 30 year loan or financial…

> This blows my mind that in the US one can make such insane money in tech while still being a slacker and retire early with a dream house bought and paid for Don't feel too bad. As far as I know, only Google and Apple lets you get away with this kind of slacking. Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix certainly don't. Also, SWE out of college definitely aren't making enough to buy much more than a condo. That being said, you…

Be like a friend of mine in Argentina who works remote on U.S jobs. He's from the U.S and moved there, so he speaks perfect English, and Spanish but he make enough in a month to live for the whole year. He bought a house, has a nice smart girlfriend much younger than him. He's doing very well.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#393

Post by tinco »

soulofmischief wrote: post #258
wayoutthere wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Software engineering just isn't that hard. Tedious yes, but not remotely difficult. We've been fed the narrative of economic success that many folks have forgotten what personal success looks like. You can be successful in your career and still feel like a failure. Therapy is the answer here. You have to un-brainwash yourself from the notion that your job is your life and figure out what really matters to you. Then f…

> Software engineering just isn't that hard. Surely that depends on the problem being solved, right? Some problems are harder than others. The variety of knowledge domains presented though the lens of engineering here at HN always surprises me.

I think it's just the perspective. Most software engineering that provides significant value to businesses isn't very hard from the perspective of the person doing it. It just requires a shit ton of specific knowledge, and a bunch of time and tedious work. Of course mustering those things is hard. Try and find someone to replace you in all the things you do, and see how much work they have to put into it. Depending on how deep you're into it, or on how wide the spectrum is, it might even require a really talented person to achieve the skill required to not find the work hard ;)

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#394

Post by wayoutthere »

walshemj wrote: post #237
HashThis wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know companies that won't hire Google employees because of this reputation.

Exactly what reputation is this? I have heard that about a former employer British Telecom, I suspect it varies I can imagine the sort that went into CS and rote learned their way to a Degree might have a problem. Not that some of googles published api's and standards work can sometimes a little shonky and could do with a lot more rigor.

I wouldn't say it's a red flag to have Google on your resume, but I will say that I do make a point of understanding what exactly an applicant did during their time at Google. Like any company, there are good teams and bad teams -- but at Google, it's possible to contribute nothing and still not get fired due to the way they're structured internally.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#395

Post by drivebycomment »

CydeWeys wrote: post #176
barry-cotter wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Therapy is the answer here. You have to un-brainwash yourself from the notion that your job is your life and figure out what really matters to you. Then focus on that, and use your job to fill the boring hours in between. You’re going to spend more time at work than doing almost anything else during those years of your life where you work. Why not do something meaningful with those hours if you can? And if OP can g…

What percentage of software engineers are doing "something meaningful"? That seems like a small number, no? Contrast with teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers, etc., almost all of whom I think would say they do something meaningful.

The meaning is what you define and draw from. Even the job of driving a garbage truck has a meaning. Software is no different - short of doing something actively harmful or you are morally against, you can find a meaning in any job. It may not satisfy your ambition or ego, but that's a different problem that finding a meaning.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#397

Post by chii »

throwaway8291 wrote: post #319
jedberg wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This blows my mind that in the US one can make such insane money in tech while still being a slacker and retire early with a dream house bought and paid for Don't feel too bad. As far as I know, only Google and Apple lets you get away with this kind of slacking. Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix certainly don't. Also, SWE out of college definitely aren't making enough to buy much more than a condo. That being said, you…

The max I negotiated in Europe was $125000, an ok start up salary was maybe $80000 and I am currently - with lots of non-money benefits at around $70000. What makes me most sad is that fostering the web tracking industry - tech + marketing - is so lucrative. I have such a hard time understanding this world - it does not make much sense any more. This lying and scheming around collecting all your data and activity for…

> fostering the web tracking industry

because consumers don't want to pay for anything. It's easier to extract private data, and sell that to a corporation for a lot of money, than to extract a small premium from each user (which is like squeezing blood from stone).

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#398

Post by rco8786 »

Galanwe wrote: post #338
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This blows my mind that in the US one can make such insane money in tech while still being a slacker and retire early with a dream house bought and paid for while in Europe devs are slaving away through SCRUM powered meat grinders burning themselves out for a 3% salary increase on a pitiful 40-80k/year, no stock options, without any hope of early retirement or owning a decent home without a 30 year loan or financial…

> in Europe devs are slaving away through SCRUM powered meat grinders burning themselves out for a 3% salary increase on a pitiful 40-80k/year There is so much wrong in this sentence. First, there is no more “meat grinders” in the US than in Europe. I worked at Microsoft and Criteo in Europe, and the slacking there seems to be on par with what OP describes. You mention 40/80k per year being pitiful? This kind of remu…

> You can expect some hundreds/thousands dollars per year

This is not correct. A senior (meaning L5-L6+, nothing crazy) engineer at a big public tech co will get 6 figures yearly in stock compensation in addition to their salary.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#399

Post by solveit »

joshuamorton wrote: post #328
tksb wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can only guess, but to my mind, if the individual hadn't progressed significantly in that period, they may appear as a "sucker" of sorts. "Naive" and "holding out forever for nothing."

I mean, maybe if you aren't progressing, but an L6 who was hired from college and has been at Google for 12 years it's probably an asset.

Yeah but OP says they were only promoted once, so they're probably not on track to make L6 in six years.

Re: Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How can I stop this?

#400

Post by mrep »

ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #83
Consultant32452 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose this depends on whether you prefer to live to work or work to live. When I was younger I lived to work. Now I work to live. I've taken up backpacking, woodworking, and put a greater emphasis on my family life. If anyone is on the fence here, I definitely recommend working to live. If you can avoid misery at work, you're a lucky person, so do that if you can. But at the end of your life the odds you'll be mo…

This person is in the early stage of their career. Building the skills, network, and reputation necessary to carry them through the rest of their career while they are young and energetic _is_ working to live, particularly at a FAANG. Nobody wants to become a 50 year old with the skills and experience of a 30-year old.

If you want to have kids, time isn't on your side. Getting pregnant is harder later in life and it also introduces other risks like down syndrome.
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