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Ask HN: Any jobs that don't force you to always be advancing career wise?

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Re: Ask HN: Any jobs that don't force you to always be advancing career wise?

#71

Post by dgfitz »

Onawa wrote: post #46
dartharva wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't be so sure considering what's happening with federal govt offices in the US right now..

Yep, I'm a federal contractor working in NIH as a data scientist, and completely agree with the above comment. Before November, I would have said the same thing as the parent comment. After January 20th, everyone who is left is currently looking for backups in case they get laid off. Gov and fed contractor positions used to be the most stable jobs you could get. Now, they are just as uncertain as industry jobs. It's…

Defense contractors most likely do not share the same sentiment.

Re: Ask HN: Any jobs that don't force you to always be advancing career wise?

#72

Post by bradlys »

seanw444 wrote: post #56
giantg2 wrote: post #52

Maybe just job-hop. Sure, you're a senior for 10 years at one company, then be a senior at another company for another 10 years. I know that's easier said than done, and could run into ageism as you get older.

I keep hearing about this "ageism" but it's never made sense to me. I would always want to hire an older, wiser developer, if I were calling the shots. Why is this a thing?

Older wiser developer has less tolerance for bullshit and wants higher pay. Older wiser developer is less likely to be on a visa because they've probably been working in the country for a while. They're less likely to be foreign as well because the giant surge of foreigners (Indian/Chinese) coming to US is something that has happened in the last 15 years. If you have 20+ years of experience in the US, you're much more likely to be American or at least a citizen or have a greencard.

In all senses, older developers want more and have a better positioning to negotiate from. For capitalists, this is exactly what they don't want.

It's not really ageism as much as it is the associations that come with older age. If you were as naive, desperate, and cheap as a new grad - you'd get more easily hired too. Oh and a lot of older devs don't like the grindy leetcode nature of interviews because it takes a lot of time outside of work to study for and they prefer to do other things with their time. (In half of my FAANG interviews, I get asked LC Hard problems regularly. The bar to pass is very high.)

Re: Ask HN: Any jobs that don't force you to always be advancing career wise?

#73

Post by williamsmj »

nameless912 wrote: post #29

Anecdotally, Netflix is very "settle into your groove and get really good at your job" if you want it to be. There are of course folks that climb the ladder, but I also work with several L5's (Senior engineers) who have been at that level for years. Some of this of course has to do with the introduction of levels being quite recent (within the last 4 years or so) but the majority of folks I know that have been here f…

They introduced levels 2.5 years ago. Almost all existing engineers were converted to L5 at that time (I was told ~90% during a recent job interview there). A very small number of L6s were created when they introduced levels (something like 20 according to my interviewer). L4s are post-9/2022 hires.

All of which is to say, the fact that most people are L5s, including people who've been there for a long time, is due entirely to the very recent introduction of leveling and the high bar for L6. It tells you nothing on its own about whether L5 is perceived as a terminal level.

You'd know better than us if you work there, and reading between the lines of your comment it sounds like maybe it is?

Re: Ask HN: Any jobs that don't force you to always be advancing career wise?

#74

Post by toast0 »

ajb wrote: post #37
CaffeineLD50 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'll work 60hrs a week "hardcore" for a Musk type for stock with a blackout period and multiple risks of massive dilution in any or all funding rounds. Most startups will fail or "exit" with a sale that profits only a few key investors and insiders. But eating catfood is always an good idea no matter your net worth.

As a cat owner I'd suggest that dog food is likely closer to a complete diet for humans. Cats are obligate carnivores, dogs are omnivores like us. Also, most cat food smells pretty bad

OTOH, if you're barely able to afford food, if they're the same cost, high protein might be a good thing.

Re: Ask HN: Any jobs that don't force you to always be advancing career wise?

#75

Post by kaikai »

pelagicAustral wrote: post #48
ac-swe wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

state & local are always options

yeah... There is always a niche in government. Plus, I haven't heard of many layoffs affecting software teams in government. Some people are so deeply rooted in their specific concerns that taking them out of a codebase is borderline like cutting the wrong cable on a bomb.

They shut down 18f, laying off the entire team.

Re: Ask HN: Any jobs that don't force you to always be advancing career wise?

#77

Post by not2b »

Onawa wrote: post #46
dartharva wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't be so sure considering what's happening with federal govt offices in the US right now..

Yep, I'm a federal contractor working in NIH as a data scientist, and completely agree with the above comment. Before November, I would have said the same thing as the parent comment. After January 20th, everyone who is left is currently looking for backups in case they get laid off. Gov and fed contractor positions used to be the most stable jobs you could get. Now, they are just as uncertain as industry jobs. It's…

I'd say that they are more uncertain than industry jobs at this point, unless you're talking about companies that have recently been taken over by private equity where the new owners intend to gut the place and sell off the parts.

Re: Ask HN: Any jobs that don't force you to always be advancing career wise?

#78

Post by yodsanklai »

I think it's possible in some large companies. My company has very standardized process. You have a level, expectations for that level, and bonus or way out depending on how you compare with the baseline. As long as you perform at our above expectations, and that you're happy with your paycheck, you're fine.

Re: Ask HN: Any jobs that don't force you to always be advancing career wise?

#79

Post by romanhn »

boredatoms wrote: post #38
JohnFen wrote: post #12

> Has anyone worked somewhere that they felt they could just do their job without worrying about the career advancement aspect? That's every place I've ever worked, to be honest, including tech megacorps. Lots of places will put a lot of emphasis on career advancement, but I've never seen anyone punished for not doing it. I'm not counting "won't get promoted" as a punishment, for obvious reasons.

FB (10 years ago atleast) had a timelimit to go from L4 to L5

That's because L5 was the terminal senior level (whereas L4 is still mid-level).

Re: Ask HN: Any jobs that don't force you to always be advancing career wise?

#80

Post by mixmastamyk »

nameless912 wrote: post #29

Anecdotally, Netflix is very "settle into your groove and get really good at your job" if you want it to be. There are of course folks that climb the ladder, but I also work with several L5's (Senior engineers) who have been at that level for years. Some of this of course has to do with the introduction of levels being quite recent (within the last 4 years or so) but the majority of folks I know that have been here f…

Unfortunately, they don’t respond to their job ads. Probably get too many responses.
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