Ask HN: Career After FAANG?

#1

Post by quadog » Mon, Apr 03, 2023, 12:38 AM UTC

Hello Hacker News. After around a decade at FAANG I’ll be voluntarily leaving my job in a few weeks. I plan on taking the summer off to do some travel, catch up with family and friends, and work on a few hobby projects. After that, I plan a return to the workforce. I’m in my late 40s but I’m not terribly worried about the ‘ageism in tech’ thing. Real though it may be, I’m confident in my ability to land on my feet. I have the bona fides to jump back in — along with a 12+ month of runway to be a bit picky.

I’ve already made my decision. So at this point I’m just curious about stories from the other side of the mountain. For the folks who left your FAANG-like careers, how did it turn out for you in the months and years after?

Re: Ask HN: Career After FAANG?

#2

Post by ipaddr » Mon, Apr 03, 2023, 3:32 PM UTC

What are your goals?

Similiar F/T position same rate with new challenges?

Contracting?

Startup?

Another job at normal salary levels?

The biggest challenges for you are your high price tag. Timing (rough year to pick). Reasons why you left need to align to new role

Re: Ask HN: Career After FAANG?

#3

Post by quickthrower2 » Tue, Apr 04, 2023, 9:09 AM UTC

ipaddr wrote: post #2

What are your goals? Similiar F/T position same rate with new challenges? Contracting? Startup? Another job at normal salary levels? The biggest challenges for you are your high price tag. Timing (rough year to pick). Reasons why you left need to align to new role

3 months off after 10 years to travel and see family/friends should be zero big deal for any company worth working for. Some companies offer that after 10 years (long service leave)

Re: Ask HN: Career After FAANG?

#4

Post by quadog » Tue, Apr 04, 2023, 4:16 PM UTC

ipaddr wrote: post #2

What are your goals? Similiar F/T position same rate with new challenges? Contracting? Startup? Another job at normal salary levels? The biggest challenges for you are your high price tag. Timing (rough year to pick). Reasons why you left need to align to new role

Good questions. Having been locked into a thing for 10 years it's now likely I will want to sample different roles via contracting/consulting. If I happen upon an opportunity that's a great fit I would then aim to turn that into F/T. It's important for me to find work where I may have a greater impact on the outcome and that allows me to focus more on delivering value and less on political machinations. Compensation is secondary. Basically, I want to setup the conditions for improving the probability of some career fulfillment. And if all that fails then throw up my hands and attempt to cycle back into big tech.