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I think I know why you can't hire engineers right now

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Re: I think I know why you can't hire engineers right now

#251

Post by shostack »

acchow wrote: post #74
hguant wrote: post #8

There comes a point where the money just isn't a motivating factor anymore, and companies are struggling to figure out how to work in that environment. This bit from the author hits the nail on the head: >Is an extra $10k per year worth learning a new org, a new skillset, a new set of expectations, a new set of coworkers, and a new boss? For many engineers, the answer is: “No.” Yes I could quit and get a ~20k raise b…

> There comes a point where the money just isn't a motivating factor anymore That's cuz your numbers are too small. Offer a 50% raise instead of a 20k raise and you will see different results. > Yes I could quit and get a ~20k raise by shopping my resume around, but I don't need the money Plenty of stories on Blind of people shopping around and going from 150k TC to 350k TC, so I guess it really depends on your situa…

Don't forget to tax out of that. And if they are well compensated to begin with that's at a high tax bracket. And for some of these people, the remaining amount just isn't worth it.

Re: I think I know why you can't hire engineers right now

#253

Post by refurb »

anonporridge wrote: post #151
leeoniya wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> getting married and having kids i have not met anyone yet who is married with kids but would have preferred an earlier retirement instead. kids are more expensive than all the other things combined that you listed - no amount of living in the basement or saving 30k on having no car is going to make up for that.

People regret having kids all the time. It's just not socially acceptable to talk about openly. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/m9vh8a/serious_p... https://www.reddit.com/r/Parenting/comments/1wvx04/serious_d... https://www.reddit.com/r/regretfulparents/

I wouldn’t use Reddit posts to justify a statement of “all the time”.

Re: I think I know why you can't hire engineers right now

#254

Post by robotresearcher »

anonporridge wrote: post #75
giantg2 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"that can get them retired easily by their mid 30s" Maybe a small subset. The median dev salary is $110k. So no, only a very small number are able to retire in their 30s.

The absolute value of your salary doesn't tell you anything about how long it takes to get to retirement (or more accurately, financial independence). That's exclusively a function of your spending and saving rates. https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-si...

> That's exclusively a function of your spending and saving rates.

Saving rate is bounded above by your income. It's relevant.

Re: I think I know why you can't hire engineers right now

#255

Post by el_benhameen »

tick_tock_tick wrote: post #221
digianarchist wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The companies that pay 80% of FAANG salaries without the LeetCode whiteboard bullshit are out there.

It's really not that hard to prep for interviews.... Why take the paycut?

The prep itself may not be that hard. Depending on your non-work life, finding the time to do said prep may be difficult. I would like to double my comp. I also have young kids who occupy most of my wake-work and then work-sleep time. There are maybe three hours at the end of the day that aren't spoken for, but then there's housework, spouse time, and just being tired. It's difficult to fit "grind leetcode" in there. This is due to choices I've made, and I'm happy with those choices! I blame no one but myself for them. But I also think I'd make a good employee at leetcode interview companies were it not for the leetcode, and I think there are a good number of people like me.

Re: I think I know why you can't hire engineers right now

#257

Post by helsinkiandrew »

> In spite of these truths, people flock to working for TSLA and CosmosY.

I often wonder how many of the people working at cool places are doing cool stuff and how many are doing the same things as elsewhere.

Does it help working in a place building autonomous cars, rockets if you’re not doing that, but doing the same web dev or door knob release software that you could do in a hedge fund, accountancy firm, or evil corp.

Anyone have any experience?

Re: I think I know why you can't hire engineers right now

#258

Post by drivebycomment »

hguant wrote: post #8

There comes a point where the money just isn't a motivating factor anymore, and companies are struggling to figure out how to work in that environment. This bit from the author hits the nail on the head: >Is an extra $10k per year worth learning a new org, a new skillset, a new set of expectations, a new set of coworkers, and a new boss? For many engineers, the answer is: “No.” Yes I could quit and get a ~20k raise b…

It's interesting that I came to a very different answer than "many engineers" you quote.

If the money is the same, I'll happily take learning a new skillset, a new org, a new set of expectations. When I had not accumulated enough money early in my career, I consciously had to think about stable income. Now that I have accumulated non-trivial sum of money, I'd happily and readily take new and exciting challenges - i.e. I can take more risks as I can afford to, and I'm willing to take more risks for non-monetary reasons. And if the money is better, even better! Thus, in fact, that's exactly what I did in 2021 - I switched my job.

Re: I think I know why you can't hire engineers right now

#259

Post by devwastaken »

The cause is companies refuse to fund education and refuse to take on graduates. The system is meant to be that new engineers learn from experienced engineers. This doesn't work when all the company wants is experienced engineers. It naturally leads to applicants abusing the hiring process.

This is the plain fact that those well off with their jobs just don't understand. Education is far too expensive, causing anyone but the funded kids to have to work - not focus on education. Walk into any university and see it in realtime. We treat students like cash cows, give them no support, and expect they will want to take on a hard degree when seniors are being turned down left and right? Yeah, no. American companies have created this problem for themselves and deserve to close their doors.

Re: I think I know why you can't hire engineers right now

#260

Post by pb7 »

refurb wrote: post #253
anonporridge wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People regret having kids all the time. It's just not socially acceptable to talk about openly. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/m9vh8a/serious_p... https://www.reddit.com/r/Parenting/comments/1wvx04/serious_d... https://www.reddit.com/r/regretfulparents/

I wouldn’t use Reddit posts to justify a statement of “all the time”.

“All the time” here means it has happened in the past, it happens today, and it will probably continue happening. It may not be a high percentage of parents but it exists. Believe it or not, Reddit is made up of human beings just like you.
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