Changing jobs during the Great Resignation • Hacker News Board

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#41

Post by renewiltord » Fri, Apr 08, 2022, 6:20 PM UTC

There's this class of engineer. They're remarkably successful. Essentially, they mechanize the process of the job hunt:

- Optimize for comp at all costs

- Work at full professional capacity for the 9-5

- Excel at interviewing, often also fairly competent at their jobs

- See the job as "just a job"

Personally, I think that if you're a startup you shouldn't hire any of these people. But at big companies they will probably do really well. Essentially, just perfectly professional individuals, but I think I'd want people who care about the thing you're building a lot more so they can influence its direction as well.

But that's okay for both parties in the FAANG world. The guaranteed high comp is a FAANG thing in general. For a while, in the Bay Area, we were easily the highest comp shop and that led to us encountering these people a lot and it was never a satisfactory outcome. One even signed and then reneged 2 w before starting when Amazon matched.

Presumably in a year or so he will repeat the process and pump up his comp even more. I expect this guy to be quite wealthy in the next few years.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#42

Post by anm89 » Fri, Apr 08, 2022, 6:20 PM UTC

claudiulodro wrote: post #8

It's wild to me that his way of figuring out what companies to apply for was to make a list of the top-paying ones and just pick the top 10 highest-paying. Is that a common strategy? No thought about product, industry, impact on the world, just $$$. It looks like it worked out for them though, since I guess they got like a million dollar offer, so maybe I'm the one approaching this the wrong way?

99% of people in tech aren't changing the world. They are building accounting and metrics and shopping and add platforms to get marginal increases to marginal revenue so some business can make a bit more money than they were making before.

I'm honest that I trade my time for money. There are many times when I'll prioritize other things like working with people I like or not working with people I dislike, the same thing for processes or schedules or whatever.

But I'm not going to sit around and lose hundreds of thousands of dollars so I can go play with the latest JS framework instead of the one that was cool 6 years ago or so I can be in a sexier sounding industry. I'm going to trade my time for money and work towards financial freedom so hopefully I can go work on stuff that's interesting to me on my terms at some point.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#43

Post by lelanthran » Fri, Apr 08, 2022, 6:22 PM UTC

"Once I showed the potential salaries to my wife, we both agreed it would be perfectly reasonable for me to ask for 30 minutes of additional “me time” per day to prepare for my next job,"

What the hell? If he wants 30m to himself each day he needs to clear with his wife?

Don't most people get more than 30m free time each day away from their partner? Just what kind of unhealthy relationship is this dude in?

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#44

Post by tejtm » Fri, Apr 08, 2022, 6:23 PM UTC

claudiulodro wrote: post #8

It's wild to me that his way of figuring out what companies to apply for was to make a list of the top-paying ones and just pick the top 10 highest-paying. Is that a common strategy? No thought about product, industry, impact on the world, just $$$. It looks like it worked out for them though, since I guess they got like a million dollar offer, so maybe I'm the one approaching this the wrong way?

I think it contributes to why we have what we have. The other part is a system which is free to pay for dodgy products with negative impacts.

I can't imagine eliminating how I feel about what I do from the equation.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#45

Post by Arubis » Fri, Apr 08, 2022, 6:25 PM UTC

ForHackernews wrote: post #32

toomuchtodo wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Comp is king, everything else is window dressing; only the comp pays the bills and gets you closer to financial independence (wealth is options, options are freedom).

Cutting expenses also gets you closer to financial independence: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-si... In fact, it's doubly effective. If you can learn to reduce your expenses by $10k and live happily, not only do you have an additional $10k to save/invest, but you need less each year to live independently.

I mean, that’s not wrong, but TFA involves getting an offer with a total comp we can safely assume is over 500k/annum. Do that and don’t increase you expenses and you end up in a good place fast.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#46

Post by thwayunion » Fri, Apr 08, 2022, 6:27 PM UTC

ForHackernews wrote: post #32

toomuchtodo wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Comp is king, everything else is window dressing; only the comp pays the bills and gets you closer to financial independence (wealth is options, options are freedom).

Cutting expenses also gets you closer to financial independence: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-si... In fact, it's doubly effective. If you can learn to reduce your expenses by $10k and live happily, not only do you have an additional $10k to save/invest, but you need less each year to live independently.

> If you can learn to reduce your expenses by $10k

1. This is crazy to me. I could maybe cut $3K by taking a huge hit to quality of life (that would probably not be sustainable with a full time job anyways). Getting the other $7K would involve either homelessness or cutting back on eating and visiting family. How do salary earners manage to rack up $10K per year of purely unnecessary expenses?

2. That number is still way too small to be a better strategy than income maximization in tech. Of course "and" is always better, but given the choice between an extra >$100K/yr in savings or $10K less in life expenses the choice is pretty obvious.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#47

Post by prh8 » Fri, Apr 08, 2022, 6:27 PM UTC

He spends a good chunk talking about figuring out how to get prep work without negatively impacting his life, but it's interesting that there was no mention of how the actual new job would impact his life. Especially since he literally just picked the highest paying ones.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#48

Post by itsmemattchung » Fri, Apr 08, 2022, 6:27 PM UTC

AsusToss wrote: post #19

claudiulodro wrote: post #8

It's wild to me that his way of figuring out what companies to apply for was to make a list of the top-paying ones and just pick the top 10 highest-paying. Is that a common strategy? No thought about product, industry, impact on the world, just $$$. It looks like it worked out for them though, since I guess they got like a million dollar offer, so maybe I'm the one approaching this the wrong way?

It’s wild to me that the only reason his wife gave him 30 mins/day of personal time was because of the financial payoff. Bizarre dude and story.

> Bizarre dude and story.

My thoughts exactly. Just seems...very odd.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#49

Post by Arubis » Fri, Apr 08, 2022, 6:27 PM UTC

claudiulodro wrote: post #27

xwdv wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes you are wrong. You’re confusing career with purpose.

Could be. I got into this stuff because of hacker ethos stuff I read as a kid, not because tech is more lucrative than working in finance.

I feel that, but remain indecisive if the best way to enjoy tech. Is it to just find the closest approximation of a fit in a job at a reasonable wage, or to crank compensation to generate better options? As I get older, the latter seems more sustainable.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#50

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Apr 08, 2022, 6:28 PM UTC

ForHackernews wrote: post #32

toomuchtodo wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Comp is king, everything else is window dressing; only the comp pays the bills and gets you closer to financial independence (wealth is options, options are freedom).

Cutting expenses also gets you closer to financial independence: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-si... In fact, it's doubly effective. If you can learn to reduce your expenses by $10k and live happily, not only do you have an additional $10k to save/invest, but you need less each year to live independently.

[deleted]