Changing jobs during the Great Resignation • Hacker News Board

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#161

Post by Nextgrid » Sat, Apr 09, 2022, 1:04 AM UTC

tuckerpo wrote: post #67

maxfurman wrote: post #21

This whole process seems a bit psychotic. Is it really necessary to cram like you're taking the SATs again to get a good job as a software engineer? Is "has memorized some number of coding problems" really a test of engineering knowledge? I suppose it's appropriate that after all that work, the author wound up at Facebook, the most soulless company on the list.

> Is it really necessary to cram like you're taking the SATs again to get a good job as a software engineer? Frankly, yes. Just as the SATs and ACTs are IQ tests with a shitty veil on top, FAANG interviews are meant to be the same. Everyone knows interview prep has basically zero correlation to job duties in software engineering, but you have to play the game. > the author wound up at Facebook, the most soulless comp…

> Searching for meaning through work is fruitless, unless you're at a company that actually really aligns with your values and what you hope to see in the world.

IMO there's a difference between finding meaning for yourself and actively making the world a worse place. You can very well ignore the former while still making sure to not do the latter.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#162

Post by kache_ » Sat, Apr 09, 2022, 1:09 AM UTC

I went through a very similar process and my study plan was similar, though compressed into about a month and a half (no kid, younger). It was for an IC position. I wrote a blog post about it also (which I won't share).

These interviews aren't very inclusive of parents since they can't sacrifice as much time. However, I interviewed at [redacted], and their interview required no prep (though it probably helped) yet was very difficult. Meanwhile, other places threw leetcode hards at me like dude... if I didn't study every day there's no way I would have been able to write a trie and backtrack and write unit tests in ~50 minutes (https://leetcode.com/problems/palindrome-pairs/)

I think [redacted]'s a lot closer to the ideal interview process than most other places. The sweet spot is "be difficult, yet do not require a bunch of prep and keep it immune from gaming"

FWIW after you do this prep grind like two times, it kinda sticks. Like, I don't think I'll ever have to study for more than a week again to grind back up

A key take-away from this blog post is that you should really be lining up your offers. I got a bunch of offers and was able to get an uplevel out of it I would have otherwise not gotten. Don't be a schmuck, folks. Know your worth and always re-evaluate

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#163

Post by BeFlatXIII » Sat, Apr 09, 2022, 1:10 AM 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?

If the primary purpose of your job is to raise funds for the things that actually matter, what other method would you use? Take the biggest bag that leaves you with enough time to enjoy what you worked so hard to spend that money on.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#164

Post by kache_ » Sat, Apr 09, 2022, 1:15 AM UTC

65 wrote: post #117

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A very well-paid tool that can probably retire in a few years and never have to work again.

I feel like I'm the only person left who actually likes working and being productive with other people. I actually like programming and solving problems with other people. There's been a huge shift since COVID to embrace not working hard, but to me life isn't as interesting when you're spending 40 hours a week just kinda wasting your time, trying to get away with putting in the least amount of effort possible. Having…

what about working hard and also making lots of mon-e

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#165

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Apr 09, 2022, 1:15 AM UTC

maxfurman wrote: post #21

This whole process seems a bit psychotic. Is it really necessary to cram like you're taking the SATs again to get a good job as a software engineer? Is "has memorized some number of coding problems" really a test of engineering knowledge? I suppose it's appropriate that after all that work, the author wound up at Facebook, the most soulless company on the list.

[deleted]

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#166

Post by molsongolden » Sat, Apr 09, 2022, 1:15 AM UTC

acconrad wrote: post #139

Hi folks! Author here - did not expect this post to blow up. Figured it might be helpful to provide some context on points of confusion: 1. Money > everything: an alternative way to look at this is that if you sort by offers, you notice there are a lot of neat companies in that list. I didn't just sort and then blindly apply. I sorted, and noticed that they all had something I was really interested in. I use Amazon w…

I enjoyed the post much more than expected after reading all of these comments. While this style isn't for everyone, I appreciate the structured approach and tips.

The study plan mentioned is roughly equivalent to taking one upper level college course while working full-time.

Given the importance of starting salaries, this could have an incredible ROI even if the end result of studying is as small as "I now feel more confident in my interviews".

This post isn't about "everybody should do this" or "I care about money and you should to". It's an anecdote from a high-performance job hunt.

Some people like to chill and some like to drive in the fast lane.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#167

Post by kache_ » Sat, Apr 09, 2022, 1:17 AM UTC

strikelaserclaw wrote: post #75

babelfish wrote: post #26

> I would have the third-highest new offer on Levels out of over 200 offers on their site Looking at Facebook's salary data[0], does this mean the offer was in the ~$2M range? [0] - https://www.levels.fyi/company/Facebook/salaries/Software-En...

managers seem to get much more money than their corresponding peers on the software track according to this website.

they're rarer & in higher demand, therefore

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#168

Post by Aeolun » Sat, Apr 09, 2022, 1:22 AM UTC

This sounds so dystopian. The sector is really sick if what you need to increase your salary by 100% is not doing your job correctly for years, but 3 months of focused study of popular question.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#169

Post by kleinsch » Sat, Apr 09, 2022, 1:29 AM UTC

adamsmith143 wrote: post #102

oe wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's rarely a continuous 30min free time slot with a one-year-old running around.

Are you people out there really setting up a daily calendar to deal with childcare? 4:30 - 5:00 Change Diaper 5:00 - 6:00 Bounce on knee 7:00 - 8:00 Contemplate on the poor life decisions that lead to this scenario

Man the 22 year olds in this thread are hilarious.

Yes. With a one year old, esp during COVID, childcare time is time you can’t leave the house, can’t relax, can’t do anything productive. So yes, you make a schedule - you pick them up from daycare, watch them for an hour while I study, then I’ll come make dinner and do bedtime.

Re: Changing jobs during the Great Resignation

#170

Post by heavyset_go » Sat, Apr 09, 2022, 1:39 AM UTC

nostrademons wrote: post #134

cebert wrote: post #124

Is something wrong with software engineering interviews that one could reasonably need to spend months prepping for interviews? Leetcode problems can be fun and interesting, but seldom represent problems and skills I employ daily as a more senior software engineer. Studying these problems won’t help me much at my current employer and likely wouldn’t after I passed the interview gauntlet at another firm.

It's because of the time constraints required in an interview. At my job, the assumption is that you won't have enough context and experience to be effective in the job until you've been there for 6 months. You can't fit 6 months of prep into an interview. Good interview questions are ones that boil that 6mo+ of experience down to something that can be explained in 5 minutes and solved in 45. Ideally you'd just work…

At-will employment means that any period is a trial period if the company wants it to be.