How to Not Get Screwed over as a Software Engineer [video]
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How to Not Get Screwed over as a Software Engineer [video]
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Re: How to Not Get Screwed over as a Software Engineer [video]
#2As a higher income earner I've always found it important to spend the money to ask a Lawyer, CPA, second Doctor, Mentor, Coache, Inspector, and other people focused on a certain niche in life what they think for the $100/hr (or whatever) fee they charge.
Always been worth it. If you're focused on tech, make sure you've hired the right people to review your NDA's, startup contract, new home purchase, or workout routine.
Don't risk millions on a startup IPO / house / loved one without dropping a few hundred on a second/third opinion. You've got the money. Don't cheap out on important things when you could have an all-star team backing you.
Re: How to Not Get Screwed over as a Software Engineer [video]
#3How to get rich in tech as a mediocre programmer:
1. Transfer to a TPM/QA Manager role at somewhere like Amazon or Microsoft. Bar is much lower to get into this role.
2. Get hired into a higher level than you could in a SWE role.
3. Transfer within the company to being an SDM
4. Now you are one level higher, in a management role, that would have taken you 5+ years of grinding and some luck to get into.
5. Spend a few years in this role, switch to other big co, makikg 400-500k+ while bossing around engineers much smarter than you.
^This path is how people are doing it. Never take equity in a startup, never grind away as a mid level engineer, fighting with ten other engineers for one promotion.
Edit:
Adding one point to this, if you found a company with a non technical CEO, and the company sees some success, all the focus will be on the CEO. The CTO role is highly replaceable, and there is a massive power shift that occurs once there is traction with a "finished" product. The CEO, especially in B2B Saas, is the face of the company. So the CEO can sit on his hands the whole time the product is developed, but then does reap huge gains. There's no easy answer, as many engineers do not have the soft skills for the role. But arguably, they could run these businesses themselves.
Re: How to Not Get Screwed over as a Software Engineer [video]
#4As a higher income earner I've always found it important to spend the money to ask a Lawyer, CPA, second Doctor, Mentor, Coache, Inspector, and other people focused on a certain niche in life what they think for the $100/hr (or whatever) fee they charge. Always been worth it. If you're focused on tech, make sure you've hired the right people to review your NDA's, startup contract, new home purchase, or workout routin…
Especially if you're going through an IPO or ownership exchange - put every document in front of a lawyer and accountant. You don't want to miss your opportunity to sell or make a mistake on the taxes.
Re: How to Not Get Screwed over as a Software Engineer [video]
#5How to get rich in tech as a mediocre programmer: 1. Transfer to a TPM/QA Manager role at somewhere like Amazon or Microsoft. Bar is much lower to get into this role. 2. Get hired into a higher level than you could in a SWE role. 3. Transfer within the company to being an SDM 4. Now you are one level higher, in a management role, that would have taken you 5+ years of grinding and some luck to get into. 5. Spend a few…
A great insight, indeed.
Re: How to Not Get Screwed over as a Software Engineer [video]
#6How to get rich in tech as a mediocre programmer: 1. Transfer to a TPM/QA Manager role at somewhere like Amazon or Microsoft. Bar is much lower to get into this role. 2. Get hired into a higher level than you could in a SWE role. 3. Transfer within the company to being an SDM 4. Now you are one level higher, in a management role, that would have taken you 5+ years of grinding and some luck to get into. 5. Spend a few…
Do not work at Amazon or amazon-like companies. They are just not worth it from a mental health, wlb, or career perspective for engineers.
Find engineering/product first companies. Big tech ain't it any longer.
Re: How to Not Get Screwed over as a Software Engineer [video]
#7How to get rich in tech as a mediocre programmer: 1. Transfer to a TPM/QA Manager role at somewhere like Amazon or Microsoft. Bar is much lower to get into this role. 2. Get hired into a higher level than you could in a SWE role. 3. Transfer within the company to being an SDM 4. Now you are one level higher, in a management role, that would have taken you 5+ years of grinding and some luck to get into. 5. Spend a few…
Do not work at Amazon or amazon-like companies. They are just not worth it from a mental health, wlb, or career perspective for engineers. Find engineering/product first companies. Big tech ain't it any longer.
What would you recommend instead?
Re: How to Not Get Screwed over as a Software Engineer [video]
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do not work at Amazon or amazon-like companies. They are just not worth it from a mental health, wlb, or career perspective for engineers. Find engineering/product first companies. Big tech ain't it any longer.
What would you recommend instead?
Work at a company making a product you believe in and with coworkers that you get along with.
Re: How to Not Get Screwed over as a Software Engineer [video]
#9One of the top comments on the YouTube video attached to the article talks about how someone wasted their 20s working as the founding engineer (employee #6 of a 6-person startup) and when the company exited for $100 MM, they only got 100k and are still working at 40 years of age while the other 5, presumably having cofounder-level equity, are retired.
This is the true risk of startups, and, if you're looking to maximize your earnings, it's best to either join a big tech company or start your own startup owning most of the equity, perhaps as a side hustle while you grow it enough to be profitable.
But getting "founding engineer" level equity on the order of 0.5% (before dilution!) seems to basically be a scam, where you're working 2x the amount for lower salaries than the market, all while having some nebulous carrot dangling in front of you for a reward that may never come, most likely, or even if it does, the value is so small as to not make up even on a per-hour basis the amount you spent working at the startup.
Re: How to Not Get Screwed over as a Software Engineer [video]
#10How to get rich in tech as a mediocre programmer: 1. Transfer to a TPM/QA Manager role at somewhere like Amazon or Microsoft. Bar is much lower to get into this role. 2. Get hired into a higher level than you could in a SWE role. 3. Transfer within the company to being an SDM 4. Now you are one level higher, in a management role, that would have taken you 5+ years of grinding and some luck to get into. 5. Spend a few…
Sadly this is mostly true. It used be at $bigtech you needed to be the equivalent of a senior engineer (L5+) to go into management. This is categorically not the case anymore.
TPMs, due to their role, work across orgs and interface more with leadership so they do seem to get a lot more visibility/exposure than normal ICs and do seem to get promoted into leadership positions more easily. My wife is less technical and is looking for a career change and last year I literally suggested this path for her.
(you can argue separately that this isn't as important which I might agree with on a case by case basis in that I've seen really strong leaders who are less technical who make up for in various ways but it's not the common case).