Career Advice in 2025
lethain.com
Career Advice in 2025
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Re: Career Advice in 2025
#2"decision-makers can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent" - Very correct. Whether or not AI actually comes for your job, the fact that enough people at the top think so is enough to cause trouble.
Re: Career Advice in 2025
#3"decision-makers can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent" - Very correct. Whether or not AI actually comes for your job, the fact that enough people at the top think so is enough to cause trouble.
This is the problem. Right now we're not in the, I need AI to work or get out stage. We're in the AI might completely upend reality stage.
It's just people telling stories to find bigger fools. Like the ads claiming they sell an AI employee that never needs sleep and never talks back.
Those ads are the same thing as those ads shoved in the lawn near the mcdonnalds drive through that look like they were drawn with sharpie, but are really mass printed. "Real estate investor looking for pupil, trade my money" kind of stuff.
They are purposefully looking for suckers that would overlook the sketchyness. They don't want normal people applying, that reduces the pitches effectiveness.
Only desperate people who will fall for anything.
Re: Career Advice in 2025
#4I started my own business last year that has happened to go quite well. As I’ve watched the software industry over the last year, all I can think is… “damn, what lucky timing.”
Re: Career Advice in 2025
#5I started my own business last year that has happened to go quite well. As I’ve watched the software industry over the last year, all I can think is… “damn, what lucky timing.”
I keep looking for what you claim to be doing. I feel like reality continues to smack me in the face with “no one cares about quality”. I have tried big enterprises. I have tried 8 startups in 18 years. I watch the leaders / founders make the same mistakes over and over.
Anyway - your profile resonates with me. Would love to grab a virtual coffee if you are up for it.
Re: Career Advice in 2025
#6The statement
>The current market doesn’t value those skills particularly highly, but instead prioritizes a different set of skills: working in the details, pushing pace, and navigating the technology transition to foundational models / LLMs.
depends on the assumption that technology must "transition" to "foundational models / LLMs". The author doesn't seem to interrogate this assumption. In fact, most of the career malaise I've seen in my work is based on the assumption that, for one reason or another, technologists "must transition" to this new world of LLMs. I wish people would start by interrogating this bizarre backwards assumption (ie., - damn the end product! Damn the users! It must contain AI!) before framing career discussions around it.
However,
>decision-makers can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent
is unfortunately painfully true.
Re: Career Advice in 2025
#7Some more free advice, in no particular order:
* Try to get at least one job offer every year, even if you don't accept it.
* Look at the requirements for your dream job and figure out what you need to learn to qualify.
* Pick one skill and get very good at it. Spend an hour a day on it for a year.
* Steer away from skills like web development that are clearly getting eaten by LLMs.
* Look for work in major U.S. tech hubs like the Bay Area. Pay is better and network effects are strong, so your next job will be easier to get.
Re: Career Advice in 2025
#8Some more free advice, in no particular order: * Try to get at least one job offer every year, even if you don't accept it. * Look at the requirements for your dream job and figure out what you need to learn to qualify. * Pick one skill and get very good at it. Spend an hour a day on it for a year. * Steer away from skills like web development that are clearly getting eaten by LLMs. * Look for work in major U.S. tech…
> Look for work in major U.S. tech hubs like the Bay Area. Pay is better and network effects are strong, so your next job will be easier to get.
Jobs and the network effects happen all across the country. As you get older and maybe don't want the grind, or have a family, or just want a better work/life balance, this will become apparent.
Basically, always have at least two people who will support you for your next job.
Re: Career Advice in 2025
#9I started my own business last year that has happened to go quite well. As I’ve watched the software industry over the last year, all I can think is… “damn, what lucky timing.”
I've been doubling down on mine as well rather than pursue a more traditional career path and I feel the same way.
Re: Career Advice in 2025
#10"decision-makers can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent" - Very correct. Whether or not AI actually comes for your job, the fact that enough people at the top think so is enough to cause trouble.
Same is true for remote work. All the engineers know the return to work policies are dumb but all the decision makers have decided we’re all wrong.