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Panic at the Job Market

matt.sh

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Re: Panic at the Job Market

#671

Post by Jensson »

bmitc wrote: post #308
rafaelmn wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As in, a person who has used and learned a dozen plus languages but only tacitly used C++ suddenly will be a complete invalid when trying to write in C++? I've switched at least 5 languages professionally and used probably 5 more for extended periods of time and wrote a decent chunk of C++ "back in the day". I'd say C++ is the least suitable for "learn on the job" approach out of any language I can think of (I'm lu…

I generally agree with you, but I think it depends on the team. If the team is just "using" C++ but aren't good software developers, then yea, I totally agree that having a non-C++ expert join the team is going to be a rough ride for everyone. But if the team's software architecture and coding practices are solid, which probably means they use a subset of C++'s vast feature set in a very clear way, then one probably…

> In a way, them only accepting in C++ experts probably means they're either doing something actually very complex with regards to C++ itself or their code quality is a shitstorm.

If you aren't doing something complex then you aren't needing C++ today, just use Rust then.

Re: Panic at the Job Market

#672

Post by newrotik »

chinchilla2020 wrote: post #320
xivzgrev wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yah I had no idea where that came from. Assume 250 working day in a year that’s…$1.25 - $2.5 million per year. At a tractor manufacturer. It was probably a typo, with extra zero. they probably meant $500-$1000 per day. That would be $125k-$250k which seems much more reasonable

Top reps at Caterpillar, Komatsu, and John Deere actually do make that much. I used to work in that industry. Most people here are in tech and have no idea how heavily incentivized industrial sales is. Selling a fleet of D10 dozers to an excavation operation and selling a maintenance agreement is going to net caterpillar $1.7mm a dozer multiplied by number of dozers. They aren't paying someone 60k a year and free kom…

I believed the author of the blog was referring to tech roles specifically (not sales or similar).

I can say from personal experience that, at least in Australia, tech workers for mining companies that work in city offices are paid fairly similarly to other non-FAANG tech workers (e.g. banks etc). I also just checked levels.fyi for a few big mining companies and verified that this is the case.

Engineers (mining, geo, tech, whatever) that work out in the field do make quite a bit more. MAYBE around what FAANG would pay, but FAANG still pays more after a few years of refreshers and/if one manages to climb the ladder.

I think the author is quite off with their estimates of what people make in "heavy industries". At least as far as my experience goes for AU. FAANG/HFT still beats everything, and by a vast margin.

Re: Panic at the Job Market

#673

Post by jarsin »

Xen9 wrote: post #654

I am 20 years old and voluntarily unemployed for life; I leech off the social wellfare systems shamelessly and happily, no intend to ever get a job. Facts: One /// You are BUZZING. To even be interested in "jobs" is to be in a losers game. To be emotional, complaining and helpless about it as most here (who are not ignorant about this because they have not got to situation – lack of job – where deciding whether to le…

I couldn't imagine being homeless and sane. Not because of the crime and the elements, but because of the sheer boredom of life without money.

Trading 8 hours a day for twenty years to permanently avoid that boredom really isn't that bad.

Re: Panic at the Job Market

#674

Post by nikolayasdf123 »

twodave wrote: post #624

In my area at least, hiring isn’t slowing so much, but the quality of the average candidate has cratered in the last 5-10 years. My opinion personally on this is that if you can’t find a job building software, you are suffering from some combination of these factors: * Titles be damned, you aren’t actually a very talented engineer. Maybe this isn’t the right job for you. * You’re coming off as a jerk. Ask your friend…

or maybe you are not USA citizen.

Re: Panic at the Job Market

#676

Post by levlaz »

ordu wrote: post #570
levlaz wrote: post #68

> manage yourself and manage your peers, but you also have an engineering manager and a project manager and the CEO is your skip-level manager and the CEO’s brother is also your skip-level manager too This is hilarious and I’m sad I’ve seen versions of this more than once. Overall I enjoyed most of this article but disagree about the objection to behavioral interviews. I think they’re an important part of the modern…

> its a test of EQ, if a simple question about past conflicts makes you this defensive then its exactly the type of thing it was meant to screen for. You see, to do the behavioral interview properly the interviewer must have a psychological degree and a special training relating to these interviews. The hiring interview is a special situation for an interviewee, they act not like they do in a normal working circumsta…

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback, lots to think about. I reread the whole post and feel less strongly about my previous comments. Overall the original post gives me a lot to think about and I’m grateful for that.

Re: Panic at the Job Market

#677

Post by nikolayasdf123 »

analogwzrd wrote: post #174

My pessimistic take on the world at the moment is that at least 50% of jobs in the US fall into Graeber's BS jobs category. I saw a map a few years ago that labelled the largest employer in each state. In every state except Arkansas (Walmart), the largest employer was a university or a healthcare company. Education and healthcare policies are controversial because everyone wants those things to be as good as possible…

true. UBI is there, but it is not evenly distributed. political gatekeeping access to UBI becomes ever bigger focus for everyone

Re: Panic at the Job Market

#678

Post by levlaz »

I wrote some instant reaction comment when I read this earlier today but then I went back and re read the whole thing and now I think the post is one of the best blogs I’ve read this year.

This was a proper rant and I’m glad it stirred up so many great discussions. Thanks to Matt.

Re: Panic at the Job Market

#679

Post by nikolayasdf123 »

anthomtb wrote: post #513

Please hire me based on how awesome I think I am, not how awesome you think I am . That summarizes most of his hiring related grievances. From the title and the first couple paragraphs I expected a deep dive into macroeconomics and the tech industry. Rather, its a rambling rehash of the complaints about interviews and hiring which have made the rounds on HN and Reddit over the last 15 years. Credit where its due, his…

same. first few paragraphs and charts was a nice setup. did not expect to see rambling all the way to the end of it

Re: Panic at the Job Market

#680

Post by darkerside »

titanomachy wrote: post #362
levlaz wrote: post #68

> manage yourself and manage your peers, but you also have an engineering manager and a project manager and the CEO is your skip-level manager and the CEO’s brother is also your skip-level manager too This is hilarious and I’m sad I’ve seen versions of this more than once. Overall I enjoyed most of this article but disagree about the objection to behavioral interviews. I think they’re an important part of the modern…

I haven't decided how I feel about behavioral interviews. I always pass them, but it feels like I'm telling the interviewer what they want to hear. I don't lie, but I certainly cherry-pick examples that make me look good and present an analysis that makes me seem more emotionally intelligent than I probably was in the moment. My assumption is that everyone does this, and the interview is largely a test to determine i…

This is well said. And I would say there is huge value simply in demonstrating that you know the right answers and what effective teamship looks like. Nobody is perfect, but if you know what perfect looks like, you can keep getting better.
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