Academia (Tenured) to Google or Amazon
I have very short industry experience in a very small software company. I am a tenured CS professor living in a Big City, Texas with TC 100. I am 40s with a family of 5. Would you leave tenured academia position for a SWE position (TC 200) in Google or Amazon in Austin. Thanks.
If you didn’t have kids sure, however, cost of living with kids would be hard to swing
Tc 200k doesn’t sound competitive for a tenured professor. I imagine your students are getting the same numbers for their offers after graduation.
Yes, I am kind of feeling this way. I am working hard to publish more papers, get more grants. But new MS grads starts with TC of 150.
My understanding is ms/bs are in the same category while phd grads are one level up
Amazon will give you 500k - 1M if your area of PhD and research matches wit the right role (very unlikely for direct Software development). What’s your area of research?
I am in Machine Learning, Data Mining research with PhD. Yes, the position at Amazon is Sr. Research Scientist or similar. I seems Google is about to offer Software Developer position soon. I need to make decision before semester start :)
My honest advice, don’t be a developer if G is not offering Staff (L6). Even after that you’ll need real caring mentor and manager for adapting you properly. But honestly people will reject you mentally cause you don’t have experience. With L5 or below you simply won’t belong with 20-30 somethings. Your managers will be way younger than you it will be awkward (given your history as faculty). Some people will argue here that it doesn’t matter but it does in reality. For Amazon Principal Research Scientist (L7) would be better for you if you have good achievement in research and have more than 10 years post PhD. Sr. Scientist (L6) is for 5-10 years after PhD but also for common people who didn’t make it to the tenure track. You seem to have more experience and better credentials. I believe you should be able to meet Amazon L7 expectation easily. At L6 people (like PMs, SWEs, SDMs) will give you loads of Crap. Being L7 will dramatically switch the dynamics and you’ll be leading the work. It’s not just about money. Being at upper level have tremendous advantages (not just money) at Amazon. Your corporate-social respect and well being heavily depends on it.
Tenured academia is ultra cushy and secure. I'd not leave.
Amazon L7 sounds about right
Coming from academia, you might wanna consider two more possibilities: 1. Take a sabbatical or so, go do some industry job, and figure out what you like better at the end of that year. 2. Try to get a part-time job in the industry. I know a few professors that work one day a week at some tech company, in addition to their academic position. Bottom line, if you like research, the ideal combination is doing both. That's more money, industrial experience, real-world knowledge and so on.
Know of tenured faculty who have taken L6 scientist at Amazon, but they moved up to L7 in under 2 years. Personally would not accept less than L7 in your position. Make sure the role plays to your strengths and you have a good relationship with your manager/VP or you could get pushed out at either level. It’s uncommon for scientists, but does happen.
Google offers L6 for sure for tenure prof. Several ones joint my group and they all got this level or above. Except one who joint to do totally irrelevance project got a L5.
Hi VnzF53 - do those who joined your group as L6 have "Software engineer" or Data Scientist / Machine Learning Scientist, etc title at Google? Do you think it is okay for me accept an Software Engineering title with 12 YOE?
Don’t worry about the title. Most SWEs at Google have a PhD and many do research. Many RS write lots of code. I’m a SWE and I still publish papers and speak at conferences. Worry more about culture fit. Most Amazon RS never publish and the company is more operational than research/y. Ask lots of questions about culture fit, make sure you’ll have what you need to be happy.
I wouldn't for 200k. It's not worth it. If it were 300k or more, may be.
200 in Austin is like 400 in Bay area