Blind, help me get a job...
okay this might be a little long winded but here we go... i’ve been on Blind for about a year now. i’ve had my fair share of fun/trolling people, as well as networking and asking questions to learn more and even interviews based off referals (thank god for the DM feature on here) i have 3 YoE + an MS in aero eng as you can see, i started out as an aero/ME in a big aero company; and after teaching myself javascript i am now a SWE. however, in my 3 YoE as an engineer i absolutely hate it. both ME and SWE is just 9 hours a day sitting at my desk. and to top it off.. if any of you know aerospace/defense, you know how lax it really is (like days sometimes weeks go bye with no deadlines)... i am only 27 and i feel like i am useless on top of that: the culture (age 50+ boomers) is very anti social hence the nature of the business, the buildings are old (read asbestos signs everywhere), and the pay is far below you FAANG folks... so a little while ago i said f**k it. i’ll go sales engineering. mainly because i could at least talk to people in my day to day and still be technical. however i havent been very lucky yet (most sales engineers in tech come from a long career of IT or SWE).. i tried customer engineering at Google Cloud (got rejected). tried AWS solutions arch (got rejected). tried a handful of non-Faang companies (all rejected). usually they really enjoy my personality but i lack technical depth.. i did have an offer for an IoT start up in the bay and a cloud reseller in LA.. both were going to pay peanuts and it made no sense to move. so here i am 98k in high cost of living LA. i absolutely desperately applying aggressively using linkedin to message recruiters and get interviews. but i just feel like such a failure.. like is my worth really in some guy’s company as a sales engineer? like wtf was i born to do? anyone else face this exetensial questions? is there any mentors on this app? i feel so stuck in life. every day i go into work i hate it. yes i do take vacations, yes i’ve shifted internally to new teams, i work out, i eat right, i meditate, i have romantic companions, working on a side project to start my own (not close to finishing)... yet still 40hrs a week of my life i am hating it. and i believe if i can just find a way into a new job i enjoy (and get out of LA) i might be happy. but i’ve had no luck... any advice or companies I’m all ears. edit1: i dont want to do SWE anymore. i hate it. i dont want to leetcode. Sales Engineer, PM, TPM? Lawyer? Doctor? wtf should i do? edit2: aiming to go to San Diego or out of California all together
I'd say leetcode. Sure, you hate it. But it's better than going back to school or whatnot. Leetcode, get in as SWE, then go TPM a year later.
Hmmmm, this is true, but god I hate leetcode. So boring. And all alone
You are already getting interviews, so all you need is to up your interview game. It is difficult, but there's no ambiguity. Solve a good mix of 150 LC hard and medium. Apply for entry-level SDE positions. You mentioned not having much to do for weeks. That should give you plenty of time to leetcode. It can be a lot of fun if you are into puzzles / math / problem solving.
But I don’t wanna be an SDE anymore
What do you dislike about SWE? That might help with your options. Are there opportunities to take on more project management type work? You mentioned that you'd prefer more structure/deadlines -- is that something you could help drive on your projects? That might give you some experience to slip into a TPM role.
How about consulting gig with big firm? It'll give you the ability to move into various portfolios and roles to expand your touchpoints in different sectors.
TPM is what you should look for in my option
+1 here
You could get in to a top MBA program full time and then move into a tech sales role like an Account Manager. You have the experience, and many of the top 15 business schools are outside California.
Everyone I’ve talked to has said you can get an Account Manager job w/o an MBA. I considered this for a while but the cost of business school and time just don’t make sense right now Thank you for the idea tho, and reading my post
True, I'm only speaking from experience. A couple of years ago I was in your shoes: engineer, working in LA, unsatisfied with current job, unsure of what to do next...I got admitted to a good b school and am now in tech sales at Google 😎