GE isn't as competitive in total compensation, but I do get this grateful feeling knowing I'm working for America's sweet heart, and that GE makes a positive impact in the world. However, Im wondering if my perception is skewed by passion for meaningdul work. Sure, the work life balance is AMAZING, and I feel purpose, but I'm troubled with the question if the money is worth it elsewhere? I know many Software Engineers that toil their days away making front ends for FAANG, and have almost no impact in the world. They seem miserable, yet I can't help but think about the money they make. I've turned down several opportunities with FAANG and Im still troubled, questioning if I made the wrong decision. I need your opinions Software Fam. 1)Is the TC worth the feeling of not doing meaningful work, and sacrificing WLB? 2)If offered more money to do less meaningful work, would you take it? 3)I hope this message finds you all well. TC: 120K YoE: 3 #softwareengineering #SWE #amazon #ge #facebook #netflix #google #gedigital #microsoft
1/They are companies with good WLB that pay very well. Google is a good example. GE doesn’t pay well for software engineers. 2/Yes. Stack cash and retire early.
I was in a similar situation early in my career and went to amazon. Big mistake. I have since moved on and found a company that I loved, makes a meaningful product and pays well. You might be able to find both but it will be hard. I would never switch just for money. It's overrated as long as you have enough to provide for your family and save. Wlb and caring about what you make mean a lot in the long run But at Amazon they made AWS which is hugely impactful. Google has search, big query, gmail. I do think FB and Netflix fit your profile of worthless companies though. Apple is debatable, they are just a fashion brand in my book. Most engineers work on a small part of something and so have a small impact. You could probably try fang for 3-4 years, save some money and see for yourself then go back to ge.
Not everyone can get into FANG. GE is about mediocre and I am glad you feel good working here. Definitely do not recommend you staying here if you get to up level your career at a better tech company. However, try not to loose sleep over it if you don’t make it to FANG. Do try to stretch yourself to get into a better role. It will help you be better with your current.
Where are you based? And what do you do that you deem to be super meaningful to the world? FAANG employees create experiences/things that a sizeable portion of the population is able to use. I’d definitely consider that to be impactful.
I create services that all subsidiaries use. I help streamline their processes. I wasn't so much trying to go into the the definition of meaningful but whether or not you would leave something you find meaningful for more money.
It’s a hard question to answer, but personally I think it’s important to keep an open mind to new things. Maybe you’ll realize the services that you’re creating are actually crappy after you see what FAANG engineers do with their services. Personally I’d never say no to working with smarter people, making more money, and the chance to improve my career growth exponentially. WLB shouldn’t be a big issue either with 3 YOE, especially if it’s at somewhere like Facebook, where you get rewarded well for producing a lot of results.