Google SETI
I've been approached about Google's SETI team and had a few questions: They say that they're equally respected and have the same opportunities as SWEs, is that true? They also said that they have a lot of mobility to switch to SWE that's what you end up wanting, any insight on that. Generally, if you had a shot at SETI or SWE at another leader in the space, are they comparable? thanks!
switching from seti to swe happens idk how hard it is
good to know, the recruiter kind of rushed me through this path before I had a chance to even look into the difference so I appreciate the insight
They have a harder time filling those positions.
Respect varies by team. Transfers do happen, but if what you want is SWE, go for SWE. SETI is a different role with a different focus. More breadth, less depth. More technologies and work with other teams at the cost of less ownership of the actual product. More travel opportunities if that's a factor for you.
FD: I've been a SETI for a number of years and have never had any issues with respect. Love switching projects and working on broader goals, since I'd be bored of the same product fairly quickly.
+1 I'm a swe and I am a good friends with a seti who I respect a lot. of course our vision for software development kind up pretty well and he's very smart just like everyone else
you told me exactly what I needed to know, I really love depth so it's not a great fit
Go for swe. If you want to do seti work as a swe you will have no problem. However, going from from seti to swe is really really hard. I used to be seti and tried fo 3 years to switch from seti to swe but could not make the switch. At the end I ended up leaving.
I am sorry for your bad experience. I did a very easy trans from SETI to SWE, it was like changing from one SWE team to another.
Internally is there a title difference? Or is everyone a software engineer? At msft we used to explicitly have software development engineer in test.
Equally respected, yes. Same opportunities, no. It's a numbers game. There are 10x more SWEs (and so 10x more SWE positions) than SETI.
How could they be equally respected when technical bar is lower?
technical bar is technically not lower. except seti role interviews have less emphasis on scalability. in practice seti role is less glamorous so it might be harder to find talented people for that role.
All the SETIs I've worked with are equally good at their job compared to the SWEs. What's your measuring stick for respect?
Personally I'd do SWE elsewhere esp if it's Facebook and then try reinterviewing with Google later
What is your alternative?
Facebook swe