Developed and managed software for almost 30 years. Learned coding in PASCAL and Fortran. Worked on DEC vax and when windows was a program not a OS. Hated Bill gates when younger now not any more. Done hardware design before USB was invented. Ask me anything, Happy to answer any question you have. Fun : my MS college project was computer vision and neural network almost 30 years back. Tax 350K
What keeps you motivated to work for someone else rather than start your own business?
Thought about it start up before. If I think about it, I didn’t develop the mindset of handling ambiguity and blind optimism. Many ideas I was trying to do start ups earlier we’re good ideas (later became big), I didn’t have the skill and the connections / resources to pull it off. Execution is 100x harder than having an idea. Took few products from scratch to market leader inside big company. That is like little bit start up experience and I learned my weakness and stayed away from starting startup.
Every manager thinks product inside is like a startup experience but it's no where close to startup. If one has not done a product or trying to implement idea full time without pay it's just a side gig
shouldn’t you change jobs and get almost double TC?
I have a job satisfaction, I am good in my domain and get respect. I enjoy my work. It is enough for my need. This is my personal strong bias towards job satisfaction holds me back going for higher TC. It is not a recommendation, just the way I am.
This is a hard one. In multiple companies my product got canceled and I was repurposed. Problem is real in tech. During meetings listen what management is asking ? Not the question but why they are asking? Is it growth, revenue or market cap . What upsets your VP or SVP ? Check calendar of your boss. Which meeting s they attend and which they skip. What they ask ? Little nuggets here and there.
Life and career advice for young engineers?
When I was 25 I looked for advice from 50. Never got good advice or I didn’t like what they said. Some simple observations 1. 40hrs of work is enough most of the times. I worked 60hrs to 80hrs and slept under desk, because I wasn’t productive. 2. Your family and friends are your assets. Build them. 3. Everything you will create today will be obsolete tomorrow and liability to society day after tomorrow. But solving today problem is important and needs to done such we can see tomorrow.
Thank you for the great advice.
What do you think of consulting as a quick(er) way to jump into leadership positions in tech?
+1
I have no experience in this matter to share any insights. It is plausible.
What do you think about the future for hardware engineering
Hardware engineering like farming. Needed and if you enjoy it, you will not go hungry. Software adapts to society needs faster. And high scalability. Will go with software.
Do you still work at AT&T ? What is the break up of your TC ?
I don’t that will be useful info. Skipping.
I think it would have been just as easy to actually answer the question.
Which all companies you worked with & for how long?
Can’t disclose all Motorola … is one of my favorite company. When pager was cool and 2 pounds cell phone was a status symbol.
What’s the best decision you made during your career?
Picking work I liked and I can see my work getting used by every customer. All my job switch were good for me. Mentoring and coaching new hires. I have taken lesser salary for better work. Early on career focused on learning was good for me.
I was mentored well as engineer… so I am thankful to them. This is my pay back. It tests my assumptions. I can try new ideas. And also it is fundamental to become a leader. When I became manager I found that experience was useful,
Are you going to answer questions ?
If you were to go back in life for 25 years what would you do differently?
I could have done PhD . Not for money or prestige but life experience.
What kind of life experience do you expect to get out of PhD?