On being a problem solver
I'm very old by Blind standards, in my 24th year as a software engineer. From day 1 (ok, maybe more like year 2), I've completely loathed most of the nonsense corporate BS that surrounds software engineering: standups, 1-on-1s, really all meetings, performance reviews, interviewing, etc. What I'm interested in is solving problems. Give me a problem; let me solve it. Like, if I could earn a living solving LeetCode problems or writing proofs, that would be pretty close to my dream job, I think. My attitude has pretty much been tolerating the nonsense until the day I can FIRE. Problem is I've recently been "promoted" to SDM, which serves me a constant diet of distilled everything-I-hate-most-about-work. I'm hanging in there, but know I can't put up with it for very long. I could retire today, but would rather work at least maybe another 2 years to pad the proverbial nest egg. An alternative I've considered off and on is a return to academia, getting a PhD in Math or CSci and doing "purer" work. Question is - is day-to-day PhD-level work actually closer to my ideal? (I'm aware there are teaching requirements as well.) If not, are there other options to consider? Or, do I just transfer back out of mgmt and find something I can tolerate until I walk off into the sunset?
How were you promoted to sdm
I got the "exceeds" performance rating (highest possible). (Always been a top performer.) I think they thought they were doing me a favor. I think their reasoning was they need a new manager, I have 10x the experience of nearly anyone else, I'm hyper-responsible, and my communication skills were praised.
TC of GTFO
What about an early stage startup instead of academia? On another tangent, what advice would you give to someone who's been in the industry for 5 years? Is it good to prioritise jump to faang asap as per most users here or is it ok to stay at a place where there are ample challenges and learning opportunities?
It really depends on what you want. I was in non-FAANG for 22 years and mostly liked, if not loved, my work. However, if you want a ridiculous paycheck, FAANG will get you that. You can start at 22 and retire at 30. It just can be hard to get in the door. To put it in perspective, I tripled my salary over the last 2 years. The stupid thing is I'm certainly no smarter, nor doing harder work.
Thanks for the reply!
There’s your problem right there “non sense corporate BS”, solve it!
Part of me would actually love to. I'd almost like to start a company SIMPLY out of spite, rather than having anything to actually offer the world, just as a demonstration that you don't have to follow the crowd.
What’s your net worth beast