Especially at Facebook and Google, what do you guys think? For those in these roles can you compare how you spend your time to a traditional software Engineer role? Is compensation different? How much time actually coding/ doing technical work? What skills are most important? Are the interviews still the same as regular engineering roles? I’m considering it! :)
I do mostly all coding, but it may not be the latest and greatest development at google. On the flip side, it's cool to work on stuff that partners actually use so your impact is massive which means promotion is fairly straightforward. It's not rare to see TSEs promoted very quickly at Google. I really enjoy my role, but people will have different opinions.
Google partner facing roles are awesome. You get all the benefits but use your brain far less :) In traditional Engg at Google you would spend much time coding and system design. In partner roles, you would be mostly talking and presenting . When you get some free time , you would do coding. Also, while designing solutions for partners , you would be expected to use existing solutions as much as possible. There is a particular partner role where you get to implement the ideas sold by sales teams. You would be expected to code much in this role. So please clarify with the HR if they are considering you for pre-sales or post sales roles. Compensation is little lower on average. But you get to travel. For me who loves travelling, it balances the cost difference :) You would do 100% technical work. System design and integrations are technical work . Only coding will be lesser. But upside is that you are expected to know all new tech - personally, I love breadth more than depth . These roles are a right balance of customer relations , business acumen and technical knowledge. You can’t excel in this role by having only one. You will have one round of Engg coding interview. Others like system design and problem solving would be as (tough or easy )as google interviews are for engg. If you want a paid vacation from pure engg roles , please apply. For first 2 years you would love the new role - then you would realize you can’t change back as you are far cutoff from engineering rigour. As a person who decided to try this role out, I felt obliged to give my view. Sorry for long answer :)
That was an awesome explanation and exactly the type of role I would be seeking. Is what you described a TSE or a TPM? When looking at the Google careers site, it seemed like TSE was mainly a tech support job in disguise so I never bothered applying. Thanks in advance!
Awesome! I guess I was also wondering if interviews for these roles included a more business/behavioral interview aspect. If you need broader skills, it would make sense to test for those, but it doesn’t seem like they ask for that in the limited info I found online. :P I also ask because I have a background in sales and project management before starting engineering, and I wonder at what point in the interview I could sell those particular skills. Boo to lesser pay. Considering that you need a broader set of skills for this role, do you think that it is fair to be compensated less? Esp since most people in these roles are former “full” engineers? Are they less work somehow?? I mean, I have worked and gotten offers from several top ten tech companies. I feel like I can work at any of them. What incentive is there for Great potential partner engineers to take a pay cut?? (If it’s only a little less, then I think having the right role is more than worth it, and I would still consider this. But I am just curious about your thoughts on this.)
Relatively little coding. Lots of talking to partners. Comp starts somewhat lower but IMO growth is a lot easier.