Hey FB see folks, Evaluating an E5 offer from FB. But worried about WLB or in general work stress/hours. Based on what I have read on blind most SWE work ~50 hours/week and there is always a stress to get a Meets rating to prevent a PIP. Can folks from FB please share the following data points: 1. Team/org + level/tenure 2. Average work hours per week. 3. How stressful does it get? (1-10 scale) 4. Would you work elsewhere for the same pay but less hours/stress? (Yes/no) Thanks y'all! Offered TC:480K for year 1. 400K after. #tech
1. E6 2. 40 hours on average 3. Stress - self-induced 10, induced by manager 0 4. Unsure. I've worked at places before FB where I worked only 20 hours a week but the politics stressed me out.
Self-induced? Why?
I have trouble saying no, specially when people ask for help. I also try to give my 100% to every single project I'm involved with. I try not to overload my coworkers and end up overloading myself. I don't spend a lot of time at my desk. But I constantly find myself thinking about work and solving work problems in my head.
who says no to #4? please elaborate.
Less stress for sure. Not sure about fewer hours because that doesn't equate less stress in my opinion.
Very much inline with lonelyduck. 1. E6 2. 40 hours per week seem about right. Some days longer, others shorter. 3. Stress 0 to 10: about 8. Self induced. By manager, close to zero. 4. No. At least in the short-medium term. I have worked at other FAANG and startups. FB while not perfect is a great place to be… if you choose your team right. That’s the secret sauce IMHO. We are spoiled beyond measure. If you can manage the pressure (is doable!) then you’re likely to not want to leave.
1. E5 2. < 30 on average for MA 3. Low (3), no critical on-call, no hard deadlines, some people depend on me to move forward otherwise would be 0. 4. Yes, but I don't think such place exists
@OP level and TC at Google?
FB feels like being hired as a contractor. You're not told what to do, you have to figure out a way to make yourself useful. At the end of 6 months, you make your case to FB, and if they think you added value, they renew your contract (and compensate you generously for extra value), if not you're out. The slate is wiped clean and you have to find ways to prove your worth again the next 6 months. As a result, you can't just leave the career aspect of your life on autopilot and live a balanced life. It always needs tending to. This is specially true if the context you're adding value in is ever changing (reorgs etc) which is often the case. If you put career first and tend to favor more risk and reward, fb is a perfect place. If you like a chill life, fb is not the place.
So well phrased! +1
Darn it fbmz, I can hear the “stunk” of the hammer hitting the nail. Didn’t think about it that way, but truth to be told, it’s as true as it can get. Another company that seems to be that way is Netflix (from what I’ve been told). Cruising is not an option.
3. can easily get to 10. but as mentioned - a lot depends how you manage your time and expectations. and expectations for senior engs are "doing everything": find/set directions, find/design/implement/manage projects, resolve oncalls, help inside/outside team, etc
How's your take on 3 then? I understand the expectations, but it is surprising that Product leads (directors, PMs) are not as involved in setting direction...
Don’t join! Terrible terrible WLB…
Can you please elaborate?
1. E5 2. 30 - 40 hours per week (wfh with 2 kids) 3. 0 4. No The best thing about FB is that you can choose what you want to do. Nobody, even my manager, can force me to work on projects I don't like. I propose and lead my own project. Everything they care is impact, and not how many hours you spend.
Can you please state an example for impact? Suppose I choose something I thought is going to be impactful, work hard but the product fails to deliver any impact. What then?
Fictional situation: when SWEs submit code reviews, CI runs the all the tests for hours, and they are annoyed. You apply test selection to reduce the process to 30 minutes or less. People are happy and director thanks your post. That's EE or GE impact even if you only work two or three months, and coast for the rest of the half ;) During calibration, manager only has 2 minutes to present all you did during the half. So there's not time for bullshit like anon works 12 hours every day. All they care is what you have achieved. FB's 1st core value is "Be Bold" which is similar to Amazon's "Bias for Action" LP. You have to take risk. Having a good relationship with E6+, research groups etc that can give you advice can mitigate the risk. Before I plan to do anything, I will make a post about it, x-post to different groups so E6+ can comments.
If I paid you, would you lay out a plan for me to learn how to navigate FANG interviews?
Yo, I would do it for free, time is tougher to come by :) Happy to give some pointers if you DM.
Don't just learn how to navigate interviews. Prepare in a way that you'll do well after you get into FANG. It might take longer but it will set you up for much more success in your career.