I was one of the Google 12K this Jan. My role is somewhat niche so when I came across an actual listing, I was relatively excited. That my 22 years in the industry, almost 16 of which at Google (6 at Staff (l6)), along with fw dev and DevOps experience at HP before that, would be at least an easy lock-in for an interview for the spec'd "Senior" role. The pay range was/is stupid lower than what I was getting from Google but Boeing != Google and taking in the new reality of pay reset/layoffs, vaunted superior wlb at Boeing, I figured it would at least be interview experience and/or something to stem the "bleed rate" of the family coffers. The application status changed from "considering" to "no longer considering". After talking to the recruiter it was due to their minimum requirement of a BS in a technical course of study. E.g. CS, EE, Chem, Physics... So, to be clear, the lack of that exact degree, that would be 27 years old by now anyway, invalidates and supercedes 22 years in the industry for the exact position, the last 6 of which at a level higher than the position is spec'd, regardless of that experience being at a FAANG? Truly?! I found 2 other reqs for the same position but even lower level offerings, associate and mid. Same BS minimum requirement. This seems super crazy asinine to me. I used to stress over not being "fully papered" all the time at HP. Coworkers would tell me that I wouldn't have to worry about such a thing since I had actual industry experience; demonstrated/proved capable and all that. It's a nontrivial amount of cognitive dissonance having to "relitigate" that, _now_. I can't really go back in time and going back now is obviously not possible/something I'm going to entertain. #tech
Internal candidates.
Internal favoritism & nepotism
The BS requirement is pretty much standard in the industry now, you will only find start ups are willing to put exp over that paper degree. Most corporates will filter out profiles with auto rejection if they don’t meet such hard educational criterion. Try to target roles at companies which are not so formal about their job requirements
Not even close to standard, but nice try
Had 4 offers within past year without degree. still, true that many companies really do filter on it
You could validate whether that requirement comes from some legacy (or not) federal contracting requirement. Maybe it’s that dumb. If you can pinpoint the problem then you may at least get answers. My 2 cents.
This obviously hurts. And it is likely to limit you in other places also since these requirements are often driven by archaic contracts & rules. A suggestion: Complete your Bachelors degree now and use that time to take classes in new areas (ML/AI) to open up a lot more opportunities .
It does indeed. Also angry making. A healthy mortgage, young kids, and the need to work make going back to school effectively a nonstarter. And the doubtless subsequent barrier of the 4-5yr gap causing a yoe reset to 0 would be just enough to cause me to pull a Kurt Cobain.
Only the billionaire dropouts have no issues with qualifications. There are places like WGU that provide accelerated degrees for a price.
Not heard of WGU; would have to look. But "accelerated" sets off the skepticism "Spidey sense". Last time I looked into something like that it was University of Phoenix and it turned out to be so much bullshit, I couldn't even spend HP's money on it. Regardless of degree sought there was so much nonsense busy/work in the form of unrelated "papers" and mandated arbitrary online group discussion that it devolved into an English/writing degree. Super sus that they were/are accredited.
Just get a degree then?
Not really an option. About 1.5yrs of bleed before the coffers are dry. Mortgage, kids, etc plus yoe reset the 4-5 yr schooling would occupy is not something I could handle.
It may be related to federal regulations.
Like which one???? Cause this sounds like nonsense...
Reach out back to the recruiter and discuss it. You have nothing to lose.
I mentioned doing that. This is how I know the reason they shot my application in the back of the head as it were.
You gotta realize these companies aren’t like faang — they aren’t interested in picking up the best hire. They are extremely politically driven and if they feel threatened by your resume or how you might behave on the job (not a subordinate) etc they won’t take you. It’s much more behavioral and political than faang tech companies are. Gotta have a high EQ
Google's _really_ left leaning internally. I am not. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I managed to LARP/Cosplay well enough to never run afoul of any of the pitfalls that might befall one lesser skilled.
These companies? 😆 🤣 what do you mean by that? "These companies" are actually interested in hiring the best hires. Have you considered that there are very many engineers working outside of FAANG who may be more exceptional than many within the FAANG empire? There are below average employees who successfully transitioned to FAANG during my tenure here at Boeing. They were not top employees at Boeing, but they were still able to double or triple their TC by switching to FAANG. Some are still looking for team matching after a full year of working in FAANG, but they've still been paid for their time. All that to say, "these companies" don't celebrate "subordinate" behavior. Also, not every gifted engineer is choosing FAANG (unless TC is their main driver). You'll also earn as much in base salary as the FAANG companies (maybe more for some roles), but TC will be behind...RSUs aren't doled out like they are in tech.
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They knew you didn’t spell the acronym FAANG properly. Jk that’s extremely stupid. I wouldn’t want to work at a place with their heads that far up their jet exhaust.
Pardon me. I just fixed it. Thanks.
Just playing around I think that absurd and I’m sorry you had to deal with that.