Is TC chasing good?

Sep 8, 2021 13 Comments

Albeit a general question and I would love to read the responses but I also want opinion on my situation. I have about 20 yoe in tech jobs (sw engg and test engg) with 150 TC. I never worked in FAANG or any other silicon valley companies. Always worked within retail and financial industry (in their IT i.e. Technology organizations). TC of 150 serves well in the low col area in AZ where I live. I see many of my friends / ex-colleges / TB peeps getting 2 or 3 times my TC with similar yoe and I am thinking if should I chase it? My heart is not in it, but am I making a bad financial decision here for me and my loved ones? I love my job, people around me, TC is more than enough for our family of 5 (wife has just 20k TC doing free lancing / hobby but still).

Why didn't I chase before or early on my career? A mix of fictional and non-fictional reasons - (a) imposter syndrome - never thought I was good enough for silicon valley companies (b) family situation - some bad luck with rare disease diagnosis and that messed up with my mind and couldn't think straight for years, (c) always thought that it's better to work in a non-tech company where I am most skilled/technical/intelligent (d) stability and super lazy attitude - I work maybe 4-5 hours a day and rest is just looking busy and I have been doing more or less for last 10-12 years and (e) never wanted move to CA - high col, traffic, smaller house, etc.

With better mental health, eruption of remote jobs and more confidence, I think I can effectively address some of the above items. What do you think?

yoe 20
TC 150k

#tech #techjobs #techcareer

comments

Want to comment? LOG IN or SIGN UP
TOP 13 Comments
  • Macy's / Eng
    BfNH72

    Go to company page Macy's Eng

    BIO
    Look, I just want a better TC every two year. That’s it
    BfNH72
    There are two sides to this story, one that shows that you actually question your situation and think about doing better things. The other one shows that you are in a pretty good situation for yourself and are enjoying the life you have.

    My first question is, are you willing to lose your work life balance? I work 9 to 8 most of the time and I am a single guy living on its own. My life happens on the weekends and I do not have dependents that need to see me or depend upon me for their growth.

    Second question is: are you willing to put the work in? Many of the people on Blind are young people that want to thrive and make as much money as possible while sacrificing the little bit of happiness they have. You will be competing against those people. Leetcode will be your best ally in this cutthroat environment.

    Third question: Do you have the skills to be successful: with 20 yoe I wouldn’t question much but what makes you better than a fresh grad or a tenured engineer applying for the same position. Imposter syndrome is a reality and I feel it on a daily basis, but being objective about your skills will save you time when answering this question. You can also question your friends working at FAANG about that

    Fourth question: Are you doing it for your own sake, to impress your friends, or for your family? As you said, you are pretty fine with your situation and you enjoy where you live. I wouldn’t change that for anything.

    Fifth Question : Does your family know about your desire of change? TC chasing is good and all, but mainly comes from vanity. I see people living happier lives with less than what I make. Just ask your loved ones and see if they would be happier with more money, and perhaps seeing you less. It is not an easy choice when there are more people in your life than your own self.

    I am not expert but answering those questions would give you insight on your best option.

    There is no barrier to TC chasing, but it gets harder with time. It is good, as money will always be good. Nonetheless, it is strenuous and can break families. I am still in my twenties and would love a comment from somebody a bit older and more experienced than me to come along in this discussion
    Sep 8, 2021 2
    • Google
      mopfhy

      Go to company page Google

      mopfhy
      You actually have a pretty good mindset for your age. You're exactly right that it's a trade off and only individuals can answer that question.

      People forget that money is a mean but not en end in itself. Only you can say what you want to earn it for. Is it for status? Trophy wife? Support extended family etc.

      But we sometimes forget that there are things money can't buy. Go ask a rich person on deathbed if they would be willing to give up all their wealth for more time on this planet. Or a lonely person who would give up half their wealth to have a person who truly love them for them.

      Not saying you shouldn't chase it but have a honest conversation with yourself about why. Because there are trade-off involved.
      Sep 8, 2021
    • OP
      @Macy's and @Google, thanks for responding and providing your perspectives.

      @Macy's These are really good pointers to having the right discussion. Thinking more about it, I guess this thought is coming from vanity more than anything. I am probably driven by impressing others than anything else. Involvement of family is critical in these decisions, I agree.

      @Google you're right. Life like any system can be optimized for only one constraint at a time. I must do some whiteboarding to list down tradeoffs.
      Sep 8, 2021
  • Amazon
    FSoH20

    Go to company page Amazon

    FSoH20
    This is only a question you can answer for yourself. I can tell you though there’s a lot of unhappy people in some of these large companies (especially mine) despite their paychecks
    Sep 8, 2021 3
    • Amazon
      FSoH20

      Go to company page Amazon

      FSoH20
      Sure. I would think deeply about your intentions then for the money. What’s the end game for you? You don’t seem to mind your current lifestyle at all based on your post.

      For me, the money has definitely changed things for me, but also there are times I question the amount of stress I’ve gone through to get it
      Sep 8, 2021
    • OP
      Good point. I guess I should do some brainstorming with my own self and with family too. TC chasing could result in some stress for them too.
      Sep 8, 2021
  • If you like your current set up, why disturb it? If you think you're not going to save enough to give your kids a good education, then maybe you should think about making more. If your motivation is how much others are making, it's not worth it.
    Sep 8, 2021 1
    • OP
      That's a very nice way to put it. I guess I'm well off financially and have confidence that I can give good early life to kids. Yeah... just writing this out is making me think if I'm just getting driven my some kind of jealousy and not financial reasons that I was originally thinking.
      Sep 8, 2021
  • It’s about how much money you need and what your values are. If you want to have trust funds for your kids where they get a million dollars when you die, then yes, you need more money. If you want a nice car and a mansion and your name on a building, you need more money. If you want to retire easy, give your kids a good life, and die leaving them with 0 debt and a home that they can sell and divide amongst themselves, then you’re good. Some parents want to pay for weddings and graduate degrees and cars and house down payments and whatever else for their kids… that’s not for me. Think about yourself. Don’t think about what Joe Schmoe wants for his family. Not spoiling your children and allowing them to build their own lives is not doing a disservice… up to you.
    Sep 8, 2021 1
    • OP
      I certainly relate to your thinking. I don't anticipate leaving millions for kids. My wife and I are big on education and we planned very early to have a good 529 balance for our kids and that will be our biggest contribution in terms of money.
      Sep 8, 2021
  • New / Eng
    ssquared

    New Eng

    ssquared
    Doesn’t hurt to try if you’re willing to put in the effort to crack top tier interviews. At least you won’t have regrets.
    Sep 8, 2021 1
    • OP
      I thought about it but I don't consider myself brave enough to reject higher offer of I get. This is assuming I get offer at all hahaha. Maybe I'm trying to protect my feelings. But a good point regardless, thanks.
      Sep 8, 2021