programmers: what are your career goals?

New
jgWX61

New

jgWX61
Nov 2, 2019 16 Comments

hey blind community- thanks for all the insight youve provided into computer science related professions for someone on the outside.

quick question- almost every single one of the most brilliant people i knew in school (just my opinion) among a lot of talented individuals are now data scientists or programmers of some kind. some of them even studied law or other things first. is it a brain drain due to TC? what are some examples of why you got into the area youre in and where do you see yourself going in your career?

i have 3 YOE in media sales and make 280 OTE - 140k base and 5% straight commision on every dollar i bring in for the company. my career goal is to be publisher in 5 years for the publication i work for which would pay about double what i make today with steady yearly increases until that level. i chose this career because it was an easy transition after launching a startup right out of college.

tldr - what’s your career goal? and why’d you choose programming?

also if you have any questions about sales AMA

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TOP 16 Comments
  • Facebook / Eng
    mturtle

    Go to company page Facebook Eng

    mturtle
    Alot of people go into programming for TC.

    Though it is not a "brain drain," this is where innovation is happening and where smart people should go.
    Nov 2, 2019 7
    • New
      jgWX61

      New

      jgWX61
      OP
      Nice I have a startup on the side too. @mturtle do you know what client partners are pulling in? I’ve seen at least one guy who was a publisher take a client partner job so it must be a lot at the senior levels
      Nov 2, 2019
    • Facebook / Eng
      mturtle

      Go to company page Facebook Eng

      mturtle
      I don't know about client partners comp. The only client partner I know works in aws. I think he does pretty well, but that could be a big range.
      Nov 2, 2019
  • Since your TC is tied to sales, curious how does the fluctuation look like?
    Nov 2, 2019 2
    • New
      jgWX61

      New

      jgWX61
      OP
      If you’re at a strong media company on a good category like tech you’ll make at least your target which will be 100-130 plus 30-60 in your first AE role. So year to year will be pretty stable unless you get on a category that is in decline and not spending that year like they did in previous years. As you gain experience in sales and move up your base increases and you’ll find your niche usually which stabilizes your income. This is media sales though tech might be more volatile.
      Nov 2, 2019
    • New
      jgWX61

      New

      jgWX61
      OP
      For example I’m in year three and now make a lot more guaranteed than I did in year one plus I asked for more potential on the back end in commission.
      Nov 2, 2019
  • I guess my goal would be to get other people to maintain my open source code because it’s integral to their main line
    Nov 2, 2019 0
  • Amazon / Eng
    UTukMyJerb

    Go to company page Amazon Eng

    PRE
    Electronic Arts (EA)
    UTukMyJerb
    To retire early
    Nov 2, 2019 0
  • New
    wkgK30

    New

    wkgK30
    You mind if I dm you? I have a few questions about breaking into these lucrative sales roles
    Jul 28, 2021 0