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The senior engineer death spiral

285 points · 150 comments · nsavage

  1. slowin · · focus · HN ↗
    At least we know this wasn't written by an LLM (unless it was GPT-2).

    The best advice I can give on moving your career forward is to not try and get a promotion at your current job. Apply for better positions at other companies while you still have your current role. You'll have maximum leverage and unlimited time to choose the best possible option. Trying to claw your way up the ladder in a single company is the least efficient (and more often than not hopeless) strategy.

    1. gonzalohm · · focus · HN ↗
      I don't agree with that advice.

      Interviewing sucks. I know, if you currently have a job then you don't lose anything. Other than precious time and I already feel like I don't have enough free time, I don't want to invest the remaining interviewing.

      I have been in a few companies and yes, sometimes getting a promotion is literally impossible. I remember one company that didn't give me a promotion until I threatened to leave.

      But if you find the right company, then you shouldn't even need to ask for a promotion.

      And lastly, I would hope you are working for a company that you care about. That makes it more complicated to find a replacement

      1. slowin · · focus · HN ↗
        I think you need to be strategic. Leverage your network, don't just go in cold. Smaller startups are also much easier to get a job at than a FAANG.

        > And lastly, I would hope you are working for a company that you care about. That makes it more complicated to find a replacement

        This I absolutely agree with. I quit my last job for ethical reasons and indeed, the same problem I faced is so pervasive in our industry that it limits the pool of places I'd work. That being said, I think the advice holds. Jumping around is a much easier way to move your career forward than staying at a single place.

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