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The senior engineer death spiral

285 points · 150 comments · nsavage

  1. hsbalanxvxjsmab · · focus · HN ↗
    I'm a staff engineer and I haven't thought about trying to get promoted a single day in my life. Do good work and be nice the rest follows
    1. Arainach · · focus · HN ↗
      This was never really true at most places, and even where it was sort of true, it's been false since 2023.

      The ladder has collapsed. No more juniors to mentor and grow (in some cases no more US hiring period), and all of the carrots have been replaced with sticks. If you're lucky, the reward for doing good work and being nice is 'not being laid off', but the promo budget is gone and it's not like your boss gets a say in who's laid off so may the odds be ever in your favor.

      1. hsbalanxvxjsmab · · focus · HN ↗
        Find a new job because this is absolutely not the case at any company where I know ppl in tech
        1. b112 · · focus · HN ↗
          Maybe it's your fancy name, which gets you those promotions.
          1. hluska · · focus · HN ↗
            Grow up.
            1. b112 · · focus · HN ↗
              The guy's handle is literally 20 random characters, it's hardly harmful to joke about it. Why the anger?
              1. Arainach · · focus · HN ↗
                In general, joking that people's promotions are due to their names is thinly veiled racism, especially considering it's a very real phenomenon[0].

                Jokes in general are, if not explicitly against site norms, discouraged: "Comments should get more thoughtful and substantive, not less, as a topic gets more divisive." [1]

                [0]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.shrm.org&#x2F;topics-tools&#x2F;news&#x2F;employee-relations&#x2F;viewpoint-how-persons-name-can-prompt-hiring-discrimination" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.shrm.org&#x2F;topics-tools&#x2F;news&#x2F;employee-relations&#x2F;vi...

                [1]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;newsguidelines.html">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;newsguidelines.html

                1. cucumber3732842 · · focus · HN ↗
                  I know a dude with a traditionally female name. Dude just job hops. The wide &quot;HR bins 99&#x2F;100 resumes&quot; part of the filter doesn&#x27;t seem to apply to him...

                  He&#x27;s a fine guy, and a fine coworker, but he&#x27;s not the hot shit his resume progression would suggest.

                  I guess that&#x27;s worth being taunted in graded school.

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