Ask HN: At what point do you give up on tech career?
9 comments
Caveat: I did sysadmin/jack-of-all-trades work, with an emphasis on sendmail and friends that opened some doors, but not others where it was the prime qualification. Why?
At some point, you are going to fail the age test at FAANG+, with emphasis on the "A". I interviewed at one startup and absolutely aced the interview and "exam". They hired a couple of kids, so when the systems crashed on a weekend, they were partying in Tahoe, but you know what? Nobody cared. They were bought out by a two-letter company. I aced a LOT of interviews, to no avail.
OK, you're then into consulting gigs with really small startups who have no "HR" department, so they goof and actually hire qualified people. But at that point, it really 100% depends on your networking (It may be so for all jobs these days with AI-driven recruiters and AI-driven applicants (out of necessity, if not by choice)).
Build and maintain a large and strong network, and at some point, that might get you past the "gray hair recognition" system.
At some point, you are going to fail the age test at FAANG+, with emphasis on the "A". I interviewed at one startup and absolutely aced the interview and "exam". They hired a couple of kids, so when the systems crashed on a weekend, they were partying in Tahoe, but you know what? Nobody cared. They were bought out by a two-letter company. I aced a LOT of interviews, to no avail.
OK, you're then into consulting gigs with really small startups who have no "HR" department, so they goof and actually hire qualified people. But at that point, it really 100% depends on your networking (It may be so for all jobs these days with AI-driven recruiters and AI-driven applicants (out of necessity, if not by choice)).
Build and maintain a large and strong network, and at some point, that might get you past the "gray hair recognition" system.
If it has to be FAANG give up already. If you’re willing to work for some place that is not so famous than you should never give up.
The market comes and goes and so does your personal value in a long career. I’ve had job hunts that lasted a year, I’ve had some that lasted one day.
The market comes and goes and so does your personal value in a long career. I’ve had job hunts that lasted a year, I’ve had some that lasted one day.
Entirely this. Overall FAANG represents a small fraction of the space, and FAANG companies are far from the only ones doing interesting, cutting-edge work.
My advice to newcomers: if you have the passion and skill, persevere. The hype will settle, and solid engineers and techies will always be needed.
For me, "giving up" would be less about leaving tech and more about re-prioritizing towards other passions.
Best of luck!
For me, "giving up" would be less about leaving tech and more about re-prioritizing towards other passions.
Best of luck!
I'm nearing the end of my career, so take this with a pinch of salt.
What I find so interesting in posts like this, is the mindset that "someone has to give me a job, else I can't work in IT".
By contrast, when I started, there were jobs sure, but the whole IT industry was so new that most people just found ways to "add value". Our (future) customers didn't know what they needed, we just built it for them.
Today we'd call this a 'startup' (although we were bootstraped, no investment. ) There's still a strong "build it" approach to IT , but mostly it now attracts those "looking for a job".
With hindsight I get that most people (in all industries) are workers, not creators. I used to think IT was mostly creators, but I'm not sure that was ever true. (More likely just the circles I frequented.)
And yes, it's harder to be a creator now. Marketing matters more than coding (it always has) but there is more competition now.
So to answer your question, the time to quit is when you can't add value. If you can see past the "get job" part, and see the "add value" part, your options are still open.
So my advice is; help people. Spot the pain, ease the pain. Maybe it's helping folk at a nearby old-age-community with their cell phones. Maybe it's helping a local corner shop get on the web. Maybe it's simplifying a tedious process.
By helping real people you get to meet more people. And ultimately it's people that get you hired.
Good luck.
What I find so interesting in posts like this, is the mindset that "someone has to give me a job, else I can't work in IT".
By contrast, when I started, there were jobs sure, but the whole IT industry was so new that most people just found ways to "add value". Our (future) customers didn't know what they needed, we just built it for them.
Today we'd call this a 'startup' (although we were bootstraped, no investment. ) There's still a strong "build it" approach to IT , but mostly it now attracts those "looking for a job".
With hindsight I get that most people (in all industries) are workers, not creators. I used to think IT was mostly creators, but I'm not sure that was ever true. (More likely just the circles I frequented.)
And yes, it's harder to be a creator now. Marketing matters more than coding (it always has) but there is more competition now.
So to answer your question, the time to quit is when you can't add value. If you can see past the "get job" part, and see the "add value" part, your options are still open.
So my advice is; help people. Spot the pain, ease the pain. Maybe it's helping folk at a nearby old-age-community with their cell phones. Maybe it's helping a local corner shop get on the web. Maybe it's simplifying a tedious process.
By helping real people you get to meet more people. And ultimately it's people that get you hired.
Good luck.
I hate this mythologizing of the good old days. I’m 51 and have been in the industry professionally for 30 years and followed it the best I could before then to the point of lying about being a big spender in a corporation to get MacWeek and PCWeek.
Most people even then were doing boring work in banks, government etc. They weren’t hanging out the shingles or on the street selling software on floppies like artists trying to make it big. It was even harder back then to market yourself.
The time to quit is when no one will pay you to exchange labor for money. That labor can be hands on keyboard, sales or something more strategic.
Most people even then were doing boring work in banks, government etc. They weren’t hanging out the shingles or on the street selling software on floppies like artists trying to make it big. It was even harder back then to market yourself.
The time to quit is when no one will pay you to exchange labor for money. That labor can be hands on keyboard, sales or something more strategic.
I'm not sure I'm mythologizing the past, more I think pointing out that it was different.
I started professionally circa 1990, so that's the era I most remember.
Yes, big organizations had a head-start with computers. My wife went off to work for an insurance company on a mainframe.
My path was different. We built software for small businesses to run on a PC. Ironically I did go door to door at one point to find work.
We settled into our niche though, and gradually expanded our product range. We had salesmen drumming up customers.
Marketing was hard. I traveled a lot, circling the earth multiple times from 1997 to 2011. Lots of in-person meetings, lots of customer relationships.
It took a decade, or two, but we've built something that now employs 50 people, and makes a profit. It's not Google, but it's still satisfying.
I started professionally circa 1990, so that's the era I most remember.
Yes, big organizations had a head-start with computers. My wife went off to work for an insurance company on a mainframe.
My path was different. We built software for small businesses to run on a PC. Ironically I did go door to door at one point to find work.
We settled into our niche though, and gradually expanded our product range. We had salesmen drumming up customers.
Marketing was hard. I traveled a lot, circling the earth multiple times from 1997 to 2011. Lots of in-person meetings, lots of customer relationships.
It took a decade, or two, but we've built something that now employs 50 people, and makes a profit. It's not Google, but it's still satisfying.
When salaries go very down. I love my career, I don’t necessarily like the jobs; but they are jobs and I maximise income (and free time). My salary is going higher over the years (I never earned silicon-valley-faang salaries to begin with) and it always puts me in the top 10% earners in the countries I have lived so far.
If that stops happening, I’ll do something else (I’m preparing myself for this scenario just in case)
If that stops happening, I’ll do something else (I’m preparing myself for this scenario just in case)
What is that something else for you?
Is it after a certain time?
If it's happened to you already what was the threshold?