What's The Biggest Sacrifice You Made In Order To Succeed?

[@ALifeEngineered]

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[@DiabeticGameGuy]

I moved whenever I could get an advance in my career. My 20 and 30 year old self told me this was a great way to climb the corporate ladder. I would earn more money so I could have a better life. However, in my 50s I realize I lost so much time with my family. My father passed away 1 year after I graduated Harvard so he never got to see the person I would become. My mother lives on the other side of the country, and I only see her once a year for a short visit. I call her regularly, but I know I can't be there for her when/if she needs me as my life is here now. I also have few friends from the time I graduated college until I finally decided to stop job hopping. I didn't realize what I had been missing out on for all those years. I've now lived in Arizona for 11 years. I am married, and I have friends. I'll always wonder how life would have turned out if I had accepted a slower paced life of living in a small town rather than chasing the career.

[@jroseme]

Thanks for sharing, this feels like an underrepresented perspective.

[@verb0ze]

That's deep. I've done this too, but I think I got lucky in my hopping early on. My last hop was from a four our commute to fam to the very city most of them live. It was supposed to be temporary and back to hopping, but the couple of years I got to be closer to family made me realize I didn't want to hop far away anymore. So I hopped locally 😅. Luckily I'm in a bug tech hub so it's easier to switch jobs, but yeah now I dread having to move too far away

[@Flinn8]

I can relate to this heavily - I, too, lost my father soon after college. I spent all of my 20s chasing promotions and career aspirations both to help cover his medical expenses and "prove myself" in some way or another... I moved to LA after his passing (away from my family and closest friends) to "start fresh" and further my career at new companies. Luckily, I feel like I've learned some of these lessons already at 34 and have moved back to the east coast and live near friends and family again in a much smaller town (Charleston, SC vs. Los Angeles, CA) - I'm still very dedicated to my craft and moved into a Staff Engineer position recently, but these days I'm focusing on managing my time better & prioritizing well enough to avoid drowning in my work. Establishing a suitable balance that enables me to attend to my other priorities (having a social life, dating, checking in with family, etc.) has become my primary goal!

[@dianai988]

Personally, I've done the school while working route and while you don't need it to be successful in your career as a software engineer, I do think it can enable you to learn mental models that can help you work through situations you might see in your day to day, learn from others outside your work (sometimes even outside your industry), and sometimes augment your traditional software engineering skills, depending on the domain you pursue. I did a program studying data science after having studied CS in undergrad, and I learned a lot of fundamental principles and building blocks for DS that have enabled me to work at the intersection of both fields very effectively. It's allowed me to really transcend the "normal" definition of a software engineering role and make my own role as a more multidisciplinary engineer. I never cared too much about the credential, but rather the learnings and how I could apply them to my work and I'm forever thankful I did my program. So just another perspective on the matter.

[@svlapin]

Absolutely great advice on learning on the clock / off the clock, Steve.

[@gautam-narula]

Thanks for answering my question Steve, also appreciate that you pronounced my name correctly!

[@tylerliu2760]

Hi Steve, given that you're only 40 and you're already a PE, what are your future career goals? Are you hoping to reach Distinguished Engineer/VP, retire early, or continue at your current level indefinitely?

[@tHebUm18]

Thank you for answering my question! I wish I was still under 30--only after burning out in grad school (physics PhD program) and spending time lost in the weeds did I successfully pivot to landing a software gig in my late 20's to start my career. I am in the US, but not a tech hub and not really looking to relocate. Food for thought on potential to 3x my income, but also feel more behind on personal life goals than career ones--especially since I feel my job has ample amounts of making the world a better place, as opposed to most corporate gigs.

[@philipbutler]

In a way it took me 4 years to get my first salaried SWE job after my BS in CS (took 9 months to get an offer that was rescinded due to covid, did my MS in AI that I got my first internship/coop during, finally got and accepted an offer to start in May). SEVERAL sleepless nights and guilt about not being able to land a full time engineering job, but honestly I have no regrets, I think when I look back I might realize it was the best case scenario. These last 5 years with my now-wife have been the best of my life easily, and I won’t have the same type of freedom until I retire, and by then things aren’t going to be the same

[@undocumentedcodesucks]

that's powerful brother, I am currently pursuing a CS degree and I have a long distance girlfriend that I get to see once a year so this inspired a reminding decision to me that it will all be worth it at the end despite the restless nights.

[@philipbutler]

@@undocumentedcodesucks I hope another moral of the story is (yes never give up) but also that it's not just about where you're going but how you get there, so don't be hard on yourself, learn from mistakes, and enjoy the ride! :)

[@eti-iniER]

I'm a new subscriber, Steve, but your scripting, your manner of speaking and your editing scream "Principal Engineer at FAANG". And I mean that in a good way! Crisp and invaluable, like well written documentation 😅 Would love to learn more from you! Thanks for making videos

[@JerryRegistre]

Spending the days skiing and sharing your advice is in the cards for you, Steve. Another great video 🙏🏽

[@def__init]

I broke up with my GF to spend all of my after work time and energy on LC. Just passed round 4 with ______. Told myself this was the year I break into FAANG no matter what. We weren’t dating for that long and it was long distance so there were other factors but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t the main reason. Love the videos. Sometimes we have to make hard decisions and give up short term comfort for long term goals.

[@mahee96]

depends on what you consider long term goals, if your GF is not your long term goal then that makes sense

[@ManuelLara]

In Pinterest we have 24 weeks of paternity leave, had my first child and it's one of the greatest benefits I have ever had.

[@maxc4113]

Definitely can confirm the school question. You don’t need a degree to get hired and be successful. While a degree can give people a kick by teaching them the basics, it’s not mandatory. This is a dynamic and changing industry and you’ll have to keep learning all the time. If you think you’ve find your ways around learning stuff. If you feel you can solve problems in a collaborative way - you‘re good to go. I myself don’t have a degree, and have been doing pretty well in the industry for the last 15 years. Currently L6 at Amazon.

[@JordanEdmundsEECS]

Hi Steve! You’ve found a really great niche, adding value at the mid/senior level, particularly for those of us that are more hungry (guilty). Thanks for adding value to my day.

[@tjhsiao06]

Congratulation on your 100+K Subscribers milestone. Your effort to each video production can be seen and heard.

[@isurujn]

Ayy, I hadn't kept up with watching the videos here so I'm 3 months late. Thanks for answering both my questions!! Appreciate you 😄

[@thefosplus]

Time, what you sacrifice is time. I got a bit up that ladder quickly, SR Manager/director level. I’ve received praise from some and comparisons from others. I usually have the same messages for people comparing. Yea, I got here, but I also never took extended time off, never got to lounge around and goof off with friends to the point of detriment, never backpacked around Europe/Asia/South America. I never had time to chase much besides that next promotion. I never took the time to enjoy “nothing” ahead of me. I've since started to carve back my time/life, but what's gone is gone. My advice now, take your time and enjoy it, you keep working you'll get to where you're going.

[@TonInter]

Another great video. Thanks for sharing, Steve. Sidenote: the genius link to the second book in the "books that changed my life" section is broken, as it mistakenly contains the word "the" at the end.

[@PeIeus]

you're extremely intelligent, thank you for this guidance bud

[@jroseme]

Im back in school (low cost state school) for my CS degree in my late thirties and on my 3rd attempt. I’m only doing this out of self-punishment to my former self that kept quitting hard things and because it’s paid for thru the GI Bill. I absolutely would not recommend anyone pause their career to go back to school. The slow pace and irrelevance of at least half of your studies is very painful. I’m in my 3rd year and have yet to learn any coding practice, design pattern, paradigm, etc. that I haven’t already discovered on my own thru genuine curiosity. Your mileage may vary if you go to an elite school. If you must do it though, CLEP test out of as many classes as possible, followed by taking online courses at community college up to the maximum allowable transfer credits. Then, take a full time credit load plus one more when you do finally go to school full time assuming you dont need a part time job to pay bills. Consider summer classes if it wont burn you out. There’s just no reason this should last 4 to 5 years. Im convinced employers use CS degrees more to filter people who cant handle doing things that suck for extended periods of time…because thats what corporate jobs are a lot of times 😅.

[@undocumentedcodesucks]

yes unfortunately a CS degree is ultimately going to serve you better in the long run as this looks so fucking good on paper, employers throb their nuts when you not only showcase your CS degree but the acquired relative work experience that complements in their setting.

[@jroseme]

@@undocumentedcodesucks Hoping those nuts still throb by the time I enter the job market...still have a year of this shit left. Praying that remote jobs still exist too.

[@undocumentedcodesucks]

@@jroseme same here brother, i enjoy WFH environments but its going to be tough to find them unless freelancing is on deck.

[@damonguzman]

Can you do more dedicated videos? I prefer deeper long form videos. They rapid fire questions don't scratch my knowledge itch.

[@MrFunasty]

Your advices are solid, thx

[@omother942]

Not sure if you read the comments - but do you think the DevOps route is a good career move? 1YoE as a SWE

[@nafeesbelal6124]

do you do personal coaching for engineering managers and review resumes?

[@rickr530]

There are still a lot of managers and companies that won't hire without a degree, or who will hold negative views of non-degreed employees. Without a degree some jobs may be unavailable to you or you may not be respected by peers and managers. Could find yourself passed up for raises and promotions and first on the chopping block when there are layoffs. Its value may be declining slightly but I think it's still worth having, just don't go overboard with time and debt to achieve it.

[@smoofwah3552]

I've got an OA and interview at Amazon in a bit , I feel EXTREMELY unprepared , but I'll give it my best shot :D

[@neelshah1617]

Hi Steve, Love your content. I'm mid-senior level contractor in cloud space, feeling stuck. I've joined bootcamp and spent crazy time on learning things on my own since last year, follow several discords. And I continue to do so this year. Question: When do you think Big Tech will resume hiring? Next year the soonest? What advice do you have for contractors gunning for FT roles?

[@JonathanChongNg]

Hi! Thank you for sharing your insight 🙏 What did you say at 3:35? "I've always thought about it like this but I suppose I'm ______."

[@Cryogenics12]

Can you make a video about ChatGPT and AI advances in general? I'm seriously thinking about switching fields altogether

[@ThuNguyen-em1mh]

Thanks Steve!

[@chrishyde952]

This will sound insulting, but: what do principal engineers do? I've worked for multiple companies with VPs and Principals that have ambiguous roles and will get laid off first. Not because they aren't worth it, But perhaps because they aren't literally doing the work and their role is hard to define. I hope you know I respect you as a principal, but the tech layoffs were like this. maybe i'm really asking what VPs do. you have explained what you do for some time now.

[@adam.phelps]

They lead complex projects across a wide array of development teams. Such as we need to migrate off X to Y tech on 10 different pizza size dev teams. Or react to a competitor launched X so we need to lead a major initiative to launch and release Y and determine which tech teams we will take devs from. Are a senior resource for Senior/Lead engineers for design reviews and new functionality. They also build tools and processes that increase productivity of multiple dev teams. Unblock other dev teams on complicated issues. They think strategically about the tech stack of a major business unit or functionality. Amazon considers the role almost like a distributed CTO among the organization. Principals usually report to a Director but have no direct reports but influence by leadership others.

[@chrishyde952]

"distributed CTO" is perfect, ty@@adam.phelps

[@ItamarHata]

How do you deal with broken expectations? For example, a promotion rejected.

[@roialtembo6278]

uncle steve would you please do a mock interview video and i will be more than excited to be the person your interview whether for a mid-level position or a junior position. i will leave this comment on everyone of your videos so you notice me lolo

[@john_doe_2231]

Can u please make a video on how to tackle the Amazon behavioral interview ?

[@arcariusmexen1104]

If I’m a senior in a third world country, should I apply for junior roles in a first world country?

[@ChadSigma111]

Big Tech doesn't care about the technologies that one has worked in rather it cares about problem solving, but how do these guys have a deep insight in the technology that they will be working on?

[@hemantbhanot8190]

Big tech work backwards from the customer requirements. Customer requirements -> solve problems -> identity tech -> book dev time. There's lots of resources present at big tech to learn whatever tech is needed. You are expected to learn fast and USUALLY there are a few engineers present that can answer your doubts about specific technologies

[@kaythe2nd]

Hi Steve, I'm currently looking to join a FAANG as a TPgM working with a lot of SWEs. My background is predominantly infrastructure-biased. I'd like your advice on how best to be effective and provide the needed support to my team and help my company realize their strategic benefits

[@kcnl2522]

Im in uni and ive been offered a really demanding (but rewarding) job. Im afraid i will crumble under the pressure. What would your advice be?

[@Mr.man712]

If your gut says you cant balance both then I wouldn't do it. Though if you could put Uni on hold and start making bank that might work out better for you.

[@Sator810]

Much to learn from failure as well, do it!

[@sayilu]

I pretend to be busy while skiing, then ping everyone aggressively like no tomorrow.

[@hepta1290]

Do you have any advice for a person trying to boomerang to their old company? There isn't a lot of advice especially from the perspective from the interviewer what questions they might ask (Why do they want to come back?). I left a company I loved to work at for more money but I miss the culture at my old job. Amazon must have a lot of boomerangs so I would love to hear what you experienced interviewing perspective boomerangs/what to look for in boomerangs.

[@nR-kv7xo]

the audio is out of sync and drives me nuts

[@cjhIRL]

I'll SHOW YOU LONG FORM SCUBA STEVE 😂

[@himank0110]

not everyone would understand L7 software engineer i think.

[@roshawnbrooks4091]

@Not an NPC I actually want to do the same thing. go to school and be a full-time SWE

[@reclusivegamer3609]

I did exactly this. I'm a SWE at a fortune 500 with 2 yoe and I'm about a little less than halfway through my CS degree. It's a huge commitment and I still wonder whether it's worth it, but my company is footing most of tuition and I reframed my mindset as wanting to prove to myself that I can get another degree while working full-time.

[@iamsuperhero]

First!

[@xeronatesbad]

"working backwards for defining your life" - definitely works at amazon. What about if I'm happy with my l5 money?