Re:How can you not be romantic about programming? (2020)
by wwww4all on Saturday February 20, 2021 @08:41PM
(#26210033)
There’s a phrase I heard while back, I don’t live to work, I work to live.
High performance software engineers negotiate for higher salary and the type of work environment and type of projects. They work to live by taking control over their salary and project assignments.
Sometimes, they have to work on less interesting projects. They deliver solutions. At the same time, they regularly have conversations on other more interesting projects. Make sure they line up more interesting projects in the roadmap.
There’s more risk in stagnating position than taking control and regularly switching jobs for higher salary and more interesting projects.
There are significantly more software engineering problems than people that can deliver solutions. High performance software engineers can have their cake and eat it too.
I’ve been at my current role for almost 7 years. It doesn’t pay nearly what I could be making elsewhere. I’ve interviewed and been offered better money, but it means giving up the kind of work I do now for something less interesting.
I’ve turned down those offers and stuck where I am, even though it means less money. As my wife told me when we were talking about this: This is the work that you’re going to be doing every day, and that has to be worth it.
That said, there is a cost to my career sticking here instead of moving around.