Ask HN: Am I wasting my time working as a software engineer in Western Europe?

Re:Ask HN: Am I wasting my time working as a software engine... by throwaway1278 on Tuesday March 23, 2021 @11:50PM (#26563402)

I'm not sure where this trope of people working 80 hours a week at FAANG companies comes from. In Silicon Valley it's well known that people at FAANGs are mostly just chilling compared to people at startups or unicorns while collecting a fairly good salary. Sure, there are teams where people work much harder, but there are also many teams just working on some slow-moving project where everyone clocks in at 10 and leaves at 4. Plus, at all of these companies there is a "terminal level" where you can stop worrying about career growth (eg. L4 for Google, E5 at FB) and no one will stop you.

It isn't necessarily fulfilling and you will never become truly wealthy, but if you just want to make $300-500k/year for 35 hours a week it's possible and quite common.

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Re:Ask HN: Am I wasting my time working as a software engine... by fatnoah on Wednesday March 24, 2021 @03:10PM (#26571655)

I landed at a FAANG after about 15 years at startups. It's a hustle and there's pressure to perform, but the work schedule is downright relaxed compared to my startup days. My hours are roughly 8-5:30, which includes time for breakfast, lunch, and a trip to the gym, and I've not worked on a single weekend.

I do miss the energy of a startup, but it'll be hard to go back at this point.

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