Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no interest in progressing?

Re:Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no int... by logosmonkey on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @10:30AM (#28302141)

Yeah, if I want more money I won't look for a promotion in my company because the salary increase will be something like 5%, maybe, due to the way internal promotions work in most corporations. I'll go somewhere else where I can get the same job I'm doing but negotiate a much better pay bump. Every significant pay increase I've had in my career has been by moving companies. I've never had anywhere near the same % increase with internal promotions.

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Re:Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no int... by SaltyBackendGuy on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @11:47AM (#28303135)

> I'll go somewhere else where I can get the same job I'm doing but negotiate a much better pay bump

Can confirm this works in our current employment market in the US for Software Engineers. In fact, I have less responsibilities because I don't know anything about the tech or product yet and got a 30% pay increase (granted I was close to underpaid).

Obviously YMMV.

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Re:Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no int... by clipradiowallet on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @11:57AM (#28303275)

I've had the same experience - going to do the same job for another company is how you end up with 20% or more increases in pay. I've never gotten more than 10%(and that was just once) from a current employer. What's worse, if you do get the 10% bump, their attitude shifts to thinking you owe them for it - or at least my employer's attitude did.

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Re:Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no int... by ryandrake on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @05:07PM (#28307016)

This gets brought up here lots, but the whole "leave for 20% more pay" thing only is true earlier in your career. You will eventually plateau. Your next job switch will maybe be 15-20%, your next one 10-15%, etc. until you reach the inevitable compensation plateau. I'm over 20 years into my career and my last job change was for +1% or so, and I looked! No company would offer more.

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Re:Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no int... by nly on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @05:13PM (#28307086)

So then your strategy shifts, right? You start looking for more interesting, novel, less stressful or more stimulating work for the same pay.

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Re:Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no int... by edmundsauto on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @01:22PM (#28304228)

As a counterpoint , at most big tech companies that value their engineers, promotions are usually > 20% compensation increases.

There’s many reasons why FAANGS dominate, but one reason is their ability to attract and retain talent.

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Re:Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no int... by ptudan on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @01:27PM (#28304301)

Not always though. A lot of companies have pay bands that nearly overlap. You can be performing well and be near the top of your band, get promoted, and then the raise to near the bottom of the next band is pretty minimal.

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Re:Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no int... by TechieKid on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @01:39PM (#28304423)

Is this across titles or even for promotions within the same title?

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Re:Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no int... by edmundsauto on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @05:40PM (#28307438)

AFAICT, these companies don't really promote within a title - they use a leveling system. The definition of a promotion is to move from one level to another.

Vague job titles like "senior" or "junior" can be useful in limited circumstances, but if a company can promote you within the same title, it's a bit of a smell.

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Re:Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no int... by jacobr1 on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @03:14PM (#28305658)

Promotions within the same title ... aren't really promotions.

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Re:Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no int... by nly on Wednesday August 25, 2021 @05:14PM (#28307104)

I've worked at companies where titles beyond junior & senior (and "senior" means 3 years experience) don't exist

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