HN Explorer

Ask HN: Where did you go after big tech?

15 points by civicsquid ↗ HN
I work at Meta, and I have for 3 years now. I made it from new grad to a terminal level. For better or worse, I stayed on the same team the whole time.

I am not interested in building a career on a single team at a single company. I know I could get to the next level if I stay on my current team, but I am tired and need variety. I think it is time to move around, if not within FB then elsewhere.

I am not sure how to make a move that will allow me to continue to advance my career. I think I want to spend time at a company that is trying to grow and scale, but I’m concerned that will look or feel like a step down due to smaller scale or less recognizability of the company.

If you were in a similar situation / left big tech, where did you go? How did you decide whether or not it was the right career move?

8 comments

[ 3.3 ms ] story [ 66.0 ms ] thread
IceMetalPunk
I haven't left big tech, though I'm currently taking steps to switch careers into game dev, and will likely be looking for a smaller/indie team in that space. The way I see it is that it's not a "step down" if you end up happier. As long as you can afford to pay the bills and are happy, there's no such thing as a "step down" or "step up" -- those are just cultural judgments that don't matter.
arduinomancer
Did the same thing and have been enjoying it so far

The way I see it is optimizing for average happiness

If you're getting a lot of money but you really hate 1/3 of your day it can bring the average down

Especially when you get to a point where the marginal increase in happiness from increased salary is small

badpun
With optimised expenses, one year of FAANG salary can buy multiple years of living expenses - so, for a year of suboptimal life while at FAANG, you can buy entire multi-year expanses of fantastic days.
night-rider
If a smaller startup works for you, then go work there. Personally I don't factor in pay as the only metric for deciding where to work. I look for the nearest Waitrose closest to where I live, office perks, parental leave, etc
WastingMyTime89
> but I’m concerned that will look or feel like a step down due to smaller scale or less recognizability of the company.

By who? In order to do what?

You are very close to being a new grad and like most new grad you are asking the wrong question.

You are mentioning wanting to build a career at more than one company but you don’t say what kind of career you actually want. There is no one size fit all correct steps to take on a career. As you work for a big tech company straight out of school I’m tempted to think you have mostly been going with the flow until now. Figure out what you actually want to do and the next step will naturally come from that.

suprjami
This is the answer I give people too.

"But I won't work at FAANG anymore". Does that really bother you? Do you want to work at your big company always? If so, talk to your manager to move horizontally. But if you are staying at this company just for the label and are otherwise unhappy, that's probably a silly reason to stay. There is plenty of life after big tech.

These are value decisions you need to make for yourself. Forget what other people think or what looks sexy on HN. Look at what you value and what makes you happy.

roland35
Hello Metamate! I have worked at a pretty wide variety of employers (from government to manufacturing to startups) so I think I can say that the grass definitely isn't necessarily greener.

If you can find a small team that is working on something cool that may be fun but at least for me I've seen an absurd amount BS while working in consumer robotics. I had a ton of fun but I was extremely underpaid.

My recommendation is try to take your time and find a new team at Meta. A change of pace would probably help you out! If you've been a good performer then it shouldn't be hard. This would be much easier than interviewing and less career risk. There is lots of really interesting work in AR/VR which is pretty unique.

The good news is you have tons of options, and if you did nothing but stay at your current role you will do pretty great!