Your opinion matters, I want you(Yes, You!) to tell us about your view.
Would you choose to work at the top companies for the rest of your life in the same domain and continue to climb up the ranks? Maybe, you switch every 3-4 years to other top companies and have the perfect resume.
It looks something like: Google ➡️ Meta ➡️ Amazon ➡️ Microsoft ➡️ Uber ➡️ Netflix etc.
Or,
Do you go for the unconventional path which shows a life well lived and an interesting story?
Maybe, you worked for a few years as an SDE and then joined a smaller company as an MLE.
Then, maybe a few years down the line you decided to start your own company in the AI/ML space. You fail but it’s okay.
You decide to use this experience to become a consultant at a BigCo. to gather capital. Then, you exit and go run an entire vertical at a Series B+ Tech Company.
It may look something like this, but can have any variation: Niche#1(big co.) ➡️ Niche#1(small co.) ➡️ Experimental Bet(running a co.) ➡️ Leverage Experimental bet(if fails) ➡️ Senior Leadership
Here’s my question to you, the reader: What do you think? Which approach would you prefer? Do you think it sounds good here but real life is different?
Honestly it doesn't matter. Everyone has their own life to live by! What would be the most fun for me is to see people who have tried different things and grown. Who have time and again pushed themselves. That's the interesting story I wanna see through!
@made_a_chu_chu Are you sure it doesn’t matter?
Ofcourse, everyone has their own life to live by, but the choice you make is reflective of you, isn’t it?
I agree with what you say tbh, people who have tried different things and grown have the most interesting story/trajectory.
Linearity is boring but it works. Non-Linearity is interesting and when it works, it is pure magic.
Tell me about you tho. What is your perspective on which philosophy do you follow?
Looking forward to hearing from you. 😮💨📝
Yes I am sure it doesn't matter when I talk it from perspective of the said person who wants to follow a certain trajectory.
The choices I make are reflective of what I think at that moment and other factors that aren't in my locus of control! It can always change.
I like to hear the story. I care about what they say and can do for me than what a piece of paper says! I like when people have done something different. I don't care if they failed in it, I'd love to hear their story.
As someone who has worked in both large companies (FAANG), Indian large cos and rank startups (1-2 people) company my recommendation do not start your career with FAANG or equivalent. These companies are too structured and do not prepare you for competitive workplaces. However once in your life do work for them preferably few years into your career as the scale they operate on has no parallel.
@Henry13 Wholeheartedly agreed, it is great to learn how things operate at scale. But also working early stage probably gives you an unbeatable learning experience.
I got a call today from a recruiter who had approached me for a role. Her question was that senior leadership was doubtful of my profile because my last few stints lasted a short while. I come from a completely tech background and shifted to a different industry , in this process I had a few hits and misses and my role is also the kind of role that senior leadership don't know where to put. I always knew that there would be uncertainty but I concentrated on my craft. So I told her the same and also that we are in 2023 and after living through a pandemic and seeing what we've seen, the way generative AI and other advancements are disrupting so many industries, if they had to judge they should judge my work and talk to me during the interviews. I went away from that conversation feeling nothing at all, a younger me would have been hard on myself and just stuck thinking about the past. This also made me realise that I'm not meant to work in big dinosaur companies, they will all go extinct anyway, so I'd rather find my alignment with companies that care about skills than a certain pedigree or timeline. I know times are tough but I believe that standing your ground, constantly upskilling yourself and choosing the right place to work is the most important thing.
@SmugTurnip oh my god. This deserves a thread of its own. You are absolutely right.
You have clearly shown massive growth and the ability to move past adversity.
I wish you all the best and I hope you achieve whatever you set out for. 🤞🏻✨
Thank you, means a lot :) ✨
Not in a position to choose anymore, but my career is currently on the latter path right now and I'm pretty happy with it.
Just have to start a company soon so the story can get better :P
@DevilInTheDetails You know? I would love to know more about your story.
Tell me more about where it started and where it went. I’m very interested.
You can omit company names, maybe you can call them generic terms like Upstox = Fintech company etc.
Looking forward to hearing from you. 📈🥺
My resume looks exactly like this minus the senior leadership. I can tell you failed experimental bets are not a gateway to leadership. Most recruiters view it with scorn.
@AmpleHawk1 Really? That is not what I expected. Tell me more. I would love to understand your perspective in a much deeper level.
There’s no middle ground. You have to make a decision and stick to it. You either wanna be an entrepreneur or you wanna be very focused at a career that would mean working for someone else. You can rise to great leadership positions in your plan A that you’ve charted. Your plan B is flawed when it comes to starting up and just let go of it, you can’t.
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