Episode 419: Yoda or Han Solo and I swear I'm senior

Jul 29, 2024

Navigating career dilemmas can feel like choosing between Yoda and Han Solo. A listener grapples with conflicting job offers from old coworkers, sparking discussions on balancing friendships with career ambitions. The hosts share strategies for declining offers while maintaining relationships. They also dive into what it takes to be recognized as a senior software engineer, discussing the importance of communication and showcasing achievements in the competitive tech world. Finally, they highlight the need for aligning project goals with tangible business impacts.

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

Turning Challenges into Opportunities: A Listener's Journey

02:43 • 2min

Navigating Job Offers and Friendships

04:18 • 8min

Navigating Career Growth in Tech

12:24 • 11min

Evaluating Business Impact in Project Scope

23:41 • 3min

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

Listener Anakin asks,

I have two former co-workers that work at great companies where I would love to work. I reached out to one looking for advice and while talking to him, he said I should join him and he offered to give me a referral. At the same time, unprompted, another old coworker reached out to me asking if I am interested in joining them. It’s like being asked to choose between training with Yoda or flying with Han Solo on the Millennium Falcon (Sorry, James)!

But I have a big worry: what if by some miracle I get offers from both places? I don’t feel I can turn down an offer after my old coworkers vouched for me. I don’t want my friends to feel like I led them on. At the same time, I don’t think I’m close enough to either to say I want to interview, but I’m also applying somewhere else.

So I’m thinking of applying to one, and if that doesn’t go well, applying to the other. Is there a better way to go about this? How would you approach this dilemma?
Listener D says,

I asked a question in an episode around number 110. I asked if I should switch my job, as I had just moved to another country and, after half a year, the new CTO wanted to change the tech stack. You suggested staying for a while to see what happens, so I did. It worked out well.

On to the question! How can I be treated as a senior software engineer in my next job? When I moved the first time, I was downgraded to a mid-level developer, even though I had about seven years of experience. I did my job well, exceeded expectations, and got a promotion after four years. After working there for 4.5 years (half a year as a senior), I moved again to another EU country and was hired as a mid-level developer again! Now, after one year, I got promoted to Senior Dev, but I am afraid that the next employer could treat me as a mid-level dev. I understand that grades are different in different companies, but mid-level developers have lower salaries. How can I assure my next employer that I am a senior or even higher-level developer?