“Software engineer” has become synonymous with a get-rich overnight scheme. The reality is that a software engineering career often begins with this lie, leaving many burnt out and, in the worst case, broken. I have designed a couple of courses to help people understand the gravity of the situation and navigate the maze.
Software Engineer role is not the same as designation!
Most aspirants on the FAANG bandwagon have no clue about software engineering. It isn’t part of the curriculum. The interview portals don’t like to talk about reality. In the course I offer, I explicitly answer the following questions along with the roles and responsibilities the aspirants and recruiters should be talking about during the interviews. The course caters to both participants equally without diving into code and focusing on the processes.
Course link
https://www.udemy.com/course/rookie-coders/
FAQs were answered during the course.
- Why do product companies demand a different skill set than service companies?
- What is the difference between engineering managers in product companies and project managers in service companies?
- Does a designation like “Senior software engineer” translate to the same responsibilities across all companies?
- Why do service companies have many more designation levels than product companies?
- Why do product companies tend to pay more?
- Does getting an onsite opportunity mean massive progress in your career?
- Should working in product companies be the sole purpose of a career in the software industry?
- Do managers control my career?
- I didn’t get a promotion. Should I focus on improving my skills or look for a new job instead?
- I have three years of experience. Can I move from testing to development?
- Why do certain companies insist on certifications in job descriptions?
- Why is having a computer science degree essential to thrive in the software industry?
- Should I focus on trends or fundamentals?
- Should I stay at one company for a long time or keep switching jobs?
- Is it better to be a generalist or a specialist?
Planning a career is essential.
The period of a career as a Software engineer is much shorter than people want to believe. List down all the 50+ years older developers in your office, and you will get the answer. Being promoted is often mistaken as career growth, which is not the case on most occasions. The following course takes a deep dive into factors leading to choosing a software engineer job and then growing to a CXO level. Every software professional must read the post following post once every year https://norvig.com/21-days.html!
Course link
https://www.udemy.com/course/software-career-planning-bootcamp/
The financial aspect of being a Software engineer
The affluence associated with the designation makes one a target for misselling. Loans and subscriptions will target software engineers till they either subscribe or leave the industry altogether. The most significant factor, though, is the ESOPs.
Not understanding the best of ESOPs can leave one in a huge mess. To understand ESOPs, one must first learn about stocks. Again personal finance is always sold to us as a bouquet of products and rarely as awareness. Knowing the fundamentals of income, insurance, inflation, and investment is mandatory. The following course covers the basics in a couple of hours without any ads or product placements. This a simple reminder that the home loan of 30 years cannot be knocked off overnight with ESOPs in CTC.
Course link
https://www.udemy.com/course/financial-awareness-for-students-and-professionals/
Following books will guide you better than any posts and newsletters.
