| I know this HN and populated by developers. But there are a lot more ways to get into a FAANG than software development and still make top of market comp. For instance Amazon is a FAANG. But at the end of the day, they are 50% a consumer goods company. I know people who have gotten in through Finance because they had experience at another CPG company, someone who got in through the marketing department and someone hired as an internal recruiter. All of the BigTech companies have thousands of non tech jobs that pay top of market. I personally got into AWS (no longer there) because I was a good enterprise developer, I had AWS experience and I knew how to lead projects and talk to people. I got a job in the Professional Services department as a hands on consultant (full time direct hire). There were all types of non tech jobs in my department - sales, project management, program management, etc. On that same note, if I wanted to get back into another FAANG (at 50 I would rather get a daily anal probe with a cactus), I would have a much better chance getting into Google via the Google Cloud Consulting division than someone trying to “grind leetcode” and get in as a software developer. Yes that is also a full time position. Final note: ageism is very real in the industry. But more nuanced. If you are old, have the experience you “should” have for your age, an up to date skillset a great network and a reputation, the world is your oyster. If any of that is not true, especially in 2025, you’re screwed. |