Career Advice for StudentsJosh Tyler, Chief People Officer

What I Plan to Cover

What a modern career path looks like

What I would have done differently at your age

How to choose good opportunities

Nuts and bolts of negotiation and politics

Why a “Growth Mindset” is important

Other tips for success for a career in Engineering, specifically

Plotting a Career Path

Once Upon a Time...

People would spend their entire careers in one company.

Maybe your mom or dad did this.

It’s very unlikely that you will.

If You Did

I started by working in two big companies, Xerox and HP, where the career path for a software engineer looks something like this:

CTO

Fellow

Chief Software Architect

Software Architect

Master Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer

Senior Staff Software Engineer

Staff Software Engineer

Senior Software Engineer

Software Engineer

If You Did

If you become a manager, it’s something like this:

Executive Vice President of Software Engineering

Senior Vice President of Software Engineering

Vice President of Software Engineering

Senior Director of Software Engineering

Director of Software Engineering

Senior Engineering Manager

Engineering Manager

Reality (Silicon Valley Version)

After living and working in both worlds, I now understand that the Silicon Valley startup career path looks a little different:

Company A

Company B

Company C

Company D

Company E

The Key Differences

Your own success is defined less by individual advancement and more by company success.

Future opportunities for growth at new companies will come from people you met at previous ones.

The Lesson

Do everything you can to work with great people. That way, in your next role either:

● You can recruit them to join you, or● They will recruit you to join them.

Build relationships. Start early. Prioritize the caliber of coworkers above all else.

How to Choose Great Opportunities

How to Choose Great Opportunities

Growth! Being in a growing company, of any size, is key.

● Growth creates opportunities. Without growth, people start fighting over the same opportunities.

● A medium-size, fast-growing company is probably the best choice for early career. Momentum is there, and very early stage startups just don’t provide enough support or mentorship. Too much chaos. Here’s a great list of such companies.

● Resume builder. Being associated with a successful company will open doors later.

How to Choose Great Opportunities

Work with great people.

● How do you know if a company has great people? Use the interview team as an indicator. Or any people you know in the company.

● Who are the smartest or most successful people you know? Follow them.

How to Choose Great Opportunities

Choose based on company or manager over title or pay.

● The long-term effects on your career will be more significant.● For example, an entry-level job at Facebook in a less-than-ideal team

(for your interests) is probably better than CTO at a 5-person startup.

But every situation is unique, of course!

Negotiating and Evaluating Offers

“You never get what you feel you deserve, you get what you have the leverage to negotiate.” - Jalen Rose

Only one person is completely looking out for your best interests. You.

Negotiating and Evaluating Offers

Most companies have a simple goal when it comes to making you an offer: What’s the least that you will accept?

(Course Hero takes a different approach. We try to determine the correct compensation, for every person, and not pay people based on their negotiating abilities. This means we may sometimes “overpay” or even lose a candidate if someone is willing to pay more.)

Negotiating and Evaluating Offers

The best thing you can do, to protect your interests, is to do enough research to know what you’re worth.

● Talk to friends● Glassdoor● AngelList

Conventional wisdom on negotiation says you should never suggest the first number. If a company asks what you’re looking for, say “market” or “the appropriate compensation for this position.”

Negotiating and Evaluating Offers

To know the full value of an offer, add it all up. Try to estimate the yearly value (amortized if necessary) of:

● Base salary● Benefits● Bonuses (expected)● Equity

You’ll have to make assumptions.

Offer Example● Base salary: $50,000● Benefits:

○ $200/mo out of pocket = -$2,400○ $100/mo commuter allowance = $1,200○ Free lunch daily = 250 x $10 = $2,500

● Bonuses:○ Annual bonus ~10% = $5,000

● Equity○ 1,000 options, strike price $25, predict the stock climbs to $40, 4 year

vesting = (1,000 x (40-25)) / 4 = $3,750

Total comp: 50,000 - 2,400 + 1,200 + 2,500 + 5,000 + 3,750 = $60,500

Politics

A lot of people say they don’t like “politics” at work.

Guess what: Anytime human beings interact, there are politics involved. It’s just how we are.

Political Things You Should Learn

Learn what people think of you. Ask around.

Listen. A lot. Most people don’t listen enough. It’s simple but difficult.

Figure out what other people want or need, and find ways to help them get it. Especially your manager.

Solve the hard problems everyone else is afraid or reluctant to touch.

Don’t create confrontation unless you’re fully prepared.

Treat people well.

Try hard to remember details about others and what they care about.

Why a Growth Mindset is Essential

Having a Growth Mindset means valuing improvement over accolades. Loving the process of learning more than specific achievements.

If you keep a fixed mindset, you’ll miss great opportunities. For example not going to a great company because the role looks like a demotion. Trust that you can prove yourself there.

You never know where opportunities might be.

Read the book Mindset!

Engineering Advice

Work on the hardest technical problems. Take the hardest classes. This will give you the skills to be valuable.

Choosing breadth vs depth is about what environment you want to be in.

Breadth is good for early stage - wearing many hats

Depth is good as companies grow and succeed - problems get harder and you need the best

Be careful: If you don’t have depth, a company can outgrow you.

Engineering Advice

Technical skills can only take you so far. To become advanced, you will also need leadership and organizational skills.

Keep trying things. Find time for side projects. Don’t worry too much about what they are - just do something.

Good Luck!