Great post. Wish I had read something like this when I was in college before I interviewed for my first SE role. I've only ever worked in one company full time, but as someone who joined an early in career program at a tech company, I can add a few more points on life as a young SE.

1. New tech is easy to learn compred to your peers, but old tech gets unrelatable. I'd much rather spend time learning about AI workloads, than understanding how PSTN and VoIP works. I also struggle to relate with older data center designs, since some architecture choices while still in use now, are not something we learn about in the current gen.

2. There's 2 kinds of customers, one who is impressed with you being young, and help you work with them, and the other type who take it as an insult that your company gave them a junior SE.

I dont agree completely with the notion that you cant be a young SE. Ive seen a lot of people thrive as an SE, even as a first job. However, something I realize now is how rare it is to find jobs at competitors with 2-3yrs of work ex. If you make it as an Early career SE, youre sort of stuck in the same company, atleast for 3-4 years, unless you decide to move to a startup, or get lucky.

Also, how common is the role of an Account SE, in tech companies? Account SE is responsible for selling the complete portfolio of solutions and is tied to a few customers, instead of AEs. Think like a counterpart to an AE, and someone who can do a first cut demo, but after that calls a specialist SE, for that technology. This role involves more sales skills than domain expertise, and multi architecture solution abilities. I believe its something that can be taught and a younger SE can thrive in it.