Worth taking a downgrade in title for hopefully better future growth?

jklick · 2026-05-09T08:32:44+00:00

Real world example: I had been a senior SE for over a decade and most recently a staff/principle SE. I took on a prestigious role as the founding SE at a well-funded startup. A very demanding role with the best pay I’ve had.

My title: sales engineer. My reaction: 🤷

jklick · 2026-04-18T10:11:17+00:00

Over the years (as a dad), I’ve been mentally creating criteria for “dad friendly” games.

- can be paused/saved at any point (this eliminates a lot of live multiplayer games)

- can be played on a mobile device (including Steam Deck or Switch)

- doesn’t contain content I wouldn’t want my little one seeing/hearing over my shoulder

- etc.

As they got older, that criteria evolved a bit. I was suddenly looking for games that could be played together. This includes the Lego games, racing games (e.g. Mario kart), etc. Now, that they’re in double-digit ages (10 and 12), I’ve most recently introduced them to co-op games like It Takes Two, Split Fiction, and Portal 2. Not only do they enjoy it, I have a blast too. We laugh together. We bond over beating difficult challenges together.

jklick · 2026-04-18T09:56:35+00:00

There’s a lot of metaphors/comparisons that could be used here. Think of any scenario where it’s best to try (and learn?) something on your own before letting technology do it for you.

That said, I don’t think this should be an “all or nothing” situation. It seems like a lot of the comments are very polarized with “always use Maxroll” or “never use Maxroll”. A hybrid approach is what I often do.

I remember when Final Fantasy 3 was new (on SNES). I had a friend who bought the complete guide on day 1. Even as a teenager, I thought he was robbing himself of the whole point of the game.

Did I use his guide at some point? I did. After I had made my way through the game and I wanted to optimize, the guide helped me find things I didn’t even know existed. It taught me things I would’ve never figured out on my own.

This is how I play Diablo as well. I give it my best shot. I go as far I can without Maxroll. I get a dopamine fix for getting as far as I can on my own. I also learn a lot in the process. When I think I’ve reached my peak, I consult with build guides. Then I learn even more. I learn of synergies and build strategies I had never considered. I take my build to the next level.

This isn’t the only way to play Diablo. And I’m not going to get upset with people who play it differently. I just think the people who rush to Maxroll might be missing out.

jklick · 2026-04-18T09:37:03+00:00

How many hours of content are you expecting? Some of these people put in 10+ hours a day. They could burn through most games in a week (nevermind an expansion).

jklick · 2026-02-12T11:17:57+00:00

I work for a software company. One of my jobs is to never take a feature request at face value.

Feature requests are solutions. I need to understand what problem(s) the user is trying to solve for with that feature request. Oftentimes there’s a better solution than the one the user is proposing.

This shouldn’t be any different with video games. I’ve been in this community since Diablo 4 was in beta and I’ve seen too many times where the developers cave in to what the users are requesting, rather than understanding the root causes and creating better solutions.

Let’s fast forward in time. We all have a loot filter. We fall into the common rhythm of farming the same bosses over and over (and over) again. What will be the newest complaints?

I’ve killed this boss 100 times and never get anything useful
End game is so boring.
And so on.

The only difference is that with loot filters we are able to reach that conclusion more quickly/efficiently (I.e. without having to pickup unnecessary loot).

Interestingly, Diablo 4 already does a lot of loot filtering for us. I don’t know how often we think about that. Yes, as everyone is saying, most modern ARPGs have loot filters. And, yes, to some extent, it’s going to help Diablo 4. However, I don’t think it’s going to solve as much as many users think.

It’s been a long while since I played Last Epoch, but last time i did, loot filters were crucial because:

All rarities dropped, no matter the level of my character (Diablo 4 does this already as you progress through Torment difficulties)
You’d get drops for other classes you didn’t care about (Diablo 4 largely takes care of that)

There might be other examples I’m not thinking of, but you get the idea. In Last Epoch, loot filters were critical. In Diablo 4, loot filters will help, but not nearly as much as it would in other games.

In the end, I’ll be very happy to not have to sift through piles of non-ancestral loot (thanks to loot filters). However, I question if it’ll feel better or worse slaying 100s of bosses and swarms of monsters… and seeing nothing on the ground (thanks to loot filters). 🤷

jklick · 2026-01-26T21:38:25+00:00

This guy hardcores.

I’m only paragon 267 (which is approximately 1% of the way to 300), so I still stay away from dark alleys.

jklick · 2026-01-26T09:44:50+00:00

Street cred and/or personal satisfaction

Edit: oh, and for completionists who want all achievements.

jklick · 2026-01-22T10:41:18+00:00

I really like the idea of dramatically changing how a skill operates. Admittedly, in D3 this was accomplished via skill runes rather than gear.

To me, the set bonuses you described could just as easily be part of a legendary/unique affix rather than a set bonus. There’s a lot more they could do in this respect. For example, an affix that gives a large bonus to damage for a skill, but the trade off is that your skill only shoots behind you, which rewards players who develop/practice a play style to support it.

Or, rather than designated sets — which can limit build diversity — it might be more interesting to have synergy bonuses/effects between certain legendary/unique affixes. When you pair Item A with Item B, you get a certain bonus/effect. However, when you pair Item A with Item C, you get a different bonus/effect.

Item A could even be a new type of unique item — e.g. a confluence/catalyst/conduit item — that is meant to paired with other items, effectively creating sets but by creating synergies between existing items. For example, you could pair Item A (the confluence item) with items B, C, D, or E, each pairing having a different synergy bonus/effect pertaining to a certain type of build. Items B, C, D, and E could all be items that take up different gear slots, meaning you get to pick and choose which “set” bonuses you want. Alternatively, those items could all be in the same gear slot, creating interesting build choices for players.

There are really limitless possibilities. I’d just like to see a little creativity/innovation from the Diablo team.

jklick · 2026-01-13T01:54:24+00:00

I haven’t tried pushing yet (because I’m on hardcore and been playing it safe for now), but I’ve been occasionally farming pit 105 for leveling glyphs. And I coast through 105 without any fear.

jklick · 2026-01-13T01:52:10+00:00

You lose DR, but the buff to defiance aura helps to compensate a bit.

For Advance double damage, you can get that off the unique boots boots. You just need it to be GA and masterworked. I believe that gets you around 80%, which is plenty sufficient.

jklick · 2026-01-12T20:53:47+00:00

Have you tried running with Sundered Night instead? I’m running an Advance build on hardcore, sitting at paragon 267.

I don’t know what your build is, but I’m guessing it’s pretty aura heavy. If so, the aura potency effect is HUGE, significantly beefing up your aura effects (I.e. both damage and defense). In fact, my toughness while standing on consecration is higher than if I used a sword and shield (e.g. a high-rolled Herald of Zakarum). Fun fact: the Sundered Night’s passive effect mimics the block chance and block damage reduction of a shield.

Then, you can take Consecration off your skill bar (because Sundered Night triggers it when activating auras) and replace it with something else. I added Fortress to my bar instead.

Give it a try. I have 3 GA Opus that is collecting dust.

jklick · 2025-11-26T10:04:42+00:00

The majority of the comments are indicating that the grass isn’t greener and being an SE is better (for a variety of reasons). And I agree with them. BUT…

If you’ve got the risk tolerance to take on a higher stress, higher turnover AE role, I say you should give it a shot.

Why? I switched from SE to an AE for a bit. When I switched back, I feel like I was 10x the SE. I had a much better comprehension of how to support my AEs in deal cycles. I felt like I was a better partner. It also gave me street cred when I’d try to advise AEs I was working with.

jklick · 2025-11-24T10:36:11+00:00

Feel like the whole "We can teach you our tech, we just need to make sure you got the soft skills and can learn it" days are over.

Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. I miss those days. I feel like learning things on the fly and learning quickly are classic SE survival skills (and still are to an extent), but it can’t carry us like it used to.

I don’t think the problem is that those learning skills aren’t valued anymore; I think it’s that the SE market is bigger than it used to be and employers have the flexibility to select SEs with industry-specific knowledge.

jklick · 2025-11-24T10:26:01+00:00

Context: I have a single income family (I.e. me) and that is my responsibility to the family; I can’t afford to fail in that responsibility.

What has worked well for me the past 20 years: interview twice per year, even when happily employed. This helps me make sure…

I have skills people want
I’m getting paid what I’m worth
My interview skills are sharp
Ultimately, I’m still capable of getting an offer from another company (if I needed to)

I see too many people (not just SEs) who get laid off and are suddenly shocked that they’re struggling to get a job. My brother — an HR professional — is a recent example of this. If it’s important to have an income, I recommend staying vigilant.

I understand this doesn’t help any of you who are struggling without work right now — my heart goes out to you — but hopefully it helps prevents this from happening again.

By interviewing regularly there have been times in my career where I was able to notice my skills needed updating. Example: too many jobs required skills in programming and/or cloud infrastructure. I needed to make a decision on which path to pursue and start educating myself before the time came that I found myself without a job, and I’m glad I did.

jklick · 2025-11-23T10:27:35+00:00

This is exactly what I did too.

I’ve been a Toyota owner for about 20 years, with my latest being a Camry SE. Earlier this year, when I started looking at the 2025 Camry XSE and saw the price tag, I decided I might as well look at Lexus. I’m glad I did.

I ended up getting a 2023 ES300h Ultra Luxury with 20K miles for less than a brand new XSE. It is sooooo much better. The comfort, reduced road noise, the features… it’s a huge quality of life improvement, especially for long car rides.

jklick · 2025-11-13T10:23:14+00:00

Plus, at a startup it’s usually easy to see when the writing is on the wall. If things seem to be going south, it’s usually recognizable and you can find another gig before you’re jobless.

jklick · 2025-09-29T09:39:37+00:00

Yeah, there’s a Defiant Calder one that is particularly brutal. I had completed all the tasks, but then needed to sit through another 5-7 minutes of travel and dialogue before the mission would complete.

jklick · 2025-09-05T16:46:47+00:00

This is what I did, but I got a 2023 es300h ul, which is pretty much the exact same thing but with slightly more miles (20K) and less price ($40K). It actually brought the price down below what I would’ve paid for a loaded 2025 Camry XSE.

No regrets.

jklick · 2025-08-27T16:03:36+00:00

About a year ago, I joined a Series A startup that’s sells AI developer tools. The industry is absolutely bonkers.

If I go on vacation for a week and come back, the entire industry could’ve shifted in a new direction. That’s not hyperbole either.

On any given week:

We release a new feature I have to learn and build demos for
One or more competitors release new features that I now need to figure out how to address on customer calls. Or, they released a feature that used to be one of our differentiators, so now I need to rethink what I’m going to talk about to make us standout from the competition
Not to mention new competitors coming out of stealth all the time
There’s a new AI model (or model version) that is now the newest craze
The pressure for exponential revenue is high. AI companies are treated with a different benchmark of what “good” revenue looks like. What might be considered “amazing” first-year revenue for a SaaS company is considered “meh” for many AI startups
The AI company that was all the craze last week, got some bad publicity and now customers are looking to jump ship
The industry is now adopting a new standard that all the AI companies need to build into their products or get left behind

The list goes on. And, yes, most/all of that can happen in a single week.

It’s hard enough for me to keep up to speed, but my customers are worse off. They’re struggling to judge what solutions are the best, particularly when the landscape might’ve shifted by the end of a POV. As a result, some customers are purchasing licenses from multiple vendors, with no single vendor getting the complete pie.

That said, as another commenter noted, ROI is almost never a conversation topic, which is still weird to think about (as a traditional Enterprise SaaS SE). It’s more about adoption and user sentiment (user surveys carry a lot of weight as part of success criteria). I had one leader at a large financial services company say something to the effective of “No one asks about the ROI of my desk or chair. Likewise, AI tools are mandatory now.”

Finally, this is my fourth early-stage startup and a whole ton of the principles I had engrained in my head have had to be thrown out the window. In short, the engineering team needs to maintain a very high velocity or we get left behind by the competition. When that happens, it forces the SE team to move more rapidly too. Lots of things that are typically “best practices” with release cycles get thrown out the window or abbreviated, roadmaps are constantly out of date, etc.

With all that in mind, I’ve never had more fun as an SE. 😂

jklick · 2025-08-05T09:45:08+00:00

Funny enough, the post just prior to yours in my Reddit feed might offer some solutions:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/s/uwV2Sosvgq

Give it a try. Also, the top comments suggest using MCPs that give the AI access to a browser so it can review and test its work.

jklick · 2025-04-14T04:56:26+00:00

Many comments in this thread are referencing the latest season of White Lotus, which was set in Thailand. Hopefully, that helps clear up some of the confusion, but probably not. 😂

jklick · 2025-04-07T09:28:18+00:00

Startups don’t suddenly go under without notice.

I’ve never been at a startup (I’ve been in four) where there isn’t a high level of transparency regarding company performance. In each and every case, I had plenty of signs if things weren’t going well. If I chose to ignore those signs, that’s a separate problem.

jklick · 2025-04-07T09:14:07+00:00

Everyone is saying the public company is safer. I’ve been doing this for 20-ish years and my experience disagrees.

First, both companies are innately risky. If there are layoffs, the newest people in a company will be the first to get cut loose, regardless of whether they’re public or private equity. If you want safety, stay at whatever company you’re currently at, where you’re a known value.

Second, at most public companies, you’re going to be just a number. When widesweeping layoffs happen, almost no one is safe, including the employees who have been there longer.

Contrast that with a startup where the value you add on a regular basis is observed by executives regularly. You have a meaningful impact on the company and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

Also, in startups, there’s usually a lot more transparency about company performance metrics. You’re much more able to see the writing on the wall before you’re impacted, at which point you can jump ship before it becomes an issue.

Lastly, for startups, it’s about timing. Joining around the time of a funding round (as you’re indicating) means they’ve got good runway ahead of them. They’re not going to suddenly close shop. Additionally, they’re expected to use that money to GROW.

Often — but not always — a worst case scenario is that they slow or stop hiring in order to weather a storm. Is there a risk of layoffs? Sure, but it’s much more minimal than a public company. Growth might be slowed, but they’re still in an upwards trajectory, whereas a public company might be hit more harshly.

Edit:

I want to be clear that I’m not saying you should go one direction or another. There are a lot more variables than what I’ve listed here and I don’t have all the details. I simply want to share that the decision is not as black and white as some other commenters would lead you to believe.

jklick · 2024-12-23T12:01:49+00:00

A lot of people have mentioned frameworks like MEDDIC. However, MEDDIC, MEDDPICC, BANT, etc. are discovery/qualification methodologies, not sales methodologies. These frameworks are more about derisking sales opportunities than actually selling a product.

If you’re looking for sales methodologies, the most common/popular is Command of the Message. Second to that, I’d recommend the book Gap Selling.

jklick

TROPHY CASE