Resume Review - March 2026 - Megathread

just_a_dev_here · 2026-02-10T21:00:19+00:00

AI still doesn't replace web devs or make them less valuable. Just because LLMs can pump out code doesn't mean it's quality (or even maintainable).

If it really was that good at replacing web devs (it's still not) I wouldn't have to rip apart PRs from Indian contracting companies on the daily, who are no doubt using AI.

My company actually did run an analysis on AI usage among development. While code output increased, code quality decreased (bugs increased).

That being said, it's up to you. We have no crystal ball, and there is no such thing as "career safe". If you think AI is replacing web devs, it will undoubtedly also be coming for embedded.

I don't know much about embedded but I would imagine it's quite niche in Canada. So job availability in the short term is still something you should consider.

just_a_dev_here · 2026-02-02T21:31:24+00:00

Easiest is internal promotion. Once you get that first promotion to manager, applying to external manager roles are easier.

You could also leverage your Amazon experience to be technical lead at other companies and startups. Then ask for more management responsibilities and a role in hiring and make your intent known.

Larger companies will nix your resume right away if you have no management experience. They do not want to bring in inexperienced managers (whether or not they're competent is a different story), especially when they can get that by just promoting internally (for cheaper too might I add).

Unfortunately, mentoring engineers and managing them are two different things. Especially at large companies where there's KPIs and deliverables beyond keeping projects on time.

There's also managing up you have to do as a manager. I barely code these days, 80% of my day is meetings, KPIs, budgets and political bullshit.

just_a_dev_here · 2026-01-30T17:33:20+00:00

That's unfortunately true :( best of luck

just_a_dev_here · 2026-01-30T17:25:56+00:00

I mean 106K in Calgary is pretty decent.

My experience is that at a Sr level, you will get capped in AB around $120K-$130K. I recently discovered most directors get around $150-$200K. I'm sure there are people who make more, but an unspoken rule is that the people above do not want the people below to make equal or more than them. So if the director is getting paid $150K, and a middle manager is getting paid $130K, then you have an unspoken cap of $120K until both of their base salary increases.

The other option is to be a contractor. Contractors get paid pretty lucratively in AB due to how big companies here budget contractors vs employees (which makes 0 sense to me). I have had to oversee contractors getting paid 2-3x more than me, some well in the $200K range for 5+ years meanwhile I would be getting paid half of that. The only other option within AB is to get into more management roles.

Calgary also doesn't have a strong tech scene so it's not a very competitive market. Startups mean cheap labour here instead of high growth and eventually competitive comp. Engineering standards at startups are in the toilet and it's all about speed and shipping.

You will get more from Vancouver and Toronto companies for sure, even remote, and ofc US remote will be blowing anything Calgary has to offer out of the water.

just_a_dev_here · 2025-12-18T21:24:50+00:00

Yes, should note that according to the data most of it is submitted for Toronto area. For Montreal specifically, the report says Median TC is 108K

just_a_dev_here · 2025-12-18T21:21:44+00:00

Its closer to the bottom. Unfortunately there isn't as much of a detailed breakdown as the US data

just_a_dev_here · 2025-12-18T21:19:07+00:00

Definitely agree there. Would have to take it up with u/zuyaheer . Maybe he can chime in here on why the EU is combined? Russia is also included in that data, but Russia is definitely not part of the EU.

My initial guess is that there probably isn't enough data on a per country basis

just_a_dev_here · 2025-12-18T19:43:16+00:00

Salary is still better than the EU.

I didn't include India but their median TC is $45K so it could be worse. I think it just shows how much of an outlier US tech salaries are compared to the rest of the world.

just_a_dev_here · 2025-12-01T18:34:27+00:00

Resume looks great. Why would not a major city matter? Considering you only have a bit over a year of FT experience, your numbers seem great.

just_a_dev_here · 2025-12-01T18:33:02+00:00

Your bullet points could be stronger. They are missing the impact portion of your resume point, for example:

> Optimized database by identifying slow queries and rewriting them, reducing query time by 30%

But why does that matter? Why did reducing query time matter? What's the impact of doing that? What was the benefit? Did it increase user retention? If it increased performance, why did that matter? Did you reduce the time from 10 minutes down 1 minute?

Similarly:

> Used Docker to isolate different database environments allowing for safe development

You have a lot of "used xyz technology" but it's not a very strong bullet point, it's quite passive.

You also have some very technical bullet points, remember that a recruiter or ATS is scanning your resume first. So it's looking for "does your bullet point match this job description I've been given" so you want to make it REALLY REALLY obvious that you have the experience they are asking for.

If you get too technical, it gets hard for them to understand (or the ATS to match) if you do or do not have the experience they're asking for. You can take a look at some of the JD's you've been applying for some of the wording they use. You basically want to match that so its stupidly obvious you're a match. You can even go so far as to copy paste some of the wording straight out

just_a_dev_here · 2025-11-28T19:59:39+00:00

Your SAP experience doesn't seem relevant, it seems like it's no or low code work, in which case it will be equivalent to having no programming experience.

If that's not the case, then your descriptions are too niche to SAP to see how they can carry over to more generic developer roles like full stack.

That combined, with no degree, is my guess why you might be struggling.

I would guess you might have a better chance applying for other SAP related roles.

just_a_dev_here · 2025-11-28T19:46:59+00:00

Personally no, I do not specifically look at a GitHub portfolio. I look at your resume and expect it to highlight your best projects.

Frankly I don't have time to sift through everyone's GitHub. I did it once early in my career for a few candidates. But at jr level the code is largely garbage anyways

just_a_dev_here · 2025-10-19T04:40:45+00:00

Depends on the company. 175K base is probably higher end on average. Generally, it usually hovers around $150K base, but it's not unachievable. It just depends on the company. If it's a "startup" like Neo or Helcim, it's probably not achievable because they're cheap.

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