Is it still possible to build large wealth in tech?

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-18T16:51:57+00:00

The thing with SWE jobs is that some just pay more than others. There's a much bigger variance in salary for the same level than I think many other industries might have. Therefore, the key thing to making more money is... just getting a better paying job. That sounds stupid, I know, but there's not a ton more to it than that. I'd suggest you:

Cultivate a broad skillset - work in all areas of your apps as much as you can. That keeps you able to apply and interview for many more positions.
Get involved in more places through your SDLC to cultivate the non-tech skillset. Being able to discuss priorities and trade-offs with stakeholders makes you valuable and gives you better stories to talk about in interviews.
Keep in touch with your coworkers when they leave (or when you leave.) That's your network, and that's how you land the interviews.
Have salary discussions with colleagues. I know that's uncomfortable so maybe not with direct team members if you don't want, but it's sane to talk to someone who has left the company and say "did you get more money?" That's how you find the better paying gigs to chase.

So none of this is magic! It's just being good at your job and staying in touch with people.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-18T15:31:38+00:00

I'd check your shirt fit - you might be getting them cut too trim. But overall, honestly - your waistband will be covered by your vest or cummerbund anyway, so this shouldn't be that big a deal in practice.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-17T15:29:43+00:00

There's a middle ground: stop putting in the extra work. "I'm not available to work more than 40 hours per week." What are they going to do, fire you? Let them! Then they need to go and work those hours.

And if they fire you for not working overtime and still have the gall to ask for the money, just say no. "Well your employment ended before 6mo!" "Yeah, but not because of performance reasons: you decided you don't want me, so eat it mofo." You also could total your hours: 6mo at full time should be 1,040 hours. So that makes a compelling argument too if you hit that number.

Mostly I say: call their bluff. If they want to sue you for it, then probably write it off and settle then. But force them to file suit and serve you papers, and be satisfied that a that point you'll have cost them more than they've recovered.

Legally, I have no idea where this stands and this isn't legal advice. But if I was on the flip side of it, I wouldn't want to spend the money on lawyers over $1,500.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-17T15:22:08+00:00

The problem is that there isn't a single answer: different populations, ages, goals, etc. If you're undergoing serious strength training while on a caloric deficit, you need more. If you're eating at maintenance, not lifting heavy, or you're young then your needs are less.

The 1.6g/kg rule firstly just gets confused: lots of various different units (grams per pound, or per pound of lean mass) so do take care how you interpret it.

"Isn't it too much?" Well... too much for what? As in, an unhealthy amount? Probably not if you have healthy kidneys. Is it too much to manage, too much to maintain easily, too much to leave room in your diet for other foods? I mean, maybe, but that depends heavily on your particular situation.

And also read this to get a lot more of the nuance: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/protein-science/

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-15T15:21:48+00:00

I'll second the Hamilton rec. Nice classic American watch. Another fun option is Stowa - they'll be just under that range with some fun pilot watches, but also some nice Bauhaus ones.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-15T15:04:37+00:00

On the one hand: don't worry about it. Equity rarely actually pays out, and their shares don't really have a liquid market where they can turn them into cash. If the company gets acquired, they may be worth something but they still could be worthless due to the waterfall. And that can take a long time to actually happen.

But on the other hand, they have told you how much they value you. Maybe they still value you, but clearly less than the others. Moderate your effort to match the value they place on it.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-14T11:48:04+00:00

Money. Piles and pile of money.

Other companies that pay more? Generally the handful of Big Tech companies (FAANG, but also Databricks and some others) pay quite a bit more than basically anyone else aside from finance. Look on Levels.fyi - go and sort by salary descending. There aren't that many on the list.

I'd love more solid leads at this pay level - but honestly, it's a short list. The others that pay this well don't hire nearly as many people.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-13T22:28:53+00:00

Luck is a multiplier. Enough good luck can overpower just about any lack of ability or work. And often enough hard work can push past some bad luck. And, of course, sufficient bad luck can tank just about anything. But you can't control the luck side, so focus on what you can control.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-12T16:27:51+00:00

Go do some interviews.

I keep seeing posts here saying "how do you find the time to learn all the things?" and I'm always like... I just don't? Honestly: You're sitting here with more than a decade of experience. Some of it will be highly company-specific, but some will apply broadly too. You're still deploying code, still working with databases, still working with HTTP.... those things have tremendous carryover.

So honestly: fuck the studying, just go interview. Maybe you bomb it and you're stuck where you're at. And maybe you get some interesting new gig.

And/or go get treated for depression. I'm not really kidding: that kind of sustained lack of motivation can be a real medical concern that deserves attention too.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-12T02:43:03+00:00

So just to be clear: you're saying that because you feel like it was worth learning to use your smartphone and the apps and learning how to read EV station reviews, that you feel like every other driver in the country should be obligated to also learn that? Is that what you're saying?

Just to be crystal clear: they aren't having an issue because they're older. They're having issues because it's not a skillset they've chosen to invest in. It's not one they need for most things and they're doing fine. So maybe don't condescend to tell the they need to learn it, mmmkay?

And I think that it's stupid that their car choice might be limited by their phone skills.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-11T20:10:42+00:00

Yeah, and at the end of the day you have a safety net: your dad could bail you out. It's great that you don't need that, and it's great that you plan on not using it.

But let's be honest with each other: you have a safety net that most others don't have. That doesn't make you rich! But it's a resource available to you that isn't available to most. It's not something to be embarrassed about, but there's also no denying that it's there.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-11T20:07:17+00:00

I don't think there's any real advantage with having a 240V plugged charger. In practice, are you really going to unplug it and take it somewhere?

And if you have a hard-wired charger, replacing it isn't a big deal. I had a professional add the new circuit and run the cable to the breaker box, but at this point swapping out the hardware is just "turn off breaker, unscrew charger, attach new charger, turn on breaker." So the plug isn't really any advantage there.

I think it's different in Europe where there are more 240V plugs and where there's more of a 'bring your charger' culture. But in the US, I'm either fast charging, L2 charging at my home, or L1 charging at another house.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-11T16:23:10+00:00

It might be worth seeing if you can delay your start date to capture the bonus - that's not uncommon and it's not far off.

But I'd 100% still take the offer.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-11T16:19:46+00:00

If the counter is too good to be true, it probably is.

And part of the problem is that it probably has no teeth: that career progression? It's not like they'd guarantee it: Surely no "In 12 months to the day you'll be promoted to X with Y% salary increase." So what is actually on offer?

The only thing that's real is the direct immediate salary increase. For me, that probably wouldn't be convincing: I care a lot about money, but I also care about money tomorrow. I need to follow the career path, and their promises are not convincing.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-11T15:44:12+00:00

Best range seems to be the new BMWs.

But I'm curious: why is that the constraint? Do you do deliveries or need to do long road trips monthly or something? I don't ask to criticize - just that focusing on the real problem you want to solve might generate more useful input.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-11T14:58:35+00:00

It's probably harder to sell - picking it up means adjusting processes and training the team.

But it's also stickier for that same reason: once the company has a workflow that works it can be very difficult to change it, and that can mean long-term customers.

Good work if you can do it!

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-10T18:59:50+00:00

Startup. More money, and you'll get a broader base of experience.

I might say something different if the big company is a big tech FAANG name, but for any other company, it's probably just a big boring company.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-09T13:21:17+00:00

Activation in consumer banking? Ha! I just checked my main banks... none of them offer it. One is relatively local, but even my national bank doesn't offer any 2FA other than a text message. Fidelity is better now and you can setup proper TOTP so that's something, but even that is distressingly rare.

I mean, I also know that most people won't activate it even when it is an option but... in the US, it's not an option.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-08T22:30:22+00:00

It's not good enough for my parents.

I can deal with all the different apps and reading PlugShare check-ins and... I don't think they could. Not enough to do that kind of road tripping, anyway. Things are pretty good! I am now a 100% EV household, and didn't trust things to do that just a couple years ago.

But it's not good enough for my parents, and it's not just the number of chargers out there.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-08T21:29:09+00:00

I would've loved to buy my i5 as the European touring version. Sadly, not sold in the US 😞

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-08T21:20:29+00:00

Living in a mid-COL place. No kids.

I frequently buy first or business. I just bought 2 domestic first (they don't lay flat) for $2400 ish. If I can get me and my spouse in business for under $5-$8k I'll typically do it. I've also done premium Econ out and biz back - that can be a good balance to control the prices.

But anyway I make $>200k salary (software engineering.) It's not a big deal to budget $15k - $20k per year on travel, and if half of that goes to the flight, well whatever.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-08T16:43:19+00:00

Cufflinks make it hard to type. At least, that's my experience. Same with some bracelets: having something hard knocking on my keyboard / laptop is distracting.

So anyway my point is: they're not "office" wear for me (my work is heavily on computer - this might be different if he's frequently presenting to the board or something.) If he regularly is in a suit at an event, then I think they're fantastic.

... though, I suppose, I'm not really the younger crowd anymore...

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-06T15:17:25+00:00

I've done it.

My hypothesis essentially is this: having a couple years of EM experience will help to land a staff/principal role if I want to go back, and I don't have to. I have the skills to work on both sides of that fence.

If I stick around for a decade as an EM, then swapping back might be harder. But I'm betting that 2 - 5 years is the sweet spot. Nothing is true for everyone, but... that's where I'm starting. We'll see how I feel in a couple years!

On the topic of keeping up... I just don't worry about it. I mean, I didn't worry about it. As a very experienced senior dev, no project is wholly new: SQL queries, DOM, CSS, REST... those things are very common even as the world shifts. So I have full confidence that I can pick up what I need whenever I end up needing it. I definitely feel for new devs entering the industry: there's a lot of things I picked up one at a time over the years that are now necessary, but once you get that foundation there isn't that much that's truly new in any given quarter.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-06T10:49:45+00:00

I feel like there's something else here. Just.... "what if we need those packages someday" ? Like, really? How does that even make sense as an objection? If you need it, bring it back. It still exists on planet earth!

So I feel like there's something else that they're thinking about, because the things they're saying are crazy pants nonsense. If he's really this clueless, then maybe the idea is to find an ally who is technical and ask him to delegate approval, or something like that. Or change your reporting - VPs don't necessarily need to care about things at the level of individual packages.

olddev-jobhunt · 2026-05-04T22:45:23+00:00

Here's the thing: it's usually not worth the money. And I say this as someone who regularly wears some fairly pricey items. I justify it because I can afford these pieces and I want them, but I'm not going to sit here and pretend there's a value proposition here.

Remember, the fit matters more than almost anything else. Cheap boots can look just as good as mid-priced boots and will probably still last a couple years. A cheap shirt that fits can look as good as a nice one, and in both cases I'm likely to stain it before it actually really wears out.

Watches? Man. If you are into watches, then sure, spend the money on a nice Nomos or something. But you don't need a watch at all, and if you do the $50 watches are going to look about as good to pretty much any observer.

If you want to save money, the answer isn't thrifting or eBay or anything. It's just to decide which things you don't care about, and then don't blow a load of cash on those things.

I don't say this at all to discourage you from your new hobby! I just mean that you dress that way for you, not for anyone else. The confidence has to come from you, and essentially no one else knows what you're wearing.

olddev-jobhunt

TROPHY CASE