qubelife.com

So, the more I look at external sites, a person who’s writing tells a lot about Silicon Valley type thinking is this Guy.  The dude has some great connections including Penelope Trunk, who is a career columnist.  Guy has a really cool interview with her on his site.  I think her answers are pretty reasonable.  I’ll add the Silicon Valley spin below, so come back after you read it. #7, 8 and 10 are highlights.

1. Probably about $100,000 for engineers in Silicon Valley.  It’s a nice round number.  Engineers also have the highest starting salary for undergrad degrees holders.
2. I like her answer, but I think the term ‘respect’ needs to be in there as well.  When people become unlikable, they lose people’s respect.  You don’t need to like people, but you need to be able to respect them to work together.
3. I wouldn’t sue, I would report to HR.
4. I’ve actually been (un)fortunate enough to have been promoted very quickly.  I was at a Director level position in a NASDAQ 100 company in my early 30s, reporting directly to a VP of Marketing.  However, I actually had to do some jobs that I really didn’t like.  The jobs I had prior actually gave me more personal satisfaction.  While obviously being promoted means getting paid more, at some point many people don’t find the extra money worth the extra hassle.
5. Penelope says specialist.  I say that you need to be very very good at one thing in engineering, then over your career you need to grow your understanding in adjacent areas to be at least conversant.  This allows you to easily gain the respect of those who you need to work with.  Now days, almost everything is multidiscipline.  The problem with many engineers that if you aren’t conversant in their area of expertise, they simply see you as stupid and not worth their time.’
6. If you can tell great stories, you’re a good communicator.  It’s already a bonus.  Odds are you weren’t out of work for lack of trying.
7. This answer is the peak of this whole article.  Do not go back to school if you can’t find a job or can’t find a job you enjoy.  Odds are there is something else wrong.
8. One page… one page… one page…
9. You should always know your strengths and weaknesses.  At some point, we’ll have a guide about prepping for an engineering interview.
10. For me 8 jobs before 30 is a bit much, unless you count my 3 retail jobs and 2 waiting gigs between high school and graduation from college.  College is meant for one thing, EXPERIMENTATION.  The great thing about the Valley is that there are always people willing to take a chance.  You just need to be able to find them and show them that you are the right choice for them.   One thing I’ve noticed in the valley, after about 10 years of professional experience some people can find it difficult to change job categories (like from a fabless semiconductor to internet portal).
11. In Silicon Valley, it’s REALLY EXPENSIVE to live.  If your parents live in the area, and they haven’t turned your room into a storage room, move back in.  But do a couple of things - pay them rent and have a plan to move out (either with friends or buying a house).
12. I agree with this answer.  I actually didn’t take a job at one point (even though the offer was great), because another interviewing engineer told me his boss was an “ogre”.