Advice on moving from big tech to something more socially responsible
Posted by Efficient-Mess-9753@reddit | ExperiencedDevs | View on Reddit | 137 comments
I have been in big tech for 20 years now, and have reached a high level (e8 at meta).
I get paid great and the work is often interesting (it's also often very frustrating and political). But I have reached the point in my life I would like to work on something more meaningful than hyper optimisation of ads delivery, something I have done at Google, Amazon and now meta.
I'd like to work on something more meaningful, something that solves a problem for people in the real world, but I keep getting "you are overqualified" notes from folks in my network. Or the other one is "you are looking to slow down?"
I am not trying to slow down, I just want to work on something that matters more. I have talked to people looking into aids for disabled people, and care for elders, but I feel like it'd be easier to get VP job at Microsoft than get a job like what I am looking for.
Does anyone have any experience with this sort of transition?
I am having such a bad time, I have thought maybe of just starting my own company.
trembling_leaf_267@reddit
I've seen a few folks like you in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federally_funded_research_and_development_centers. Rough right now with federal funding, but you might want to at least take a look
IcyStomach2374@reddit
E8 at Meta? Dude.. go live your life man. Retire.
GrandOldFarty@reddit
I had to look up what that means money wise and Holy Fuck that is a lot of money.
QuietSea@reddit
<1% of engineers at meta are E8, or something like that. OP is quite literally upper echelon of software engineers in the entire world, and he's asking us for advice š
lbrtrl@reddit
It's wild that OP's reached E8, which presumably requires high level thinking, and is asking this sub for career advice.
Efficient-Mess-9753@reddit (OP)
I think you will find that if you ask more for advice, listen to people, talk to others, learn things, you'll find that you might also make e8
darkblue2382@reddit
You realize there are more NFL players than e8s at Facebook. It's like telling a high schooler if they do x they will make it to the NFL
worety@reddit
idk, I donāt think Iām particularly special and I made it to E8. mostly A/B student in high school, went to an okay private university but not anything like an Ivy/MIT/Stanford. I did good and very impactful technical work at a fast rate, saw the next big issues, had the social skills to not mess up and read the āroomā, and I kept getting promoted.
Meta is only one company, and there are more E8s than players on any one NFL team (53 IIRC?), there are other companies out there with engineers at a similar level.
Impassio@reddit
Heās giving more general advice. Itās more like telling a high schooler they need to practice specific skills if they want a chance at making the NFL.
darkblue2382@reddit
"You'll find that you might also make the" NFL. Thank you for the slight correction on the general advice there.
sonofasonofason@reddit
They're not being literal. They're (1) saying that there's no shame in asking for advice and (2) subtly jabbing at the commenter: "this is why you're not at my level"
Mediocre_Tear3014@reddit
if you eat your veggies you will make distinguished engineer at goog šÆšÆ
MasSunarto@reddit
Brother, thank you for the valuable advice. š
Fickle_Bat_623@reddit
I hope you never find fulfillment, eat shit
max123246@reddit
The amount of money you make doesn't change a person. Saying that means you think somehow someone is smarter or "better" because they have made more money. It's just not true. There's so many factors that go into it that it's insane to even imply that sort of claim
maria_la_guerta@reddit
Immediate sign that threads like these aren't real.
max123246@reddit
The amount of money you make doesn't change a person. Saying that means you think somehow someone is smarter or "better" because they have made more money. It's just not true. There's so many factors that go into it that it's insane to even imply that sort of claim
Kind-Armadillo-2340@reddit
OP the socially responsible thing to do would be to give me some money. That is if they want to know what we think.
Efficient-Mess-9753@reddit (OP)
A lot of those listings are including previous stock awards that were granted at a lower price. I don't make $3.5 million a year
Kind-Armadillo-2340@reddit
So $2.1 million per year then?
Double-Vegetable-249@reddit
That indeed is a lot of money
b1e@reddit
Idk you do you. I hit director and really enjoy working with brilliant people on large problems.
I retired briefly but itās not for everyone
tankerton@reddit
Angel investment and sit on boards. Use your experience and assets to extend your reach while building a nut. Eventually you can find/make the role you're looking for while making an impact along the way
worety@reddit
This seems like a likely way to lose money. Why angel invest in startups (which mostly fail) instead of buying VT?
tankerton@reddit
The person is looking for meaningful work and a mission he believes in to apply his time and resources. He can be the investor to buy his way into small groups that he aligns his interests in.
bombaytrader@reddit
Nah angel investment is a full time job and you need a huge deal flow to make it work.Ā
etxipcli@reddit
Why not start your own company? What is holding you back?Ā
worety@reddit
Iām an E8 and meta and I would never want to be responsible for employees, talking to investors, and all of the other unpleasant stuff a founder needs to do.
Thereās a reason Iām an E8 on the IC track rather than a D1.
Efficient-Mess-9753@reddit (OP)
I don't really have a good idea . I am a software engineer, not a disability or elder car expert or whatever
etxipcli@reddit
Yeah I'm in a similar situation and my comment is sort of to myself as well as you.Ā
I'm taking a break and I'm considering taking my savings, going lean financially, and kind of starting from scratch.
I would be happy with regular software work as long as it was more about users and problem solving rather than margins. I plan to reach out to an old PM to see if he has ideas for startups I could implement while he guides, or clients who want little contracted one offs.
Famous-Test-4795@reddit
As long as you prioritize having a positive impact on others.
new2bay@reddit
Have you looked into joining an existing health tech company? I worked for a mental health tech company for a while, and it was great to see the work we were doing actually matter to real people. Green tech also seems pretty impactful.
BandicootGood5246@reddit
Can always go along to startup meetups. Good way to make some connections and potentially put you on the radar of folks needing your expertise
Efficient-Mess-9753@reddit (OP)
This is a good idea
KnowingRegurgitator@reddit
I interviewed at this place. If thereās not a role for you there, Iām sure there are plenty of other similar companies in various other sectors. https://www.safely-you.com/
Other than that, like others have said, volunteering is probably the most impactful thing you could do.
Famous-Test-4795@reddit
Why not donate money to people who have that expertise?
_hypnoCode@reddit
That's what co-founders are for. But, good ones would come more organically I would imagine. Like someone you know from college or a hobby.
pm_me_ur_doggo__@reddit
I think the implication is you should start a software company. One that serves a niche that gives you meaning. Use your skills for good.
worety@reddit
If you are at Meta then your title is just āSoftware Engineerā, not āprincipal software engineerā or anything particularly intimidating. Where do you hit the āoverqualifiedā filterāYoE?
navytank@reddit
Several years ago I left big tech (staff @ Google) to go do civic tech work. I managed engineering teams at VA, Library of Congress, and other federal agencies working on civic problems. I found that super meaningful.
The pay is massively lower even on the private sector side, I started around $180k as an eng manager and worked my way up to the highest paid director at the company at about $230k. The work can be quite political as well --- but extremely meaningful and the people doing that work are motivated to solve problems that actually help people.
If this sounds interesting, check out the Digital Services Coalition companies, there's a lot of good stuff happening there. State and local is less volatile right now than federal due to the current admin but there's still meaningful work up and down the whole pile. DM me if you want takes on various companies in that list.
Own-Chemist2228@reddit
I had the opposite experience. Worked for a couple of government contractors and was shocked by how inefficient and frankly, corrupt, they were. Many of the developers half-assed everything "I'm not feeling well today..." and the leadership was a bunch grifters that won contracts by schmoozing government employees.
It was so hard to take any pride in of the work because the output was so poor quality. Most government websites are junk, and I found out why.
Emotional-Dust-1367@reddit
Do you know if something like this exists in Europe?
navytank@reddit
It's really by country/government. There's always government software service work to be done but culturally how aligned is it to modern software practices and open to (what we'd consider) healthy modernization?
UK has a solid "Government Digital Service" group that's been doing similar kinds of work to USDS (pre-DOGE) that I'd try to follow around. I don't know about the rest of the ecosystem around it or about other countries.
hurley_chisholm@reddit
Clarifying question: was this through a gov contractor or is this a Freudian slip and you meant to say agency or department?
navytank@reddit
a govcon, one of the DSC companies, small-ish but in a rapid growth phase. 200 people when I joined, 600 when I left 4+ years later.
Admirable-Bowl3874@reddit
consider joining or founding a b corp.
barockok@reddit
I've been there. After 15 years in the industry (mostly fintech), I reached a similar point. The "overqualified" thing is real ā many smaller orgs see big-tech experience as a signal you'll leave or cost too much.
What worked for me: stop applying through channels. Instead, identify 3-5 founders whose mission genuinely resonates, reach out directly with a specific offer of what you'd build in your first 90 days. Not a resume ā a mini execution plan.
The jobs that matter rarely have postings. They're conversations that happen because someone saw a problem and showed up with the skills to solve it.
Also: your E8 comp will likely never be matched in mission-driven work. Make peace with that upfront or you'll second-guess the move.
minderbinder@reddit
Read about the life of Douglas Thompkins and maybe you can follow his example. Buy land and donate to national parks.
ninetofivedev@reddit
So we're supposed to just believe this guy is an E8 at Meta.
Seems like people, including OP, don't realize. E8 is almost unheard of.
campbellm@reddit
xpingu69@reddit
If you are interested in Green Software I can connect you with someone
xpingu69@reddit
How about working on self transcendence?
23276530@reddit
Middle aged big tech shill becomes enlightened and attains ethical consciousness after 30 years of hoarding
kaizenkaos@reddit
Go into teaching.Ā
Voerdievis@reddit
Learn our children how to hyperoptimize ads
simonraynor@reddit
You're making assumptions, he could have been on the "manipulate elections" team
Cosmicdev_058@reddit
the 'you are overqualified' thing is code for 'we cannot afford you and we assume you will leave in 6 months when you get bored.' which honestly, fair, because from their perspective hiring an e8 meta engineer to work on elder care software is like hiring a formula 1 mechanic to fix a honda civic. they are not wrong to be nervous.
the startup idea is probably your real answer here. you have 20 years of big tech experience and presumably enough savings that you do not need to optimize for salary for the first time in your career. that is an incredibly rare position to be in. most founders would kill for it.
also worth noting that 'solving real problems for real people' and 'working at a company that does that' are two different things. plenty of mission driven orgs have the same politics and frustration you are trying to escape, they just pay less for the privilege.
03263@reddit
I would say it's probably most productive if you keep your job and use your income to support causes you believe in.
There's no shortage of people that want to work in meaningful jobs that have more purpose, but a shortage of money in most of them.
PedoDorf@reddit
I think you have a massive amount of options, and all of it depends on what specifically you are looking for. I don't think we have enough information what you are looking for, so I will just start spitting ideas, maybe something will stick, maybe you can branch off on your own ideas.
Charities or non-profits - There is nothing stopping you from working in meaningful companies directly. The problem usually is that they don't have a lot of cash so they cannot really grow, so they don't really have a major impact. Even if a company is useful in a meaningful way, it still can be large but that is usually because the money making case was stronger. It still doesn't mean that the company is not doing meaningful work. Look around you, what you or others use that you wouldn't be able to live without, and try to improve or optimize it. FOSS contributor - I am very certain that there are projects after projects that need actual good quality contributors, and if you cannot find one create your own. Worst case scenario, literally go to the group of people you want to help, ask them what their problems are, or what they are using, and try to improve that. Doesn't get as simpler than that. Companies providing SaaS to charities or non-profits - I am certain this is more generic, you can do your own consulting for anyone in need. Work to donate - if you can make a lot of money, and know that helping others isn't actually a problem, it is just that they are strapped for cash, you might be able to provide financial help for them to hire people they need, or buy necessary things. If you want something in the care of the elderly, there is not much help you can do. Technology for it exists, you could certainly improve it, but I think you wouldn't be limited by yourself, but by how much you the elderly would have to pay to get the help they want or need.
After writing a lot, I had to cut out major parts of the text, sorry, as it was already a massive text, but if you would want more ideas, I would suggest looking at the Effective Altruism. I never was part of the group, so I wouldn't know how it looks inside, however they still have very much useful resources on how you can go about finding what you want to help with, what you can consider, and what are the options. You can read a few blogs, and go from there, better understanding what specifically you are even looking for.
Crutch1232@reddit
You need to find a place which working on solving real existing problems, not a place which tries to create problems and sell the solution to that problem.
Spheres like ecology, medical equipment, education.
About slowing down, i do not think it is bad, isn't it?
bobaduk@reddit
If you're open to relocation, or somehow already based in the UK. you can come help me reduce carbon emissions by controlling industrial plants. It's a vibe.
Virtual-Palpitation5@reddit
Iāve faced the same feeling, I have only 3YOE though. Hate big tech now.
Going to pursue research instead.
ptoshkov@reddit
Have you tried searching for something related to accessibility?
alienangel2@reddit
Does it have to be in software development? I get that that is where it feel like you'd have the greatest impact, but there aren't really that many great ideas for software to help people that are just bottlenecked on needing devs. You probably are overqualified just in the sense that the work that needs to be done isn't all that complex, it's just poorly rewarded non profitable so few companies do it.
If i got laid off, I walk over to the vet downstairs and ask if I can help out there, or at an animsl shelter they know. Sure I'd be happy to write software for them if they actually want that, but most of the time I think they just need someone who's willing to stay late and help with sick animals without being paid for it.
Noah_Safely@reddit
All the privacy and anti-tracking organizations would love to have you, even if it's just as a volunteer.
One thing every organization that does good needs is money. You could work at a crappy place like Meta, then donate your salary minus expenses to charity. It's not as personally fulfilling but I'd argue it does much more good in the long run.
I think one of the biggest privacy issues right now is browser fingerprinting. Really difficult problem for those of us who care about privacy. Working in that space would be a really good thing.
Kudos to you for wanting to move on from that world.
eviltwin33@reddit
Do you have any pointers on how to go about this?
Any_Service_2347@reddit
You probably make like 4M a year, are you prepared to make 1/20th to 1/30th of that?
max123246@reddit
I honestly have 0 clue what I'd do with $4 million/yr. I honestly don't understand why anyone would need that much unless they're already donating a bunch or helping out a lot of friends and extended family through shit
JSavageOne@reddit
Why not join some startup/company like Neuralink that's doing work you're interested in? They must exist.
Also E8? The world is your oyster.
max123246@reddit
As a first step, are you donating large amounts of money? I assume you don't need most of what you earn since honestly in your position, I don't think I could spend that kind of money even if I tried. I probably could spend it all if I just gave fat stacks to everyone I know and love so they can do what they love
So that is one of the most direct ways you can turn your current work into something socially responsible as you put it.
And that doesn't require any life changes, that's something you can start doing today
Smooth-Machine5486@reddit
The "overqualified" thing is just HR speak for "we can't afford you."
Target companies that actually need your scale experience, like healthcare tech, climate tech, fintech serving under-banked populations. They have real problems requiring E8 level systems thinking.
Madormo@reddit
You can work for the NIH, CDC, or some other government agency.
ooleary@reddit
Eh, didn't DOGE do a number on those last year?
Longjumping_Feed3270@reddit
Who's supposed to hire you? Who could offer you more than a ridiculous fraction of your current pay?
If you want to do this, you will have to resign, found an NGO or something yourself, ideally along with a book release and some podcast appearances.
I look forward to listening to you on Your undivided attention.
Soleilarah@reddit
Join some open source projects : they'll certainly won't mind someone of your caliber joining in and you'll help a wide variety of people
Cyclic404@reddit
I spent over a decade working in international development until DOGE. Quite frankly we call folks like you corporate refugees. It's not always true, but the stereotype is that of someone that wants to slow down and doesn't want to do the work.
If your total comp really is some $2M, that's the sort of budget we'd have to fight for, and it could cover extensive teams for years. That level of comp tends to lead to some pretty ridiculous conversations, where the refugee doesn't understand why we: "just don't".
I don't mean to put you off the work, but you do have to do the work to show you can enter a space, work with all sorts of people, work with very limited resources and know how to design "sustainable" solutions to actual problems, etc.
If I were you I'd look into volunteering, and not try to rearrange the furniture on the first day (or year).
hw999@reddit
I'm having a hard time feeling sorry for someone who sold their soul to a company like meta. Maybe sell your shares and help children with their internet addictions?
Party-Lingonberry592@reddit
I help people prep for interviews, coach them, do mock interviews from the perspective of ex-FAANG with 20 yoe. It took me a couple of years to slow things down and not work on 10 things at the same time. Helping people who need jobs hit that spot of "meaningful" and keeping current. Starting a new company is a big time and money sink. Spend time with the people you care about, and do that thing you wanted to do for the last 30 years. For me, it was moving to a beautiful city in a house with a gorgeous view. I'm now 7 years out of my last big company. I have zero regrets.
Maybe it's time to slow down a little. What's the rush? Life is short. Do the things that matter to you the most.
AlwaysFixingStuff@reddit
Nothing wrong with this. I work for a company (startup) in the payments space who has a real impact on people who are most vulnerable and itās been rewarding to hear and see how what I work on personally helps others.
Iām a staff engineer. 228k/20% bonus potential for reference if youāre wondering how comp may compare.
Iāve been here for 3 years now and donāt have much of a reason to leave. I urge you to make that shift. It really does wonders for your mental health.
It may be easier to seek out companies and then peak at jobs rather than hoping you come across a job on a board. Ours arenāt consistently posted on LinkedIn, for example. We fill them quick enough that they donāt need to be it seems.
Annual_Negotiation44@reddit
Are you in VHCOL?
AlwaysFixingStuff@reddit
Fully remote company - MCOL? Iām in Raleigh, NC.
strawberrywebcocoa@reddit
Iām in Trust and Safety in big tech. Tons of meaningful work here protecting the users, from high prevalence harms like fraud and scam, to low-prevalence but high severity harms like Child Safety, Multi-victim Violence etc.
beeskneecaps@reddit
Go undo what you helped build? Lol
Empanatacion@reddit
You're at early retirement levels of savings by now, I imagine? I'd find some like minded people and start a company
hdkaoskd@reddit
Fund a worker co-op.
Visual-Lemon7906@reddit
overqualified" seems like a lazy excuse
Vamosity-Cosmic@reddit
I love this mindset
PossibilityFlat6237@reddit
If youāre not looking to slow down (and god am I so jealous that youāre somehow surviving the pace), then you need to look at early stage startups.
Real talk though, Iād stick it out until you hit your FIRE number, then retire and volunteer.
serg06@reddit
Where in his post did he say he's not at FIRE yet? He's clearly a multi-millionaire.
PossibilityFlat6237@reddit
They clearly still have the job? That isnāt RE
serg06@reddit
Reaching your FIRE number doesn't mean that you have to retire, it only means that you can retire.
MountaintopCoder@reddit
Don't shift the goalposts. Everyone was talking about the FI part of FIRE.
Meta E8s are making $2m-$5m depending on tenure and grant prices. I would be incredibly surprised if his NW is less than $20m.
Point being, he is almost certainly at his FIRE number.
PossibilityFlat6237@reddit
My literal words (i.e. āeveryoneā wasnāt talking about FI):
MountaintopCoder@reddit
When your words are "FIRE number," you're talking about the FI part.
Plenty of people are financially independent and continue to work. It's really not an outlandish concept.
PossibilityFlat6237@reddit
I think youāre confused about what FIRE is
ShanghaiBebop@reddit
Not sure why youāre downvoted, because Iām reading OPs post the same way.Ā
Heās definitely way past fatfire if heās been e8 for a while.Ā
PoopsCodeAllTheTime@reddit
Volunteering, even with your own nonprofit, will likely have outweighed impact for a social benefit.
Right now I work at a small company that goes fast and provides real technological value to other companies. Itās great. But itāll never be doing as much good as I could by designing a solution that people face for which there is no budget to fix
Legitimate-Sale-9642@reddit
got a source for that info?
PoopsCodeAllTheTime@reddit
Yeah: logic. If you donāt own the direction of the work then you canāt be sure that itās going to be ultimately utilized for social good. Any good work can be exploited for money.
abrandis@reddit
I agree put up with the B's a few years longer bank your earnings and then when you hit your r/fire number you can find other more fulfilling pursuits
throwaway_142356@reddit
Yeah, volunteer for a local org like a tenants union or something. You can make an enormous impact building shit for them.
Practical-Piglet-933@reddit
Youāre being misread as ātrying to slow down,ā but the real issue is domain fit at E8 level.
Best paths are pivoting internally to impact-focused teams, joining an early-stage mission-driven startup, or starting something yourselfāthose routes accept senior scope without treating it as overqualification.
in-some-other-way@reddit
Ultimately any good you do in America will be eventually cannibalized under capitalism.
If you want to benefit the rest of humanity I recommend looking at working under alternative economic systems, ones where the state does not dismantle/bomb things built for the good of all people. They exist today.
MORPHINExORPHAN666@reddit
You are right in worrying about finding a ājobā doing what you would like to. Pickings are slim, and you may be sidelined for being too qualified. Have you considered starting something yourself?
If it is truly a meaningful mission, and benefits either the most disadvantaged (old poor people and the genuinely disabled) or society as a whole, you will find that your costs can readily be covered by corporate and government subsidies. Large tech firms love to prop up well meaning non-profits, especially when the founder isnāt using it to make a name for themselves.
Ambitious-Garbage-73@reddit
the honest version most people avoid saying: the pay cut you take going from big tech to mission-driven is usually larger than the posts suggest, and the compensation usually shifts from cash to equity that may or may not realize. that's not a reason not to do it. it's a reason to run the number with your actual budget before the romance of the move carries you past the part where you can't afford it. I know two friends who made the move, one came back, one didn't. the one who didn't had paid off their mortgage first.
denverdave23@reddit
Look at catch a fire. It's a website for volunteering. You'll meet a ton of non-profits, some of whom would love to have you as an advisor or employee.
Electrical-Mark-9708@reddit
Try health tech, its mostly woefully outdated.
Possible_Fortune_499@reddit
In similar boat, few ideas: coach people to become financially independent, it's life changing. Coach them to get better at their careers. Write about stuff that you know well, and about new things you learn . Think about problems you want solved, make a list, work through them. And finally, make a list of what you want to do with time, do it.
strugglingcomic@reddit
This is me, I haven't made much progress or anything on this particular avenue yet, but I feel like similar opportunities abound for contributing to civil society one way or another: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46307300
I'm probably still 5-10 years out from FIRE realistically, but I'm also planning to take some baby steps, like getting more engaged with my local municipal services, learning more about how my actual local fire and EMS departments operate, before seeing if I can do more tackle this problem statement (of private equity extorting fire departments with shitty software practices).
Inspired/pissed-off after reading: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/us/fire-department-software-private-equity.html?unlocked_article_code=1.cVA.s535.OpMP6hNndtuA&smid=nytcore-android-share
Void-kun@reddit
If you're looking to adopt a 30 year old man let me know
Local_Recording_2654@reddit
Iām not quite at your level but a few years away from hitting a comfortable FIRE number so Iāve been thinking about the same. Current plan is to continue working for ethically neutral companies and donate the income to efficient charities. EA but without the longtermist ridiculousness.
Fickle_Bat_623@reddit
I hope you realize that you didn't just fail to make the world a better place, you actively made the worst a worse place in a more significant way than 99.999% of people will ever even be capable of
diablo1128@reddit
I have no advice for you, but I find it amusing that I'm in the total opposite situation from you.
15 YOE working at companies that help people and attempt to do good in the world by creating safety critical medical devices. Think of devices like dialysis machines and insulin pumps. I even have my named as an inventor on patents granted in the USA and Internationally.
The companies I've worked for pay like shit as at 15 YOE I'm making 110K leading teams of 20 SWEs on billion dollar R&D projects. These companies are private, non-tech companies in non-tech cities. It's super top down management style that is slow moving and has what I feel is poor quality code. Yes it works and is safe, but it's by no means considered modern code as it's primarily C with classes style C++.
At the end of the day I want the opposite of you. I want to work at a faster pace tech company and make more money. I have no issues working in the office every day and all that stuff.
Sadly I'm not smart enough for those big companies where I can make the big bucks. I interview whenever they reach out, which is slim to none in the past year. I apply to those companies as well, but they never reach back out to me for an interview.
I assume it's because I have no experience in their domain and my technical skills are just average. I always say I would take a new grad role at a big tech company and easily make more money than I do now, but that's not how those companies operate. 15 YOE means I need to be slotted in as at least a Senior according to recruiters I've spoken to in the past.
They say they are not going to interview me as a 15 YOE new grad or mid-level SWE. The closest I've been to breaking in to big tech was interviews at Apple for their core motion / health teams. I made it to "final interviews" after the virtual onsite on 2 occasions and never got an offer.
Each time I was told it was bad timing to to apply again in the future. One hiring manager even said he will pass my resume along to another team after declining to give me an offer, but the other team never reached out to me. This is the closets I've been to lading any offer at big tech. I assume they thought I could do the job, it's just this other candidate was better in some or many ways.
I've interviewed at the Googles and such places as well and I never perform well enough for the recruiter to want to send my package to hiring committee. I'm probably a meh SWE at the end of the day, but feel some experience working at big tech with mentoring from the smart SWEs would help long term.
Though tech companies don't want to hear the 15 YOE SWE candidate wants mentoring when they are being hired to be the mentor of others at the Senior level.
Anyways, I've rambled on long enough and I'm sure you get the idea. lol
talldean@reddit
Hey, I was an E8 at Meta, uh, up until two weeks ago. I hear it.
On my end, I went with joining nonprofit boards, which is relatively easy if you already give them $1000+/year, and if you ask. I've found things like "they don't have engineering or data science support", so that's where I'm looking to try and help. I'm also trying to write a book, which is slow going, but keeps me hacking.
Do you want to code? Do you want to advise? To direct? To align? What's the sweet spot of motivation for you, other than "you want to not do this"?
Frosty-Ocelot-1054@reddit
look into B Corps or social enterprises, they often need tech leadership with purpose-driven goals
hatsandcats@reddit
If you want to help people, volunteer at a soup kitchen or animal shelter. I donāt think youāre really going to find any āmeaningfulā work in the tech industry. And even if you do, once you get under the surface level there is the same frustrating political dynamics going on except the people are less competent, the product is worse, and youāll get paid less. Your call though.
Hereās an idea - how about a sabbatical? Some travel might give you a better perspective.
Adept-Log3535@reddit
Just do volunteering work when you have spare time or donate your money. Full-time employment at NGOs and non-profits is usually very miserable.
forbiddenknowledg3@reddit
Start your own company.
PredictableChaos@reddit
Is it a lack of finding something interesting? Or the groups/companies not being interesting?
I used to work in the education sector building cognitive development exercises for kids and it was incredibly rewarding. But I'll be honest, when I got a resume from someone high up at Google/FB/big tech I often was skeptical it was even worth my time because I couldn't even come remotely close to their salaries. The other thing that made reluctant is that we were often running especially lean in operations as well. We wore a ton of hats vs. specializing in one or two things.
Not really sure how to answer though without knowing more about where you are running into road blocks.
samelaaaa@reddit
A big issue with hiring people like OP is that a typical startupās pay is waaay closer to 0 than it is to E8@meta. So itās hard to imagine someone like OP treating a $200k startup job any different than a volunteering/fun gig.
turningsteel@reddit
Why not just pick an industry doing something socially responsible and in the interview tell them what you told us. I got out of banking and into edtech for that reason. Though I'm nowhere near as accomplished as you though so I can't speak to any 'overqualified' hurdles you may face.
I feel like wanting to do something that helps people should be reason enough for any questions like 'Why would someone as experienced as yourself want to work here? '.
divorcingjack@reddit
I work at a tech for good company for exactly this reason. Itās a super common story amongst my colleagues too, been through various large companies/startups and just have had enough of making money for the folks at the top.
I personally reached a point in my career where impact started to matter more than title/pay/kudos, so I made the jump.
In the UK, thereās a reasonable selection of social-good/charity organisations to choose from. Be aware though, they are generally small and the pay will never be at Meta/FAANG levels.
Ok_Stage7484@reddit
i had something like this when leaving a corporate finance role
jocona@reddit
Iāve thought that transitioning to tech thatās more long-term/research focused may be interesting, like improved batteries, solar cells, space exploration, could be interesting. Robotics and prosthetics would be interesting as well, but prosthetics, or anything that touches a person, is pretty frought with red tape and the possibility of being sued.
intoverflow32@reddit
I work for a public university and my job is to develop software for all kinds of research projects that advance science and/or help people. It's really satisfying and I don't see myself returning to the private sector. I've touched health sciences and animal sciences to social sciences. It's really rewarding.
Wide-Pop6050@reddit
Check out techjobsforgood
There are a ton of health tech companies. Medical devices is also a huge and hiring field. I'm always surprised when people post this - where have you looked so far?
Source: am doing this
CulturalToe134@reddit
At this point, I'd probably just ride it out and do some volunteering on the side. I resigned from tech at 8 YOE due to medical issues and switched fully into entrepreneurship.
The kicker was just not fitting in by any stretch of the imagination.
drcforbin@reddit
There are a lot of startups in healthcare, the medical device industry as a whole is hiring, plus we have some really cool tech
PsychologicalCell928@reddit
Have you considered tech advisory work for non-profits, schools, etc.?
In a similar situation I helped design, build, and acquire the technology for a schoolās new computer lab.
It was a nice change of pace from tech budgets, delivery, production support, along with all the staffing and vendor concerns.
Odd_Perspective3019@reddit
lol why do our brains always crave something else , i read lifeās all great but now i wanna mess it all up cause let me make it even more ideal, start your own company dude, if you really think thereās a social responsibly company that treats ppl great and pays great youāre living in la la land
darkhorsehance@reddit
Itās easy, if you are willing to work for next to nothing. Unfortunately, itās also very frustrating and political.
Tired__Dev@reddit
I'll give you some advice as someone that has been on the small side of things with ads that felt unethical, and is now on the very ethical side of things with a company trying to do a positive thing but is exhausting to work for. I have also ran a startup and agency. That said I have limited experience in big tech. Also I've aligned with some more activist stuff in my early days.
If you mainly want to do good in the world dial it back at work and become a part of your community in some way. If you don't have a family, try and build one. Building a company is horrible unless you really know what you're doing, have a good chunk of change, because when it's someone else's money you do it on the have perverse expectations. When it becomes a job it always ends up sucking.
olzk@reddit
the reason why youāre asked if you want to slow down is exactly because people think e8 is something mythical. Like a unicorn shitting rainbows kinda thing. 20 yoe though might be the real excuse here: ageism seems to be real (me 16), and if you want to make a dent in this planet you better move out of the mere engineering, thatās the general thinking. So yeah, either buckle up and go political, or do whatever plus pet projects since you love software engineering this much. Sorry if I sound cynical, just my observation. Hope you find your way
shaileenshah@reddit
āOverqualifiedā usually means āuncertain retention + fit,ā not lack of ability, especially in smaller impact orgs.
Most successful transitions at your level happen via founding, early-stage mission startups, or advisory entry rather than standard job applications.
ecto-2@reddit
This is a great question, Iāve been wondering the same.Ā
I think it comes down to meeting more people who are already doing work in the spaces youāre interested in, e.g. climate related or civic services.Ā
How to do that effectively, Iām still figuring out.Ā
Driftwintergundream@reddit
Willing to take a pay cut or no?
Ads make money so they pay well. Helping people doesnāt pay well.
If you want to do something more meaningful you probably have to realize the unit economics of whatever that something is will not afford whatever salary you haveā¦ may have to divide it by 3 or 5 even before they would even look at you.
GoodishCoder@reddit
What roles are you applying for when you get told you're overqualified? You would probably want to look at principal engineer spots or (I know the sub hates this) architect roles.