Why people are leaving $450,000 tech jobs

Why are millennials leaving high-paying tech jobs in droves? Despite the large salaries and perks, most software engineers leave jobs at FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) after 3-5 years. In this video I respond to Michael Lin’s recent post on Medium - Why I Quit a $450,000 Engineering Job at Netflix.

[stevestone]

I've been in tech for 19 years and I have been laid off twice. Yes I finally quit. It's not all about the money. It was not an easy decision, life is too short to dread working everyday. No amount of money can buy real happiness! But friends I'm not asking you to resign from your job or abandon your business but be wise!!

[mlai]

What people don't realize is that only a few percentage makes $400k. If you suck at programming, no matter how many years of experience you have, companies will not pay you $400k. Also if you a company is paying $400k, likely you are also doing 60+hrs per week. It is no different with Portfolio Manager. They get paid millions but they also work 60-80 hrs/week.

[JM-ggko]

Ok.. no one will pay you $450k per year if you were not reliable. What people do not realize is when you are a reliable employee, companies will throw money at you but the burn out rate is intense. When we leave a high paying job, they already got someone lined up to replace us.. and they'll probably pay them more. Someone gains but at the end of the day, most companies really don't care how much they pay as long as it is reliable. Thanks for sharing.

[robertoflores]

No way you'd get 450K for a copy/paste job. A lot of skills are required for such a payroll check. The salary is proportional to the difficulty of the work to be performed, its relevance for the company goals and the pain that it implies to execute it constantly, with consistent results and without complains. There're a lot of good developers, but few with strong mindset + work ethics + good attitude.

For example, I know of cases where Indian programmers thought that any software development job in the USA was way better than a great (quality life) job in India. They managed to get a job in the USA, however, paradoxically, they soon preferred to return to their country due to the rigor demanded by the work ethics and yelling bosses in the USA.

[caribbeanjuice]

Many- almost all jobs can become repetitive & boring overtime. That’s why you need a balance in your life. Do a little traveling & stay engaged in hobbies, etc.

[myjnjsl]

You can make more money, but you can't make more time.

[Chinez]

You're just spitting out facts👌🏽
Enjoyed this content

[ThrivingNotDying]

You are right. Its all about perspective. I would love half a million a year but I have the perspective of different life challenges to make me more appreciative. Life is about gratitude and living in the moment. Hopefully this guy is living the life he wants now.

[VALLANCEGAMING]

Everybody always talks about the "Golden handcuffs" completely ignoring the fact you will only wear silver, bronze or copper

[lbyxocf]

Fixing bugs is not boring. It is frustrating.

[uncomfortabletruth]

It’s only not about the money, when you have financial security.
This is why all the rest of us think you are crazy.

[jesusemenehimiyein]

Get the Money First then start fulfilling your dreams... nothing as bad as been old and broke... trust me. sacrifice first 2-3yrs..

[MynameisntEricK]

Expectation, people think that life is like college, where you're having an easy/engaging time learning all day.. It's not. Life is a grind, constantly requiring you to do boring tasks that nobody really enjoys. THAT is why you get a great salary for the task... Period.

[ruchikabatz]

wtf I would die for copying ad pasting for 400k!!

[LIVdaBrand]

Money isn't worth selling your soul despite what American culture says/thinks.

[viperjay]

There is a saying "The grass is not always greener on the other side".

[cannotwest]

You can't retire after 5 years working at Netflix in the US. Unless you don't have a family and live in a shack.

[alexhamilton]

DO NOT QUIT UNTIL YOU HAVE A SKILL OTHERS VALUE. Then if shit hits the fan real bad, or if you have a kid and the dream job doesn't work enough and you want to help out, you can fall back on the skill you mastered.

I'm currently getting a cert to become a network engineer. I don't necessarily like being in IT but it is a skill that nearly everyone in IT values because it is basically the internet plumber of IT jobs. I don't plan to stay in it forever, and eventually plan to work in education. But skill, and financial foundation comes first.

[saw]

450k mean around 250 in hand, of which if you are dumb you will invest in cars and houses but if you are smart you will invest in good companies in stocks

[davidjulitz]

Fixing bugs is one of most demanding tasks. You need real skill if it comes to nasty bugs and how to find and fix them.
What is a Hashtag Algorithm? Creating Hashing Algos is more or less Math and most Software Engineers will hate to do (if they are even able to do).