Advice for Professionals

Perspectives & advice from the community

u/impossible__dude on a post titled What is the future of people in the tech sector? shared the following advice:

I am 45, working as a CXO in a mid sized firm (1000+ staff).

Here are a few things that worked for me:

Planning about the future makes no sense, we dunno if we will be alive next week. Why think of 30 years ahead and bug yourself.

Have money goals. Say how much do you think you need to run a family? If your household expenses are 1 lac pm, then a good first target is 2.4cr (annual expenses x 20). Work on it

Acquire skills. Whatever be your area acquire skills that speak for you. Build something useful for others, have a strong github presence. Contribute to open source, that's a very strong skill there

Don't look around and see who is doing what and compare. Then you are trying to be another rat in the rat race, and except for stress never gives anything back this approach

Strongly refrain from using social media. If you must, use it for brand building but please use it judiciously. Much of social media is fake, toxic and always ready to weave a conflicting narrative. Very bad for the brain. If you want a long career you need to be healthy and relaxed above anything

Source

u/Longjumping-Egg-3925 on a post titled Professionals with 15+ years experience, shared the following perspective:

Closing 20 years in 2025.

Service Desk Engineer - Sys Admin - Windows Admin - Design Engineer - Cloud Engineer - Cloud Architect - Cloud Tech Sales/Pre-Sales - Cloud Programme Leadership (Tech & Non Tech).

Career spans two countries India/New Zealand.

Learnt that you can learn anything given enough effort and time is out against it. Also learnt that grass is always greener on the other side.

Learnt WLB is important - and work cannot come at the cost of health/wealth.

If I was to tell my younger self something - passive income pursuits and also investing early.

Also learnt that if you invest in yourself - you can reap bigger than life benefits.

Now - give back to migrant communities where I am, return to work folk, students and such.

Now chasing passive income pursuits. And building that retirement portfolio - read up about FIRE if you are interested.

Looking to coast after 45 - and then look for consulting only opportunities at the end. Depending on what my kid wants to end up doing.

Lots more! Let the discussion begin.

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u/impossible__dude on a post titled, Professionals with 15+ years experience, shared the following advice:

22+ YOE. CXO.

Very important to still be sufficiently hands on and not be dependent on someone else (another staff member) for everything.

At this level, picking up what will keep you ahead of the competition is everything. Could be reading up on some specific tech like Rust and seeing if it makes sense to write a few modules with it. Could be reading up on how to analyze your AWS and GCP bills and understand if the teams are effectively utilizing the resources or overprovisioning. Could be checking out the latest release notes of React Native and trying to understand if upgrading makes sense.

Overall, being independent and reading up a lot is crucial so that you can bring your own perspective to the team meetings.

And, of course, learning new ways to convince people never goes out of fashion. Some board member will always bat for AI and LLMs even if the firm doesn't remotely need it. Learning to focus and deploy the available research dollars to the right projects is v crucial.

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u/Plastic-Kiwi-1063/ shared the following advice on a post titled Professionals with 15+ years experience:

Establish clear boundaries, especially where long hours and shifting priorities are common. I’ve worked in a startup for the past two years and faced similar challenges. Here are some strategies that might help:

  • Do the Minimum Required: The more you work, the more work you'll receive. Aim to meet expectations without overextending yourself.
  • Gradually Reduce Extra Hours: Start by cutting back on the extra time you work. Do this incrementally to avoid abrupt changes.
  • Understand Managerial Behavior: Learn how to navigate your manager’s expectations and behavior effectively.
  • Redirect Attention: Use complex, relevant questions about tasks to shift your manager’s focus away from your workload. This can give you some breathing room.
  • Estimate and Communicate Timelines: At the start of each task, estimate the time required and stick to it. If additional tasks are assigned, extend your timeline accordingly and attribute delays to these tasks.
  • Have Ready Explanations: Be prepared with concise explanations for delays, focusing on task complexity rather than detailed justifications.
  • Manage Expectations: If you’re not seeking a promotion or long-term commitment, gradually reduce the quality of your work. By the time any action is taken, you might have another offer.

Ultimately, you’ll need to adapt these strategies depending on your situation and company dynamics. Play around to see what works best for you.

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