Is It Smarter Not To Help Others At Work?

Summary

In this office hours video, software engineer Steve Win (Uncle Steve) addresses viewer questions on career growth. He discusses company cultures with stack ranking and attrition, sharing advice on maintaining a helpful reputation. Steve also covers tackling Amazon's behavioral interview, drawing parallels between DJing and web development, and shares his personal career goals. He provides insights on negotiating job offers, advocating for promotions, and reapplying to companies, along with tips for 'boomeranging' back to a previous employer. The video is sponsored by Brilliant.org, an interactive learning platform for math, science, and computer science.

Takeaways

• 😀 Steve Win, also known as Uncle Steve, is an L7 software engineer who shares career and life advice on his YouTube channel.
• 🔍 For those seeking more frequent content, Steve recommends signing up for his email newsletter at newsletter.alifengineer.com.
• 🤔 Steve addresses the issue of company culture, specifically stack ranking and forced attrition quotas, and suggests that helping others can cultivate a positive reputation despite such practices.
• 💡 He advises against playing politics in the workplace, as it may have negative long-term effects on one's career.
• 📚 Steve encourages viewers to share their questions on his Discord server if they don't get a response in the video comments.
• 🗣️ He provides a video recommendation on how to tackle Amazon's behavioral interview by telling compelling stories that reflect one's experience level.
• 🎧 Drawing parallels between DJing and software development, Steve emphasizes the importance of adapting to different roles and continuously learning.
• 🎓 Steve, as a PE, reflects on his future career goals, which include content creation, potential management roles, or early retirement.
• 💼 He discusses the importance of creating tangible evidence of one's capability to handle a higher scope of work when advocating for a promotion.
• 🔄 On reapplying to a company, Steve suggests waiting until there has been a significant change or improvement in one's skills or experience.
• 🔙 For those looking to return to a previous company ('Boomerang'), Steve advises being professional and emphasizing the unique aspects of the company culture that one misses.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video is to answer questions from viewers during an 'office hours' session, hosted by Steve Win, an L7 software engineer, who provides career and life advice.

How does Steve Win describe his approach to career advice on his channel?

Steve Win describes his approach as structured and engineering-oriented, offering the kind of advice he wishes he had received at the start of his career, all for free.

What does Steve suggest about the company culture involving stack ranking and forced attrition quotas?

Steve suggests that while these practices are real and can create a competitive environment, having a reputation for helping others can be beneficial and that playing politics might be a short-term gain but a long-term loss.

How does Steve Win define the rationale behind stack ranking in companies?

Stack ranking is used by companies to identify and let go of the bottom performers, approximately 1.5 standard deviations from the mean, as a way to maintain a high-performing workforce.

What advice does Steve give for dealing with a toxic work environment?

Steve advises that if the work environment is toxic and backstabbing is the norm, it's better to focus on finding a new job rather than learning to manipulate others.

What does Steve suggest for preparing for an Amazon behavioral interview?

Steve suggests that one should tell good stories that reflect their experience level and involvement in leading teams through various challenges, and to avoid lying or making things up.

How does Steve relate DJing to software development?

Steve draws parallels between DJing and software development in terms of balancing personal preferences with professional requirements and the importance of continuously learning and adapting.

What are Steve's thoughts on his future career goals?

Steve considers various options for his future, including resting on his laurels, pursuing higher positions, going into management, starting his own company, creating content full-time, or retiring early.

What advice does Steve offer for someone considering reapplying to a company?

Steve advises to only reapply when there has been a material change in one's skills or qualifications and to understand and address the reasons for not receiving an offer previously.

How does Steve recommend self-advocating for a promotion?

Steve recommends creating tangible artifacts of next-level work as evidence to support the argument for a promotion, rather than relying solely on reputation.

What is Steve's perspective on negotiating a job offer or raise?

Steve believes there are no consequences for asking for more, and it's a personal decision that should be based on one's comfort level and the potential for improvement in the offer.

How does Steve view the process of 'Boomeranging' back to a previous company?

Steve suggests that if one left on good terms, it's relatively easy to return to a previous company, but it's important to demonstrate growth and address any potential red flags regarding the reason for leaving.