Paola Mata

A thought I had last week: Would anyone hire a software engineer to do anything other than engineering? As highly technical as these skills are, they don’t seem easily transferable.

Yet even the shitty company that’s questioning my technical ability said that I have excellent communication and ability to collaborate, which should really count for much more than it does in this industry. I’ve worked with too many engineers who are noticeably bad at these things.

Feb 4, 2023 at 2:37pmMastodon for iOS
Show threadPaola MataFeb 4, 2023

I know I’m going on about this, but it’s bigger than my current job search woes.

My desire to remain in tech is hanging by a thread. The recent layoffs and all these shady hiring practices have me feeling like tech doesn’t care about people at all.

I can’t ignore the way tech treats its own people while building products and supposedly solving problems for people. It doesn’t track.

Show threadShantiniFeb 4, 2023
@paolamata companies exist to make money, and sometimes building products to help people just just a facade
Show threadShantiniFeb 4, 2023
@paolamata I’m sorry you are going through this and I empathize heavily 💜
Show threadPaola MataFeb 4, 2023
@shantini thank you! 💜
Show threadKarl Oscar WeberFeb 5, 2023
@shantini @paolamata same! This industry sucks. It’s getting worse I feel.
Show threadSaagar JhaFeb 4, 2023
@shantini @paolamata If companies cared about money they’d treat people well
Show threadLeviFeb 4, 2023
@paolamata Honestly, reading what you’re dealing with last night brought me down, a lot, because I feel the same way. If it’s helpful, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to use my abilities for things I find important as a way to offset the other crap. I’m interested in helping with addressing the climate crisis, so have been looking on https://climatebase.org for a good fit. 1/2
Fellowship | Climatebase

The platform for climate action. Explore jobs and the organizations shaping our climate-positive future.

Climatebase.org
Show threadLeviFeb 4, 2023
@paolamata 2/2 Maybe don’t give up, if you enjoy developing, but find a way to get more meaning from the job, and hopefully find people to work with who are passionate, and likeminded.
Show threadArmandoFeb 4, 2023
@paolamata Have you looked at smaller companies? You might be less of a number there. Pay would be less, but it might have a better work environment
Show threadPaola MataFeb 4, 2023
@armillio yes! The other company I interviewed with is quite small. Still waiting on a hiring decision.
Show threadMiguel de Icaza ᯅ🍉Feb 4, 2023
@paolamata toxic people are everywhere, but there are good people and good managers in tech. I am sorry you are struggling with the search, and the next year might be hard due to our current economic conditions, but there are good employers in the space.
Show threadHesham SalmanFeb 4, 2023

@paolamata there are a lot of terrible managers and treatments of folks in every industry.

It sucks that so much of it has been normalized, and that so much of it will be encouraged by “macroeconomic conditions” and whatnot.

I hope you find a good fit 🤞

Show threadRob FahrniFeb 4, 2023
@paolamata Give WillowTree a look. We do care about people! https://willowtreeapps.com/careers
WillowTree | Careers | We're Hiring

Now hiring across all disciplines. Work in a place where opinions are heard, identities are seen, curiosity moves, and growth is as abundant as guidance.

Show threadMatt CoreyFeb 4, 2023
@paolamata it probably depends on what ‘non engineering’ roles you’re thinking of, but I’ve seen plenty of former engineers take product management roles over the years - these are highly dependent on his communications and collaboration skills, and having a technical background can help tremendously
Show threadSommerFeb 4, 2023
@paolamataI I was hired as a stage manager for a hot second while I wasn't in tech and was def chosen based on my "cat herding" and organizational skills (+ knowledge of the circus industry in my case) -- it was amazingly fun but didn't really pay of course.
Show threadgallaugherFeb 4, 2023
Hey @paolamata “More than 30% of Fortune 500 CEOs have a degree in engineering. They outnumber MBA holders by a distance.” An engineer can do anything. Take it from a B-School prof (yep, I’m housed in a b-school). Engineers are superior at sizing up a need, testing solutions, learning quickly, teaming for results. BUT I would genuinely lament the loss of another talented female engineer to inspire our students. https://www.careerfair.io/reviews/engineer-to-ceo
The Rise of Engineer turned CEOs

Engineers make great CEOs. Learn why this is the case through examples of engineer turned CEOs.

Show threadLoriHCFeb 4, 2023
@paolamata A lot of the EPMs at Apple have CS degrees or are former engineers.
Show threadLoriHCFeb 4, 2023
@paolamata I’ll go further and mention that one of my engineering manager colleagues has done tours as an engineer, an EPM, a Screener/Integrator, and an engineer again before becoming a manager. Lots of ways to apply your skills and acquire new ones!
Show threadMiguel de Icaza ᯅ🍉Feb 4, 2023
@paolamata yes, at Microsoft they have a strong funnel from engineering to Product Management because there is a desperate need for those skills. I imagine this is the case in other large organizations as well
Show threadPaola MataFeb 4, 2023
@Migueldeicaza interesting… do you mean there’s a need for engineering skills within product management, or that there’s a need for more product managers overall?
Show threadMiguel de Icaza ᯅ🍉Feb 4, 2023
@paolamata both. They need PMs, but usually they need them to be very technical: sometimes they prototype, they need to understand the landscape, unblock customers, debug customer problems - it is a wide range of needs. Layoffs aside, Microsoft is trying hard to have a better corporate and people culture, and I enjoyed my time there. People culture is not universally great, and you have pockets of old-style petty folks, but it is actively being worked on
Show threadMiguel de Icaza ᯅ🍉Feb 4, 2023
@paolamata so I think you could broaden your job search spectrum and consider those roles, good PMs are worth their weight in gold.
Show threadSam GrossFeb 4, 2023
@Migueldeicaza @paolamata Hello, your friendly local very-technically-minded PM here. I concur with Miguel, that there’s absolutely a space for product and user minded engineering leaders to move into product.
Show thread"You do you" is Eu-gen-ics.Feb 4, 2023
@paolamata Are you familiar with What Color Is Your Parachute?
Show threadPaola MataFeb 4, 2023
@beadsland I am. I feel like I go through this every few years. Still figuring shit out at 42. 😕
Show thread"You do you" is Eu-gen-ics.Feb 4, 2023

@paolamata A few years further out than you, but yeah, that tracks.

Bolles has been updating the Parachute book annually since before you were born. Largely the same text about tailoring your search to the intersection of the strengths you bring and the career you'd like to pursue, but the details change as hiring practices change.

Less about "would they hire a SE in this non-SE industry", more about "what sort of communication-related accomplishments does this non-SE industry hire for"?

Show threadboboTjonesFeb 4, 2023

@paolamata I've seen a number of reqs in the past 8 months for management-type positions where /n/ years of coding experience is the first bullet. Which makes sense except that half of the time there's a subsequent bullet like "you will deliver code."

As for myself, I have 90% of the skills of a software engineer but also 70% of the skills of a "security person," which means I'm kinda stuck doing security.

Security people, generally, also uniquely terrible at communication and collaborating.

Show threadAlexandre ColucciFeb 4, 2023
@paolamata In a small company, you can wear multiple hats. Some roles also require strong communication skills where an engineering background is a huge advantage. For example: developer relations, project manager, engineering manager, product strategy, ...
Show threadJosh HoltzFeb 4, 2023

@paolamata A software engineer should totally be able to do more than engineering!

So much harder to learn and be great at communication and collaboration skills.

Technical stuff can always be learned… or relearned in my cards because I always forget things 🫠 There is way interviews would show off my technical abilities

A well rounded PERSON (not engineer) is always preferred, IMO

Show threadNeXTUserFeb 4, 2023
@paolamata Business Analyst or Project Manager?