So, do your research on reasonable salaries for your level of experience, and aim slightly above that.
Salaries set expectations in both directions. Salaries are just numbers but expectations aren’t always clear. Had I learned during the interview process of the last job that 85% of the application lived in SQL and there was no automation I would have not taken the job.
Now I play it safe. I set expectations low with a number around 40% of the range, just below average. It, coupled with my trillions of years experience, says you won’t have to hold my hand and in return I expect to do very little work. It’s an implicit don’t waste my time and I won’t waste yours kind of thing. Also implicit is that no hiring me will cost you much more in both time and money.
> 85% of the application lived in SQL and there was no automation
I'm curious and I'm bad at SQL but I remember some kind of modern DSL that would translate a "higher-level" language to SQL. Wasn't there some kind of translation and refactoring combined to automation to simplify this job?
No, everything was very manual and in SQL stored procedures. The job was looking for a JavaScript developer. When they laid me off I really didn’t miss the work.
After that I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t do JavaScript for employment ever again because in absolutely every corporate JavaScript job, over 15 years of experience, everyone tried to hide from the code behind layers of unnecessary abstractions. I got tired of the negligent incompetence and extreme insecurity of people fumbling over the work.
So, do your research on reasonable salaries for your level of experience, and aim slightly above that.
Salaries set expectations in both directions. Salaries are just numbers but expectations aren’t always clear. Had I learned during the interview process of the last job that 85% of the application lived in SQL and there was no automation I would have not taken the job.
Now I play it safe. I set expectations low with a number around 40% of the range, just below average. It, coupled with my trillions of years experience, says you won’t have to hold my hand and in return I expect to do very little work. It’s an implicit don’t waste my time and I won’t waste yours kind of thing. Also implicit is that no hiring me will cost you much more in both time and money.
> 85% of the application lived in SQL and there was no automation
I'm curious and I'm bad at SQL but I remember some kind of modern DSL that would translate a "higher-level" language to SQL. Wasn't there some kind of translation and refactoring combined to automation to simplify this job?
No, everything was very manual and in SQL stored procedures. The job was looking for a JavaScript developer. When they laid me off I really didn’t miss the work.
After that I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t do JavaScript for employment ever again because in absolutely every corporate JavaScript job, over 15 years of experience, everyone tried to hide from the code behind layers of unnecessary abstractions. I got tired of the negligent incompetence and extreme insecurity of people fumbling over the work.
Now I do something different.