“Essential ‘Unhelpful’ Tips for Career Success based on real story
Because You Just Can’t Succeed Without Them!;)
In 2021, before the waves of layoffs, when we believed in the idea of family at work and dreamed of successful careers, I wrote a fun article on career tips that helped me immensely. Some of these tips sounded blunt and unusual, but today, many of them seem obvious and essential.
“Unhelpful Tips” are actually very helpful. The name is sarcastic, inspired by my favourite childhood book, Harmful Advice by Grigory Oster.
I also created an online exhibition of Executive Layoff Memes to remind us that the corporate world isn’t family and that you can be disposable in a single day.
I have 15 years of experience in the industry, with 10 of those years in North America . I am still working as a data engineer. I had some cool experience in Amazon and Microsoft in the past. I spent almost 5 years at Amazon, working in Vancouver, Boston, and Seattle. And several years with Microsoft working with Xbox and Azure teams.
In this article, I want to focus on the interview process, touch on issues of employer loyalty, financial rewards, career growth, and future prospects, and weigh the pros and cons of “working for someone else” versus “working for yourself.”
You might find some of typos. Unfortunately, grammar isn’t my strong suit, unlike navigating interviews, where I feel “right at home.”
Before moving on to companies like Amazon and Microsoft, I’d like to start with some simpler examples.
Getting Started
I originally trained as a design engineer, and I genuinely tried to work in my field (for a full 3 years) in Moscow, Russia.
Before I discovered that an assistant project manager earned $1,500 (back in 2009), while the head of a metalworking department at a space center made less than $700.
Tip 1: If you’re thinking that in the future you’ll land a great job with a good income, and all you need to do is put in X years, complete grad school, take Y courses, and get Z certifications—put those assumptions to the test. You might save time, resources, and money.
Now, I know this as “hypothesis testing.” While working at the factory, I decided to test my own hypothesis. I posted a resume on HeadHunter (HH), claiming several years of experience and a graduate degree, and started applying to positions.
I quickly realized that all the available jobs in the Moscow region offered laughable salaries. That’s when I began to question the future of the engineering industry in Russia. It turns out I wasn’t wrong.
When I was in university, I really wanted to intern in Europe. But at some point, those programs were simply canceled. The next image captures this perfectly.
I had to retrain. Still am, actually. In IT, as soon as you start learning one thing, something new pops up, and what you just learned is already outdated.
Tip 2: Fake it till you make it (FITYM).
Now I know this trendy phrase, but back then, I just thought I needed to embellish my experience a bit. I had to take my factory experience and turn it into a good story—an IT story. FITYM can apply to almost anything. It’s a catch-22: they demand experience, but you don’t have any, and you can’t get any because they won’t hire you without it. FITYM is the solution to that problem.
Even with my FITYM approach, I didn’t have much success—just 2-3 interviews. Then I got offered an internship at a bank in the IT department, specifically in the Business Intelligence role for report development. They asked me just one question: “Do you know what SQL is?” Although it was the first time I’d heard the word, I confidently replied, “Of course I do! I even used SQL in my thesis project.”
Tip 3: Take risks. You only live once, so it’s better to take a chance. As Yury Dud once said, “It’s not scary to make mistakes—it’s scary to be a dull nobody.”
And this brings up some questions—a sort of FAQ:
What if I lie about my experience, and it turns out I don’t have it, and I get fired in disgrace?
Of course, you need to know your limits. Don’t claim you’re a Java architect if you’ve only just written your first “Hello, world” program. But if you understand how to solve problems in theory, where to find answers, and how to ask the right questions, you’ll manage. Besides, hiring someone is a time-consuming and costly process. Your skills are just part of the picture; it’s also about how well you fit in with the team. In the beginning, you can make up for a lack of experience by putting in extra hours. Work 16-hour days, no weekends—you’ll figure it out.My resume has irrelevant experience.
The first thing we do is rewrite the resume. Add the experience that’s relevant to the employer. I’ve never encountered a situation where recruiters compared your resume with your employment record. Be creative; put in the resume what you need. Only include “job location” and “employment dates.” You can tailor the “job title” and “responsibilities” as needed.Fine, no problem with the resume. But what about the employment record?
HR departments are run by people, too. They’re often swamped, not highly paid, and need time for coffee breaks, social media, and gossip. So they’re unlikely to have time to comb through your employment history with a fine-tooth comb.What about the security department?
Big companies have security departments. For them, you’re just a name, and they might do a background check. This is a bit of a roll of the dice. You could leave a friend’s number, or come to some arrangement. I’ve even had a case where I had to take a lie detector test. But I got through it. The main thing for them is that you don’t have a criminal record.
The first three months are the hardest. The people around you aren’t dumb; they’ll quickly catch on that you’re short on knowledge. But! You’re making an effort—arriving early, leaving late, asking the right questions, and being very proactive. Where are they going to find a better candidate?
Job Change – From Banking to an IT Vendor
After 1.5 years, I’d gained some solid experience, and it was time to hit the market.
Tip 4: The odds of working hard and getting a double salary increase are close to zero. The only real way to raise your salary or position is to find a new job.
Tip 5: Don’t quit until you have an offer in hand.
Tip 6: Don’t burn bridges. Always aim to leave on good terms with colleagues.
As usual in interviews, they asked about things I’d only vaguely heard of. You could say I knew 50% really well, and the other 50% at a passing level. Luckily, they valued that first 50%.
I worked at Teradata—an American company. But my projects were at the biggest Russian Bank, which meant spending a lot of time in former preschools and tax offices, battling with other consultants and integrators over a decent (non-broken) chair.
Tip 7: Explore all opportunities within the company for personal development.
Even before I started working at Teradata, I knew about the possibility of attending training sessions in Europe. So, by any means necessary, I did my best to attend these trainings. To make it happen, I had to be proactive.
Tip 8: Be proactive. Network with people, seek out opportunities for collaboration, and always look for ways to learn new things.
To be proactive, I started running training sessions for other consultants. I led a few workshops for my colleagues. I also dug through the internal Wiki and found contacts for partner companies. I reached out to everyone, and it led to several meetings and workshops. We even had people fly in from Europe to train us on partner solutions. We didn’t actually use those solutions, and they probably wouldn’t be useful, but I knew they’d add value to my resume and experience.
Through this process, I also discovered that we had a budget for partner courses and exams, which I took full advantage of. Proactivity always pays off.
Job Change – From IT Vendor to a Footwear Startup
According to “Tip 4,” it was time to raise my salary and switch jobs. In this case, the job found me. This was one of those times when proactivity pays off. My former manager asked me to run a training session and later invited me to join their team.
Tip 9: Always have a backup plan. No matter where you’re working, always have a “Plan B.” I like to compare this to climbing a mountain. At any point, we can slip, so every time we make a move forward (upward), we plan several steps ahead. If we make a misstep, we won’t fall because we had a backup plan. Wherever I work, I always look to the future and consider possible scenarios for myself.
It was interesting to work in another international company, but it was the usual story—“no money, but hang in there.” After working there for 1.5 years, I hit the market again and raised my salary to 180,000 rubles. At the time, the exchange rate was 30 rubles to the dollar, which was great. But my excitement didn’t last long—six months later, the ruble crashed, and all my ruble savings for immigration turned from a “carriage” into a “pumpkin.”
Tip 10: Motivate yourself. Often, work can be uninteresting or dull. That’s why you need to create your own reasons for why it’s interesting and why it needs to be done. For example, you’re doing an audit or working in support—boring stuff. Turn this mundane work into a cool story. When interviewing, tell them how you took on tough tasks and what results you achieved.
Job Change – From Moscow to Montenegro
While my documents for Canada were being processed, I interviewed for a Web Analyst position in Montenegro. I had never worked as a web analyst before and had only a surface-level understanding of marketing. Nevertheless, I got the job, and once I arrived, I started learning the ins and outs of digital marketing.
Tip 11: To ace an interview and speak confidently about things you haven’t worked with before, use Steve Jobs’ method (which I learned about fairly recently, though I’ve always used it intuitively): the “reality distortion field.” I previously mentioned “fake it till you make it,” which can sound a bit harsh, like embellishing (at best). But now we have an almost scientific approach from Star Trek—the “reality distortion field.” This means we need to truly believe in what we’re saying.
Tip 12: To start believing in what we’re saying, we need to tell the story at least 15-20 times. So, before tackling serious interviews, practice on “easier targets” by finding simpler companies and roles and telling them your story. Honestly, I’ve long since convinced myself that at the factory, I worked with SQL, databases, and analytics. Wake me up in the middle of the night, and I’ll recount it without a second thought.
I didn’t stay long in Montenegro, as my documents for Canada came through. I had a few interesting interviews in Europe, including one with Accenture. It was a positive experience, but I already had my tickets to Canada.
Tip 13: Interviews with foreign companies are excellent practice for improving your English. So even if you’re not actively seeking a job abroad, why not use the opportunity to practice the language?
Tip 14: Go to interviews anytime and anywhere. Never miss an opportunity to interview, especially if you’re comfortable and not actively looking for a job. It’s better to choose a job without rush or stress, so you can actually choose rather than settle for the first offer that comes along. This way, there’s less need to embellish, and you can be yourself. I saw a LinkedIn post from a guy at Google who asked his mentor about this. His mentor advised the same thing: It’s the employer’s job to provide a comfortable work environment and a competitive salary. If someone else offers you more, they’ll either try to match it to keep you or let you go if they no longer need you. So, everyone benefits. Of course, just make sure no one knows you’re doing it! :)
Job Change – From Montenegro to Canada
Tip 15: If you’re preparing to relocate, start job hunting well in advance—ideally a year or at least 6 months ahead. Subscribe to weekly job listings, connect with people on LinkedIn, network, and introduce yourself. This will save you a lot of time and money down the line.
I arrived in Canada, in Winnipeg, and started my new job at an insurance company within just five days, earning $75,000 CAD, which is about $4,000 a month. I already had an offer in hand, and they were waiting for me.
How did I get the offer remotely? You might guess - I used my own tips;)
How did I find a job even before arriving? The answer is simple: I used my own tips.
Here are some techniques that helped me:
I subscribed to job alerts for my province on indeed.ca.
I created a resume with a fake local address and set up an IP phone with a Winnipeg area code that forwarded calls to my mobile. My goal was for HR to connect me with the hiring manager, and in the end, my plan worked.
Another life hack was to send a Slideshare presentation instead of a cover letter (which I find pretty pointless). Here’s an example, though it’s a bit dated. The main idea was not to showcase my experience and skills but to highlight the value I could add to the company. The key is to focus on the value you bring—identify industry issues, show that you’re aware of them, and outline potential solutions.
Slideshare has a handy feature where you can keep a presentation private, accessible only via a direct link. It also provides web analytics tools, showing you the IP addresses and the number of times your presentation was viewed. This allows you to measure engagement effectively.
Job Change – From Insurance to Amazon
It became clear that Winnipeg wasn’t quite the Canada we had in mind. We needed to move to Vancouver or Toronto. Plus, I had some conflicts with colleagues.
Tip 16: Be cautious with jokes. My harmless jokes weren’t well-received by the team members due to difference of mentalities, who took offense. As a result, I found myself in difficult situations.
I’m grateful to those colleagues for their attempts to get under my skin, as they pushed me to find a job at Amazon. I also had an offer from a local startup, SkipTheDishes, which is quite popular now. I reached out to the founders, went for a meeting, and even brought along my first published book. They offered me a role as Head of Analytics. I took some time to think about it and decided to keep exploring options—which, as it turned out, was the right choice.
Now, I can go into detail about the Amazon interview process. Today, I’m an interview expert, having conducted over 100 interviews at Amazon and completed related trainings. Back then, I knew nothing about the process and was lucky to get through.
Tip 17: If you’re job hunting, use the “carpet bombing” approach—apply to every relevant position and sort through the opportunities later. You might gain valuable negotiation and interview experience, which can help you land your dream job.
I usually keep a spreadsheet where I track all the details:
I had decent experience, a couple of books published, a blog post, but job hunting isn’t a fast process. The main challenge is that each position attracts around 30-50-100 applicants (depending on the company). So, if your resume lands 81st in the list, the chances of them noticing such a valuable candidate are slim. That’s why networking, a quick response time, and a bit of luck are crucial to getting your chance.
I had examples with Google where the recruiter simply vanished because we couldn’t agree on a time. For them, it’s simple—they’re willing to lose a good candidate because, in the end, another strong candidate will come along. Landing a job at a FAANG company is almost like winning the lottery. That’s why finding unconventional ways in is essential.
I got lucky and received an interview invitation.
Tip 18: You need a competitive advantage. What makes you better than other candidates? This can be quickly demonstrated through additional assets—a blog, conference talks, meetups, a YouTube channel. I had books and a blog post, and at Amazon, they valued these artifacts.
Interviewing at Amazon
Amazon Leadership Principles are now part of my DNA.
The interview process typically goes like this:
Phone Screen – They call to ask various questions, both technical and non-technical, to see how well you fit.
Second Phone Screen – This may be with the hiring manager, and they might also send a test assignment. I was so proactive that I completed the test in three different ways and even created dashboards for them, though they hadn’t asked for it. Afterward, there was a follow-up call about the test.
On-Site Interview – If you pass the previous stage, you’ll be invited to an on-site interview (in pre-COVID times). They bought me tickets and scheduled 5-6 interviews, including a lunch with the team.
For the interview, I brought along my signature presentation (my cover letter on Slideshare). The technical director immediately told me it wasn’t necessary and began asking questions, taking notes on my answers. Each interviewer did the same, sometimes asking repeated questions.
Now, I understand what this was about. The interview itself has two main parts:
Behavioural Interview – Assessing your alignment with Amazon Leadership Principles.
Functional Interview – Evaluating your technical skills.
The goal of the behavioural interview is to see how well you embody Amazon’s 14 Leadership Principles. Typically, each interviewer focuses on two principles. They’ll select questions from a “question bank,” starting with 2-3 questions to initiate the discussion, then write a report on how well you meet each principle. The aim is to “meet the bar”—meaning you should perform as well as at least 50% of those in this role.
Examples of my questions:
Amazon LP – Ownership
Q: Tell me about a time when you took on something significant outside your area of responsibility. Why was it important? What was the outcome?
Amazon LP – Insist on the Highest Standards
Q: What measures have you personally put in place to ensure performance improvement? What targets and standards were achieved?
The best way to answer these questions is with the STAR format:
Situation – The context or problem
Task – The task or challenge
Action – The actions you took
Result – The outcome
For the functional interview, they ask technical questions, and there might be a coding session. They asked me a lot about marketing analytics and data warehousing solutions, where my web analytics experience proved useful.
A week later, I got a call with an offer. I didn’t dare negotiate. The salary was low by Amazon’s standards—$90,000 CAD per year, plus a sign-up bonus and 80 Amazon shares over 4 years (worth $600 each at the time, totalling $48,000 CAD over 4 years). I was thrilled, and we moved to British Columbia. They offered me Level 5 (L5).
L5 is considered mid-level. For my first two years, I worked extremely hard, hoping that good performance would lead to a promotion and a salary increase. I was naive.
Tip 19: This one’s obvious, and it’s something we all know but rarely follow: From almost your first day, you need to define clear goals tied to a promotion. These goals may be for the next 12-18 months, but at Amazon, that’s the only way. In my case, I spent two years grinding away, only to be told by my manager, when I asked about a promotion, that I needed to have set these goals in advance.
At Amazon, there’s a performance review once a year, around February. Before this meeting, you need to request feedback from colleagues, who will evaluate you based on two criteria:
Your Super Powers (read: Leadership Principles) that you’ve demonstrated.
Your Growth Areas (read: Leadership Principles) that you need to improve.
Based on this feedback, your salary may increase by 1-4%. Your manager will explain how they fought hard to make this happen. This increase, pre-tax, might be enough for an extra cappuccino each week.
If you’re lucky, you might also receive additional Amazon stock. Over five years, I received about 25 extra shares beyond the 80 I got on my first day. Of course, this is low—20-40 shares a year is a better benchmark. This largely depends on your manager.
For all five years, whenever I asked, “Why is my salary growing so slowly?” the answer was always that Amazon stock had gone up significantly.
The stock did indeed grow significantly from its initial value. But I fundamentally disagreed with the company’s approach. I received the stock on my first day, and even if I’d only put in minimal effort, I still would have received it. Meanwhile, for my actual performance, overtime, and dedication to the job, I got only a 2-4% raise—essentially just an inflation adjustment.
To get promoted at Amazon, you have to complete several documents, and 60% of the effort must come from your manager. It’s a strategic game that isn’t closely tied to your technical skills and your delivery. That’s why it’s so important (as mentioned in Tip 19) to plan your strategy in advance and discuss it with your manager. The company’s goal is to get the most out of you for the least cost.
Tip 20: In 95% of cases, your salary will remain close to what you initially agreed upon. My salary at Amazon grew by just 10% over five years. Even if I’d been promoted to L6 (the next level), it would only have grown by 10-15%, which is still relatively low. As stated in Tip 4, if you want growth, it’s best to change employers, but make sure you have a solid case and at least 12 months of experience in your current role.
Changing Teams at Amazon
Amazon is a vast corporation with countless teams and business areas. You have the option to transfer to any team worldwide. Many American colleagues moved to Europe, and vice versa—Europe to the U.S. and Canada.
After 2.5 years in one team, I’d had enough of my manager’s empty promises of promotion and decided to look for opportunities in other teams.
Tip 21: This one’s crucial. We often tend to blame others for our failures—thinking, “Everyone else is incompetent; I’m the only smart one.” There are countless examples of this. It’s a terrible mindset to have, and it’s best to avoid this way of thinking. I changed my mindset, learnt to take responsibility for my actions, and stoped considering myself smarter than others.
For example, I fully understand that my inability to get promoted at Amazon was my own failure. So, never think of yourself as better than others. If you know something better, help others understand it. If someone makes a mistake, there’s a reason behind it—help them overcome the issue. But never assume you’re superior; it’ll make life easier and help you achieve your goals.
I was on the West Coast and found a data engineering position on the East Coast.
An interesting paradox: the salary isn’t particularly high, but there are other benefits. For instance, in the summer, I joined the Amazon Alexa team based in Cambridge, MA (turns out there’s a Cambridge in the U.S. too). It’s home to MIT and Harvard, and if you cross the bridge, you’re in Boston.
Our whole family flew to Boston for two months so I could get to know the team. They rented us an apartment just 5 minutes from the office and MIT, costing $12,000 per month. They also covered all our food and my plane ticket. Spending the summer in Boston with family—priceless.
Throughout the year, I made a few more trips to visit them, staying in Airbnb rentals in Boston’s historic center.
Let’s check the next set of Tips!
In addition to Boston, we drove to Seattle every month as a family for Amazon conferences, meetings with colleagues, and other events. As usual, everything was top-notch.
By the way, I first encountered Amazon Alexa when speaking at the Enterprise Data World conference in Boston. It was my second time presenting at this conference; the first was in sunny San Diego. This time, however, it was early March and freezing cold. Speaking at the conference only grants a free ticket. The six-day conference costs $3,500, and speakers attend free but cover their own flights and hotel. I booked a tiny Airbnb room for $100 per night—a 2x2 meter space.
Tip 22: I may have mentioned this before, but I’ll say it again! If you’re serious about your career, say “yes” to every possible opportunity. It was uncomfortable for me for the first few years, but it’s become easier over time. Set yourself a goal—to speak at a meetup, user group, apply for a conference, or share your experience on Surfalytics.com!
Besides conferences, I enjoy doing other things. For instance, I led an Amazon Future Engineer Hour of Code session for my son’s 2nd-grade class, volunteered at a university, and spoke at a high school. I did everything I could. When people asked, “Why?” my answer was that I thought it might come in handy. Every opportunity opens doors to new connections and experiences. If you don’t put yourself out there, nothing will happen.
Tip 23: If you have kids and a family, always look for opportunities to bring them along on trips and conferences. It’s a valuable experience for kids (from ages 5-6 and up) and a great opportunity for your partner.
Communities at Amazon
I’ve already written about proactivity. Almost immediately at Amazon, I began building communities:
Amazon Tableau User Group – 3,000 users across Amazon who use Tableau. I answered every other question, organized meetings, and invited top-notch speakers.
BI Tech Talk – 100+ data teams from across Amazon. I also organized presentations with speakers from both Amazon and other companies.
All of this gave me a huge advantage—almost everyone working with data at Amazon knew me. It made switching teams or inviting a speaker from LinkedIn easy. Of course, it didn’t impact my salary, but I enjoyed connecting people and ideas.
Even now, there are people at Microsoft who remember me from when they worked at Amazon.
Tip 24: Always look for collaboration opportunities. Communities are a powerful tool for career growth. Don’t ignore them; create them, help others, and they’ll help you in return.
At Alexa, things went as usual: I did my work but didn’t get closer to a promotion, so I switched teams again. I spoke with teams from California and Seattle and started considering relocating to the U.S. I joined the Customer Behavior Analytics team and promised to relocate to Seattle in the fall of 2020. But I discovered that my Amazon stock grants had run out after four years, and I would have to move my family on a base salary of $130,000, which didn’t meet my needs. The minimum income for Seattle should be $200,000, with a good range being $300-350,000 (including stock), based on my research.
An important point: Amazon prohibits internal transfers from including a salary increase, meant to prevent people from hopping between teams. So each transition sets you back at least a year from a potential promotion.
Regarding bonuses, you’re awarded stock in shares. Multiply the stock price by the number of shares, and you get a nice number. But! When the vested date comes—the date the shares become yours—Canada takes half in taxes. So if you’re granted 20 shares, you only get 10. You can sell them or keep them, as I did. And if you originally had 10 shares at $600 each and they grew to $3,000 each, you’ll owe capital gains tax on $2,400 profit per share, paying 25% of that.
On paper, it looks nice, but in reality, you get much less. Don’t forget about Canada’s progressive income tax—the higher your earnings, the higher the rate. Taxes are lower in the U.S., but they have their own complications with healthcare and insurance.
Every time I was frustrated with my career progress, I’d start job hunting again. Interviewing is beneficial and keeps you sharp. I interviewed with Tesla for a Data Engineer position on their solar team but didn’t get the role. Then I interviewed with Lyft for a Data Engineering Manager role with a California salary of $400-450,000, including bonuses. Although I didn’t have managerial experience, I’d taken all the Amazon management courses. That didn’t work out either. They asked many questions about diversity and inclusion.
For Google, I didn’t even manage to schedule an interview. The recruiter disappeared after the first call. Google can afford to do that—if one good candidate slips away, another will come along.
Tip 25: You’re not the only candidate for the job. Top companies receive hundreds of applications, so try to apply early or seek other routes, like through connections. I applied to dozens of positions at Facebook and Google but received no response.
Eventually, though, recruiters from Facebook reached out to me about a Data Engineering Manager role. Here’s what the interview process looked like:
Phone Screen with the recruiter – Just a chat about the role, requirements, and my background.
Leadership Interview – A conversation with a manager, more like a behavioral interview, where they asked about leadership and conflict resolution. Amazon’s management courses had me well-prepared.
Technical Screening – Even for a manager role, it consisted of three parts: SQL exercises (15 minutes for five tasks), Python (15 minutes for five tasks), and Data Modeling (15 minutes).
To be honest, 15 minutes is very little time. I completed 4/5 SQL tasks and 3/5 Python tasks (which I was proud of, as I hadn’t worked with it much). However, I really struggled with data modeling. The question was simple: imagine you work at LinkedIn; create a model to answer five specific questions. You should start top-down (from business questions to fact tables), but I went bottom-up (from all source data at LinkedIn to fact tables) with only seven minutes left. I also have a theory that North America has a strong lobby of Indian professionals, and I often see teams predominantly made up of them. While their experience and knowledge can vary, my chances felt 50/50. In the end, I didn’t get the job, but it was a great learning experience.
Tip 26: Every failed interview is a huge opportunity for growth. You step out of your comfort zone, prepare, and learn something new. Don’t miss out on this chance. It’s worth it.
Working for “The Man” or for Yourself
Amazon was the pinnacle of my career aspirations. Early on, I couldn’t have dreamed of working there. But after a while, I started to wonder—what’s next? You come to realize that you’re working for “the man,” even if he’s the richest one in the world, Jeff Bezos.
Before the pandemic, I was trying to run two businesses—a consulting company and a meal prep delivery service.
I won’t dive too deeply into my business here. I’ll just say this: if you manage to create a business, service, or product that brings in an income comparable to what you’d earn working for “the man,” you’re on the right track. I didn’t quite succeed. I feel like to build something truly remarkable, you need to fail at 10-15 ventures first. I’ve only failed at two so far. Eventually, burnout set in—that loss of interest in what you’re doing. I was juggling so much at once, and after a few years, I felt I hadn’t achieved anything in return. My career at Amazon hadn’t taken off, my consulting didn’t fly, and my energy was depleted. With the pandemic and working from home, I’d spend entire days at my computer without producing anything.
Another consideration about running your own business is that if you really want to make money, you’ll likely need venture funding, with hopes of an IPO or acquisition. But once you get investors, you’re often back to working for “the man.” Going public is like dreaming your child will make it to the Olympics after joining a sports team.
Then there’s family. I have three kids, and chasing a dream at the expense of family is a high price not everyone is willing to pay. In the end, working for a good company with a decent salary, benefits, and stock options isn’t so bad. But there’s one key aspect—financial planning. A tried-and-true method is investing.
That time we purchased our second home in Greater Vancouver around 2020. In addition, we were able to keep our first home and rent it out.
The approach is as old as time. Of course, to make this work, you need a bit of capital—thanks to Amazon for that. Amazon employees were genuinely able to improve their lives thanks to the company’s growth. Here’s a recent article: Jeff Bezos shared a note from a couple who bought 2 shares of Amazon in 1997—and are now using the proceeds to buy a house after the company’s 172,499% post-IPO growth.
Disclaimer: Investing in real estate before 2021 was great advice. We even ranked 3rd in Vancouver. However, as soon as interest rates rose, all the nice aspects of being a landlord vanished. So now, I’d probably rather invest in the stock market and ETFs.
Despite the company being quite tough and demanding, the experience gained there is invaluable.
Tip 27: It may sound simple, but avoid living pay check to pay check. Always think about the future and make an effort to preserve and grow what you have.
Job Change – From Amazon to Microsoft
When I joined my third team at Amazon, I’d promised to relocate to Seattle. But then I realized my stock grants had run out, and no new ones were given. As I mentioned, it’s possible to live on $130,000 in the U.S. with a big family, but it’s not the lifestyle we wanted.
Since I would occasionally apply for jobs on a whim, I applied for a position at Microsoft in Vancouver in May 2020. I didn’t even read the job description (we’d figure it out later, as they say). I applied in May, and they called me at the end of July—2.5 months later. By then, I had almost forgotten about it. The interview process took about a month. From what I gathered, Microsoft doesn’t move too quickly in hiring. The interview process went something like this:
Phone Interview with HR
Phone Interview with the manager
These were essentially phone screens. I passed and moved on to the main interview, which is typically an all-day event, but in my case, it was split over two days. Here’s how it went:
Interview with the Product Manager and Director – This was a behavioral interview with situational questions. They asked a lot about conflict resolution and collaboration with other teams. I explained everything in detail, trying to identify any Amazon Leadership Principle hints and tailor my answers accordingly.
Interview with a Principal and Senior Engineer – They had me solve a statistics problem using SQL and then asked me to design an analytics architecture for Big Data and Streaming on AWS or Azure.
Interview with the Data Science and BI team – I shared my ML project experience from my last team, which they found interesting.
After that came the negotiation phase. Based on LinkedIn insights, I found that a Senior Software Engineer in Canada could earn around CAD 220,000 in 2020. But as I’ve seen before, negotiating with Canadian companies can be challenging due to strict limits—they budged only slightly. Either way, I was already “drowning” (burning out) at Amazon, and this was the perfect time for a change. I wasn’t planning to relocate to Seattle either.
In November, I started working at one of the Xbox studios in Vancouver. They set me up with a gaming computer and Xbox, and part of my onboarding process involved playing Xbox games.
When comparing the cultures of Amazon and Microsoft, Microsoft wins on several fronts. The work-life balance, insurance, and benefits are much better.
Comparing AWS and Azure as technologies, I find AWS analytics solutions significantly better suited to my needs.
In terms of salary, Amazon generally pays more. But as you may have gathered, that wasn’t my case. To raise my salary and position, I had to use Tip #4 again—change jobs.
Looking at the market, it’s clear that in Seattle, Amazon and Microsoft employees frequently switch between the two companies. I know people who left Amazon for Microsoft and vice versa, and I’m sure each move came with a raise.
Bonus Round
I almost forgot to mention another interview. Around the same time I was considering Microsoft’s offer, I saw an opening from one of my favorite companies—Slalom (a leading IT consulting firm focused on innovative analytics, design, and development). As I described in my post about my consulting venture, Rock Your Data, Slalom was a source of inspiration for me and served as a benchmark.
They were opening an office in Vancouver and looking for a Director of Data Engineering. It sounded like a dream job, so I applied. I had several interviews with directors from the U.S., and I made a good impression. They weren’t put off by my experience as Data Practice Director at Rock Your Data and my time at Amazon. The only catch was that I knew the technical details a little too well for a director role. A director typically isn’t expected to have such in-depth technical knowledge.
In the end, they told me I didn’t quite fit the director role but offered me a position as a Principal Consultant with a salary 30% higher than Microsoft’s. I consulted my mentor from Amazon, who said not to think twice—go to Microsoft. I was also disappointed by the fact that I’d applied for a director role but received a consultant offer instead.
On the one hand, I was pleased that my consulting experience truly paid off, but on the other, I was disappointed not to land the role I wanted.
Tip 28: Everything happens for the best.
Maybe I was earning a bit less at Microsoft, but I feel good, and I could see my interest in my work coming back.
Tip 29: A high salary isn’t always the main criterion. Consider the long-term prospects, how marketable you’ll be in a year, and whether the role is stable. Will it benefit your mental health and family life? (In my case, consulting and frequent travel clearly weren’t family-friendly.)
This is the ending of my post and tips that I wrote originally in 2021. 100% they are all valid now and it gives your framework to navigate job market.
I would also add couple more tips.
Tip 30: If you have a choice between working for a public company or a startup, set your priorities. If job security and high pay are important, a public company is the better choice, as it offers RSUs, bonuses, and other benefits—they can afford to pay well. If compensation is less important to you and you’d rather focus on developing technical skills, a startup can be a good option. But here’s an important point: don’t join a startup solely because it might go public. The chances of a startup going to IPO are usually very low. Make your decision wisely without counting on the IPO factor.
Continuing to share my experience
I am still learning in the field of data engineering and building Analytics and Data Engineering solutions and still sharing my knowledge and found excellent way via Surfalytics by helping people to leverage 15 years of my experience for the Data Jobs and gain competitive advantage at the Surfalytics.
Tip 31: The more you give to others, the more you receive in return.