I'll share with you an interesting insight with a recent experience I had that you might appreciate.
A few years ago, I was hired by a large company to replace a software professional who, officially, was "retiring."
In truth, this person was just as frustrated as you were with the same problems you described in this article.
To put it bluntly, their wages were stagnant, they were under-appreciated, they were being forced to do work that was both critical to the business but also deeply unsatisfying. The company had, as you described, opted to flood the environment with foreign tech workers (many producing sub-standard, low quality work) and trying to convince people like the aforementioned retiree that "they were easily replaceable."
The reality was that this person was so critical to the business that their forthcoming retirement would prove to be devastating to the entire company.
I was hired on shortly after that person retired and inherited a huge mess, not of that person's making, but by the mismanagement of the "decision makers" at that company.
In essence, I had been hired to be the fall guy for strategic blunders by this companies management (all DEI hires, I might add) and realizing this, I opted to just quit and find a new job (one where our paths crossed) before everything started to collapse.
Interestingly, I recently discovered that losing that person was so catastrophic to that company's strategic objectives they brought them back out from retirement. That was the only way that company could avoid the catastrophe their managers, directors, and executives created through obviously faulty decision making processes.
I wouldn't be surprised if that person negotiated a 200% wage increase given how desperate the company was and just how important that person was to the company's critical strategic objectives.
I share this to highlight that sometimes, the best thing you can do in a toxic, chaotic industry is simply "retire" and wait and see how badly things get for the management that didn't understand you, didn't appreciate you, and treated you as an expendable, easily replacable commodity when in fact you were fundamentally critical to their success.
Honestly for me it is somewhat of a blessing. I've felt a calling to outside of tech for a while. However I haven't had thr balls to pull thr ejector seat.
During the Lockdown years I took 2 years off working in tech to rehabilitate my daughter.
It was very costly, but hands down one of the best decisions I made.
I still work in tech, but I view it more as a side hustle / hobby than I do what defines me as a person.
Even though it is as you described in this article, it's not so bad having the freedom to not have so much of my identity invested in a career or profession, especially in an industry that is undergoing a chaotic transformation.
I'd say don't be afraid to bail.
You'll make it work and find a path that aligns to the vision of the ideal life you desire and deserve.
While I agree with the premise and your observations, I partially disagree with the belief about needing to climb the corporate dominance hierarchy, particularly because of your last point related to AI.
Traditional decision makers may be the last ones replaced by AI because they hold title and influence, but market disruptions by the next generation of AI engineers will simply mean the systems they hold title and influence over will become obsolete rapidly.
Think of it from the perspective of what happened to the horse drawn carriage industry when internal combustion engine powered automobiles became mainstream. If you were a decision maker with a horse drawn carriage company, it meant nothing because your industry collapsed when the Ford assembly line started cranking out cars at a comparable cost to carriages.
The same is more true today in the software industry.
Personally, I think it's utterly pointless to "climb the ladder" since the ladder is propped up against a wall of a building that's on fire.
Getting away from the building and planning to build newer, better buildings (with AI at it's foundation) is the better move.
The best part is building that building instead of scrambling to get into the dumpster fire of the traditional corporate ladder, you can take the elevator to the top floor, instead of scrambling to fight all the H-1B foreign workers up the ladder at the same time you are (who have none of the expectations for the high standard of life you both expect and deserve).
I'll share with you an interesting insight with a recent experience I had that you might appreciate.
A few years ago, I was hired by a large company to replace a software professional who, officially, was "retiring."
In truth, this person was just as frustrated as you were with the same problems you described in this article.
To put it bluntly, their wages were stagnant, they were under-appreciated, they were being forced to do work that was both critical to the business but also deeply unsatisfying. The company had, as you described, opted to flood the environment with foreign tech workers (many producing sub-standard, low quality work) and trying to convince people like the aforementioned retiree that "they were easily replaceable."
The reality was that this person was so critical to the business that their forthcoming retirement would prove to be devastating to the entire company.
I was hired on shortly after that person retired and inherited a huge mess, not of that person's making, but by the mismanagement of the "decision makers" at that company.
In essence, I had been hired to be the fall guy for strategic blunders by this companies management (all DEI hires, I might add) and realizing this, I opted to just quit and find a new job (one where our paths crossed) before everything started to collapse.
Interestingly, I recently discovered that losing that person was so catastrophic to that company's strategic objectives they brought them back out from retirement. That was the only way that company could avoid the catastrophe their managers, directors, and executives created through obviously faulty decision making processes.
I wouldn't be surprised if that person negotiated a 200% wage increase given how desperate the company was and just how important that person was to the company's critical strategic objectives.
I share this to highlight that sometimes, the best thing you can do in a toxic, chaotic industry is simply "retire" and wait and see how badly things get for the management that didn't understand you, didn't appreciate you, and treated you as an expendable, easily replacable commodity when in fact you were fundamentally critical to their success.
Honestly for me it is somewhat of a blessing. I've felt a calling to outside of tech for a while. However I haven't had thr balls to pull thr ejector seat.
It is now being forced upon me
During the Lockdown years I took 2 years off working in tech to rehabilitate my daughter.
It was very costly, but hands down one of the best decisions I made.
I still work in tech, but I view it more as a side hustle / hobby than I do what defines me as a person.
Even though it is as you described in this article, it's not so bad having the freedom to not have so much of my identity invested in a career or profession, especially in an industry that is undergoing a chaotic transformation.
I'd say don't be afraid to bail.
You'll make it work and find a path that aligns to the vision of the ideal life you desire and deserve.
While I agree with the premise and your observations, I partially disagree with the belief about needing to climb the corporate dominance hierarchy, particularly because of your last point related to AI.
Traditional decision makers may be the last ones replaced by AI because they hold title and influence, but market disruptions by the next generation of AI engineers will simply mean the systems they hold title and influence over will become obsolete rapidly.
Think of it from the perspective of what happened to the horse drawn carriage industry when internal combustion engine powered automobiles became mainstream. If you were a decision maker with a horse drawn carriage company, it meant nothing because your industry collapsed when the Ford assembly line started cranking out cars at a comparable cost to carriages.
The same is more true today in the software industry.
Personally, I think it's utterly pointless to "climb the ladder" since the ladder is propped up against a wall of a building that's on fire.
Getting away from the building and planning to build newer, better buildings (with AI at it's foundation) is the better move.
The best part is building that building instead of scrambling to get into the dumpster fire of the traditional corporate ladder, you can take the elevator to the top floor, instead of scrambling to fight all the H-1B foreign workers up the ladder at the same time you are (who have none of the expectations for the high standard of life you both expect and deserve).