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McKinsey & Company Any advice to help prepare for data science analyst role at top consulting firms (McKinsey & Company EY Boston Consulting Group etc)? Any materials, open source platform recommended to take on freelance data science project? When should I start actively looking and applying? I am a new grad who is working in tech as a marketing analyst I’m looking to pivot to marketing& sales data science consulting next year. Would like someone with similar backgrounds offer some practical tips.
Is it easy for engineers to become TPMs?
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Aside from the perceived ethics of FAANG (not here to start that argument, just pointing out that it is a point many consider), I personally don't have much interest in working at a massive corporation. There are pros and cons, but for me the feeling of being a cog in a massive machine (plus all the bureaucracy) isn't really appealing. Would rather be a part of a smaller team where I feel like I can make a larger impact, have line of sight to C-levels, etc.
Working at a FAANG company is like working at a 5 star kitchen. It sounds very fancy, but your job might be only washing dishes. At start-ups, it’s a mom & pop kitchen, but you get to do everything, maybe even chef sometimes. So it’s really depends on if you only want to wash dishes or do more things ;)
nice example
Chief
Just saw this post on LinkedIn that explains it well. Plus a lot of FAANG companies have toxic environments.
IMO it really depends on your role and the company/team your on. Some companies are better than others. And some teams within those companies are better/worse too. Really depends on visibility of the work. For roles, designers, engineers & analysts get the worst of it (but I realize that’s also not always the case). Everyone I know at Netflix works insane hours. I know people at Meta who are happy and others who are not. My friends at Amazon feel the work is boring but have great work life balance. So many perspectives to consider. It’s not black and white. As humans we all have different priorities too. It’s hard to compare.
Personally, I choose a startup because I care about my impact. At a startup, I see the impact of my work daily, and I get all of the great things listed above. If I had the right opportunity, I’d work at a FAANG company but I mean, it’s just a company name. That isn’t my priority. My relationship with work and my mental health are my priorities. I just happened to find what I was looking for at a startup.
Cause if a startup goes public or gets brought up and you own part of it you can literally walk away with millions.
I have actually found the risk-reward for a startup actually makes almost no sense unless you are very early stage founder. If you managed to get 0.1% equity at a company that became a unicorn with an $1B exit, you’d get $1M. You’d probably be at the company for 5-7 years before that exit. If you are making $150k/year at the startup and could make $300k/year at a big tech company, the difference is $750k-$1.05M over that 5-7 years in salary. With the addition of risk of the startup likely not becoming a unicorn, I have always struggled to see the risk-reward being worth it in a pure $$$ sense. I always understand joining a startup for the work or passion about the mission, but not when we talk about $$$.
Pro
Maybe work-life balance?
+1
I legit have 0 stress at work, get a decent pay, and close my laptop at 430 every day unless it's an emergency. I think I've maybe worked 1...? Weekend since starting at this company. 10/10 experience so far. I've heard the horror stories is FAANG, I'm ok I'll pass.
I'll work for any company where I can work from home and they pay me well.
I've never been interested in working for FAANG. At my current company I've essentially written my own career path and had a ton of opportunity to learn and explore along the way. That flexibility and self determination is huge. The position I'm in now was created for me and I get to shape it how I want. That's amazing. And much more fulfilling than a 60-hr a week burnout job at a big name company.
I could not agree more. When the job is not fun, it is time to move on.
It's called self rejection, thank you very much
Some folks of a certain #vintage will get this lol
Not this coming from “works at UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA” ☠️☠️☠️
It’s small-minded to not even know how startups work, yet implicitly categorize them as “worse.” Comes off like you’re criticizing the culture that built those very companies. Ironic.
We do it because, for example, I made $2.7m (as an employee) at the sale of my last startup, atop the salary, parties, happy hour open bars, etc. And many of my friends have made much more. But more than money, you’re part of the leadership, have ownership. It’s just a great experience day to day. Crazy stories. Friendships and connections that last a lifetime, long after people go other places.
But sure, just work for us instead.
This ^^
Is it necessary to apply for FAANG? Iits been 7 years of my career and I have never applied for FAANG
Rising Star
I think most millennials and gen Z folks realize now that working for 20-30 years to obtain wealth is a risky strategy. Most of our jobs will be automated away or sent offshore. Getting some ownership in a startup that eventually is acquired or goes public seems like a better and faster strategy.
The ethics of FAANG are the reason why I have zero interest in working at any of them. I think at one point, Apple did seem appealing to me but then how they treated women made me change my mind as a woman of color.
Same. I’ve had some of their recruiters reach out over the years and I don’t even bother responding because from what I can see of their cultures, I’d just be hired to “check a box” while enduring a bunch of harassment and humiliation. Issa no for me.
Rising Star
The comments section here.
1. Ethics. FAANG companies(except for maybe netflix) are all doing pretty garbage things, both in the open, but especially behind the scenes. fairly evil companies, for the most part. their outsize lobbying power is disruptive to the government, and they all have pretty close to a monopoly in their fields. competition is good, monopolies aren't.
2. work life balance. yes, I could probably make double what I make now, but I'd also have to WORK double. I work 40 hours a week, with 0 pressure at all to work overtime ever, and I'm totally okay with that.
3. I don't live near an office for any one of those companies, and I don't like working remote, and I don't want to move right now.
4. the interviews basically would require months of serious, focused preparation, with a VERY high chance of not getting very far. I am NOT about to spend 7, 8 hours total interviewing for 1 job position. I value my time far more than that, and...
5. even if they do hire me, there's a very good chance the culture will be garbage, because I've heard basically 0 good things about any of them.
6. elitism is overrated. being a big company that does impressive things doesn't mean anything to me, nor am I impressed when people tell me they work for one. I don't have an ego that NEEDS that validation and stroking to be totally okay with where I am.
7. I don't believe in their mission. what's google's mission, take over the world? what's amazon's, take over the world? no thank you.
I could see someone working for a FAANG company for a few years, to get some good experience, and have it look good on their resume, but no one wants to work there long term, and it's no real surprise why.
My priorities for a job are (in no particular order):
- great work-life balance
- a team/manager I like
- has a product I believe in and interests me
- interesting technical problems
- I get paid enough to hit my financial goals
I have all of those at my current, non-FAANG job. If I move to a FAANG position, the only category that is guaranteed to improve is my payment (I get paid ~1/2 => ~1/4 of FAANG level, but certainly still enough to have extra), but at the risk of every other category, so moving doesn't make sense to me.
Also, I am not interested in the products that I am being recruited for; I want to build something I am excited about and the only recruiter emails I get are to build out ads. A lot of these companies do build cool things, but normally that isn't where the hiring is.
Plus a lot of other things said in this thread.
I have been ghosted by recruiters from FAANG even after being halfway through the process. 😅
Recruiters change companies a lot
I know I would be miserable at a company that I don’t believe in
Which is why I would struggle working at FB. It just kind of gives me the creeps. But of course, I still use it.
I came from a smaller company and turned a startup offer down in favor of AMZ. I did it because I’m early career and with the knowledge that the team and job were solid and it would open doors for me later on.
One company is not my life - if I don’t like it (I do now), I can leave, and have a much better set of choices ahead of me for the rest of my career because of the company name recognition. The resources are also great, and I do have a great WLB and paycheck (not as good as other FAANG of course). But it’s not for everyone - just gotta do what makes you happy.
You’re 100% right. But it isn’t always bad WLB, and the sheer size of the company contributes to the number of reports. The enterprise businesses are very independent/not centralized, so just like most other jobs, everything is very team/job/role/org dependent.
Rn I’m thrilled with all aspects of where I am but yeah your mileage may vary.