Would you rather be a doctor or software engineer?
3
Didn’t get promoted and thinking of leaving Deloitte for the next level at Guidehouse. It’s a title bump so I would get a raise, but I’m trying to weigh the opportunity cost of going to a “lower tier” firm known for more niche services. Has anyone else been in this situation and what did you choose? Would this limit my exit opps?
Do you find that your team members in India take more sick days than US? On my team in the US, we work from home if we get a cold but are generally still able to work. Being too sick to work happens to each of our US team maybe 1-3 times a year. My team in India takes 1-2 sick days per month. Are they actually too sick to work and that level of illness is more common? Or is there a cultural difference that you don't work if not feeling well?
SWE @ OF
Plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills
This
SWE for remote possibility, but I encourage people in general to be doctors since they are more important
Or go into Radiology. That way you can be a doctor who works remote
SE in a team with zero micromanagement
Both are going to be replaced by AI so option C
Like trained to be one of those, or have a job secured in one of those? Just bc you’re a SWE doesn’t mean you’re making $500k/yr. In fact the vast majority aren’t anywhere near the insane SF FAANG salaries (ask me how I know lol). If it’s having a job secured as a doctor vs a secured FAANG job as an SWE, then I’m taking SWE all day. You don’t have to worry about 100,000’s of college debt and getting sued/malpractice insurance. If it’s being a doctor vs an IBM SWE, then I’ll take the doctor lol
Analyst
Doctor
Claude’s ranking 1. Medical attending in a ROAD specialty - Best combination of high compensation, good lifestyle, intellectual stimulation, and direct impact. 2. FAANG staff software engineer - Excellent compensation with strong work-life balance, opportunity to work on cutting-edge tech with massive scale impact, and good autonomy. The ability to work remotely and more flexible hours is a plus. 3. Medical attending in a non-ROAD specialty - Similar meaningful impact and intellectual challenge as ROAD specialties, but often with more demanding schedules and less control over lifestyle. 4. McKinsey partner - While extremely well-compensated with high prestige, the constant travel and client-dependent nature of the work would be more draining. Impact is more indirect and the work can feel less tangible than building software or treating patients.
Claude Sonnet lol
Mom? Is that you?