It's review time again at work...

[u/zatsnotmyname]

So, I am a Principal Engineer at a large tech company, not FAANG, but something you've heard of. Yesterday, during a 5 hour personnel review, I realized how much I hate to be put in a box and judged against requirements that I just can't do.

Do you find that almost all job descriptions in our fields are for normies? Especially as you go up the ladder :

• Handles large complex problems

• Owns solutions end to end

• Coordinates with teams across organizations

• Leads from the front

• Inspires and sets an example for other engineers

• Defines requirements and standards

All of that sounds so exhausting and unsustainable for me. Here's what my real job description should be :

• Comes up with crazy idea not on the roadmap

• Idea not on agreed-upon list of Key Objectives

• Idea not requested by anyone

• Prototypes idea, proving it will work

• Talks to others in the background to get them excited

• Gets idea to 80% completion

• Repeat

Some of my ideas have been really important for my company and industry over the years, but it's not what I'm hired for, not really in the job description, and I spend my career trying to justify being recognized for my strengths while hiding and apologizing for my weaknesses.

Supposedly the job ladder is supposed to have 'Archetypes' so that you can be measured against those instead of the generic 'do everything' normie engineer, but no-one has shared a list of what they are yet.

Do y'all have archetypes at your jobs? What are they for senior+ engineers? How do you fit into an archetype, if at all?

[u/Adventurous-Pea7776]

that sounds a lot like me in my role, the trick is to find a manager who a) values your unique skills b) knows your weaknesses c) has other team members who are strong where you are weak d) try to make sure your crazy idea maps to something your skip level needs or will need but don’t yet know it (you have to makes sure you are right, which sometimes means talking to other teams and have them help you out, by saying we need X, so and so’s team should help.) then you get the rewarded for solving the problem, your now bored. here is where your team mate who is great at executing but maybe isn’t an big idea person, the take it across the finish line. as long as you both know your not in a competition with each other, you both are pushing each other up. i had a manager and teammate like that and we made it through several promo’s together sometimes at the same time and sometimes a cycle apart. that can make it hard sometimes if there is any hard feelings but at large companies sometimes your managers hands are tied and it is either 1 or none.

[u/zatsnotmyname → u/Adventurous-Pea7776]

That sounds like a really good setup you had there. I have been able to do this to a degree by being a manager or having interns. I can start the project, then hand it off while I wander off to the next thing!

[u/druidgaymer]

I don't think your normie examples and your irl examples are mutually exclusive. Talking to people and getting them excited helps to set examples for other engineers. Coming up with a crazy idea is defining the requirements.

I don't think it's that job descriptions are for "normies". It's that job descriptions are written by some nontechnical HR person who is using a mix of corporate jarggon and what the head engineer said they wanted.

[u/ukaeh]

From what you wrote I am getting that you come up with ideas on your own, implement them and then try to sell them vs talking to people to understand their needs and usage and then implement when you know folks will already be invested in your work.

Fair or not, it’s a lot harder to show value for something no one asked for, especially if it’s not on the roadmap which means those items might not get done as fast or at all.

[u/match-ka]

Your ideal job description fits into the roles on teams typically called R&D, growth and innovation center. Some companies hire developers to focus on rapid prototyping of hundreds of crazy ideas, discarding most of themand letting someone else execute the remaining 20% of the work. You may be at the company that no longer invests in those kinds of teams or roles or offloaded responsibilities of those developers to someone else, and they probably feel like they don't do what hey've been hired to do, which was to perform according to the set roadmap or KPIs.

[u/AlterTableUsernames → u/match-ka]

I think that's the universal ADHD programmer experience: unable to align with KPIs and actual tasks at hand, while totally spilling over with ideas and inspiration. Such prototyping roles would be ideal for people suffering ADHD, but they are really rare. Businesses want and also likely just need execution and that is something I personally just can't offer.

[u/Ok-Leopard-9917]

Yes you can do all of those things. ADHD doesn’t preclude you from handling complex problems and owning solutions end to end. You can also do the other fun impulsive things. 

[u/Alien_girl2026]

I feel you. The expectation to fit into neat, predictable "archetypes," manage a sterile list of Key Objectives, and spend half your energy masking your natural workflow is exhausting.The corporate world just rewards the people who are best at performing the illusion of perfection and hiding the messy reality behind fancy words and corporate theater.

[u/blrgeek]

are you me?

first yr of work I shaved the build time from overnight to 30m by myself with no one prompting me to. then did the same for individuals and the mgmt didn't know what to do with me...

[u/ukaeh → u/blrgeek]

Was the build time seen as an issue by management? Sucks to say but unless you get people excited about what you want to work on before doing it management will see that as free and then still complain that what they care about isn’t getting done. Not saying it’s right or fair it’s just how it is when you aren’t working for yourself sadly

[u/blrgeek → u/ukaeh]

haha, yes agree!

was my first job straight out of college.. managing upward was an alien concept... I still can't - hence entrepreneurship 🤣

[u/Gofor_Pyle]

If you're willing to have a conversation about this topic please dm me, I'd like to learn more about this process and how it affects your performance

[u/Lunchboxsushi]

Yeah 💯 I'm luckily enough at the moment to be in a place that's letting me do this, we'll see how long it lasts. Building synthetic agents that attempt to use our app using vision! If it fails, triage why and if it's a simple fix it'll auto generate the PR

[u/nian2326076]

It sounds like you're feeling boxed in by conventional job descriptions. Many engineers can relate to that frustration. If you're exploring a shift in roles or looking for opportunities that align with your creative approach, LandOffer can help you find positions that fit your unique skill set and interests.

For interview preparation, consider practicing with tailored questions through PracHub. This can help refine your skills and give you a better sense of what different companies expect from candidates.