I don't want to derail the conversation, but OPs career path really stood out to me.
He graduated in 2016, worked at Google in Bay Area, and now is joining a startup at a VP level.
I graduated in 2008, obtained a PhD in 2014 in a no name EU university, worked in odd companies for a while and joined FAANG 4 years ago as a mid level developer, where I am still ATM.
Looking at this disparity I wonder what could be possible explanations:
* OP is a beast and has grown very quickly in a short time.
* I'm particularly inept and I'm growing very slowly.
* Working in the right conditions (e.g. Bay Area, Big Tech, right team) can greatly accelerate your growth.
* Startups have a big title inflation.
He graduated in 2016, worked at Google in Bay Area, and now is joining a startup at a VP level.
I graduated in 2008, obtained a PhD in 2014 in a no name EU university, worked in odd companies for a while and joined FAANG 4 years ago as a mid level developer, where I am still ATM.
Looking at this disparity I wonder what could be possible explanations:
* OP is a beast and has grown very quickly in a short time.
* I'm particularly inept and I'm growing very slowly.
* Working in the right conditions (e.g. Bay Area, Big Tech, right team) can greatly accelerate your growth.
* Startups have a big title inflation.