Nov 12, 2026
Many ppl in big tech are stuck in their level on some project for years. No growth, passed by over and over while others get promoted, etc. Nobody ever tells them why, just vague career molasses. Here's some advice if that's you:
1/ there are legible failures and ambient failures. Legible failures are specific-- e.g. you deploy smtg that causes an outage. Ambient failures are vague, everything is just kinda mediocre, nothing in particular to point to. Your work just isn't great. The reason nobody tells you anything concrete is that your failures are ambient. Very difficult to give feedback for those
2/ you need to decide what you want: job stability, money, or growth. Pick one. Ppl who are stuck tend to be unable to pick (which means they keep picking what they have now). Either accept it or make a different choice
3/ if you want job security, keep doing what you're doing, that's as secure as it's ever gonna get. If they didn't fire you by now that means you're doing something useful and firing you would be a pain in the neck. You're not safe in the long run because the world moves on and eventually the gap gets too large. But for the short term you're lindy, unlikely to get fired
4/ if you want more money you've got to interview, then either quit or come back with a better offer. You can't "negotiate" more money. Ppl will keep stringing you along because they know you're conservative and have no options, and there are others with far more risk appetite that need to be taken care of first. If you're unwilling to do that, fine, but then accept no raises
5/ if you want growth you need to leave your project and do smtg new. On the current thing you've built up too many assumptions, you have too many expectations, your situation empirically has not moved for a long time. This will be painful. It will feel like a setback. In the short term, it is. But in the long run you'll be a beginner again, get a kick in the butt, it will feel bad, but if you have your wits about you you'll soon surpass your former self. If you're not willing to do that, accept that you'll see no growth
6/ btw if you're a manager and want growth, become an IC for a while. All the best managers kinda dream of an IC role. Your barrier to growth is probably you not wanting to get your hands dirty. It will be painful and will feel like a setback. If you're unwilling to do that, fine, but then accept your situation
7/ all of this is very painful. If you choose staying/security you'll have to deal with the pain of resentment. If you choose interviewing/money you'll have to deal with the pain of prep and interview terror. If you choose to be a beginner again/growth, you'll have to deal with the pain of losing status (it's only in your head, but it's painful nonetheless). So it's pain in any direction, you only get to choose the kind of pain you face
8/ you've chosen doing nothing (and thus security/resentment) for years, which is good evidence you'll continue choosing that. The first step to any kind of change is seeing that you're doing it to yourself. You're choosing security/resentment because it's the least painful of the three options. But you can make a change tomorrow if you want
9/ there is no fourth easy choice, I'm sorry. I wish I could offer you one, but it doesn't exist
/fin