#careergrowth

It's crystal clear that advancement here is based on networking, not merit. If you're not part of the right circles, trying harder will only result in burnout. Trust me, been there, done that. My tactic now is to be as quiet and consistent as possible. I complete my tasks on time but avoid any projects that would make me stand out. It's a defensive play to ensure I don't become a target while I figure out my next move.

What is the salary increase range for 603 with 3 Strongs? Does it vary by LoB?

There are a few roles going at NetApp as an SE and in the channel business. Any advice around if you'd recommend anyone to work with you guys? Been working at dell for 15 years and there been no progress in the last 5 years. Keen to hear your thoughts

I've been at dell for 6 years now and to date, I've milked about 25k in certification programs from them. These courses/certs mean NOTHING to dell and won't help for a better raise or promotion but, they are resume builders and look good to other jobs. Plus, at the very least you get them to pay for courses you otherwise wouldn't afford, or care to take due to money constraints or whatever.

Two of the courses I've taken are 10k each - so that's 20k right there. The others were each about 2k each. A certificxation means nothing to dell though. you could get the highest sought after xyz and it won't affect your raise, bonus or chances of promotion whatsoever, so might as well just take courses on their dime that other companies 100% WILL value.

Also, since we have a $500 "fitness" reimburstment program, I suggest going out any purchasing $500 worth of weights, keeping them in the boxes, then submitting that receipt to Dell for that $500 reimuburstment. THen go return those weights for a $500 profit.

I am considering an offer from a global company where I will mostly be managing/co-developing a team of developers building a product. The downside is I might be the only one on-site in the city and rest are spread across the world. RTO is 2 days a week 40 miles away.

I have a pretty good standing at T but just afraid of all these lay offs and relocations to god knows where. What do you guys think makes sense to do here?

14,000 +16,000=30,000 Ex-AWS-ers getting ready for "Tell me about a time...." x 25 in one loop interview

I've been at NetApp for 3 years and recently I've been thinking that it just doesn't feel like it's a good place to be anymore. The UK management only look out for themselves. I've had no promotion or rises in the last 3 years. Do you guys think that now is a good time to look elsewhere ?

DW in the first Your Growth Powers our Future” video: “I am very fortunate to have the career that I had with the company. I think early on, I was lucky in that senior managers took an interest in me and made sure and made sure that I got some of these experiences. “ (referring to a diverse set of roles across the org).
So admitting his career was built on luck and being deemed a hipo by senior management early on. If you’re lucky enough to be a chosen one early on, you’ve got it made. Perhaps you started with the right manager over you that was also a high flyer. Or you made a connection with someone by happenstance and they took a liking to you. Guess that’s life.

Should have went for something that wasn’t going to have me stuck in a dead end contract software developer/full stack developer role in a sector that’s full of layoffs.

Hey fellow managers in banking/tech – thinking of jumping into (or back to) Wells Fargo for that fat comp? Here's the unvarnished math from the trenches (thelayoff.com + earnings calls).

Benefits (Why You'll Go):
Top-tier pay: Base + bonus/RSUs often beat peers by 20-30% in tech/LOB roles.
​Scale exposure: Run massive legacy stacks migrating to cloud/AI (Columbus project, SOA) – resume gold for enterprise gigs.
Network: Charlotte HQ builds C-suite connections if you survive reorgs.

Costs (Why You'll Leave Burnt):
Rank-and-yank he-l: Forced curves mandate 15-20% IM/NI ratings; first-timers get "no initiative" dings despite metrics. Expect IM → PIP → term in 3-6 months, no severance.
​RTO grind: 3-4 days/8 tracked hours ki-ls flexibility; global calls "stolen" by reset clocks tank productivity/morale.
​Efficiency meat grinder: AI/offshore push (3 US → 4 offshore) + layoffs (~70k gone) means constant fear; learn toxic politics over tech.
​Net: 2-3 year stint max. Milk pay, document everything (JIRA wins ignored), pivot to AI governance roles elsewhere. Long-term? Builds grit but scars your management style – unlearn the blame-shifting. Who's hiring WF escapees?
​

Recent MBA Fit
Strong no for fresh MBAs: High pay lures, but you'll inherit unlearnable habits like subjective 360s, quota-driven firings, and "efficiency" as code for attrition. Better: Goldman or fintechs teach scalable leadership without the toxicity.
​
Skills Learned vs. Unlearned
Learn: Enterprise-scale ops, regulatory compliance, AI-augmented legacy migration – transferable to Big Tech/banks.
​
Unlearn: We-ponized subjectivity (blame-shifting, seagull management), quiet-quitting survival, offshore distrust – antithetical to healthy cultures. Nets negative for career velocity; 47% attrition risk in year 1 per forums.
​

I work here and I have been watching the same issues cycle over and over again.
morale keeps dropping people keep leaving and leadership keeps acting suprised!!!
so here is some advice from the floor take it or ignore it...

Nothing else matters if frontline managers are bad, you can roll out new programs every quarter and none of it sticks.\

Train managers how to lead people not just how to chase numbers.
Standardize expectations what does good leadership actually look like here how do you evalute people how do promotions work!?

If a manager has constant complaints about favoritism or micromanaging stop protecting them..

Retrain them or move them out!!!

Judge managers on retention engagement and team health not just output...

a lot of frustration comes from not knowing what job we are actually doing day to day.
Define roles clearly what is in scope what is not especially for territory and service roles.
Pay and bonuses need to match the real workload including on call time...

Stop combining two or three jobs into one role without premium pay, that is not efficiency that is explotation!?

Sales and service being mashed together is burning people out fast!!!

career growth right now feels like something people whisper about in meetings.
Publish clear promotion criteria by role and time in seat.
Ki-l relationship based advancement everyone sees it even if leadership pretends they dont...

Address age bias instead of pretending it does not exist.
If you push development programs tie them to actual promotions training that goes nowhere is just busywork..

Corporate training does not match field reality fix that.
Policies should apply the same everywhere unless there is a legal reason they cant.
Working hour rules should be simple clear and enforced not flexible only when it helps the company...

HR should be accesible to frontline employees not just managers!!!

If someone is on call pay them fairly or reduce expectations.
Remote work should be allowed where the job allows it if the work gets done stop micromanaging.
Targets need to reflect actual staffing levels not imaginary ones...

Not everything is an emergency the constant fire drill culture is exhausting!!!

I’ve heard anticipation of departures following bonuses this year…and I plan on being one of them. Already have the resignation email drafted, and as soon as that check clears I’m hitting send. Who’s coming with me??

Hey all, Are having these certifcates helping you with your job. Or advancing to elsewhere in the company? Can't seem to advance where having them and using the concept is helping..

Just turned in my resignation. I'll really miss the team, all of them are great people. This company itself is a completely different story, though. For anyone else feeling stuck, there are better options out there if you are persistent in looking. Wishing you all the best going forward.

Clearly little to no thought is placed into next roles for those of us who aren’t hipos. Tried to have a discussion on my interests with D&S and it was clear they didn’t care. Looking at job boards now.

Positions open in tech, thoughts? How stable is the department and is it worth applying to?

I really want to be a VP or SVP. I’m currently an L5 and just started a couple months ago. People are telling me to do a lot of GTKYs and that it can get pretty political. Is this true? Any advice?

One thing people don’t talk about enough is how being a top performer can actually trap you. Some managers don’t want to lose someone who makes them look good, so movement quietly stalls. That’s when you realize you’re on your own and have to speak up beyond your direct chain - which is always a double-edged sword. This is a constant thing at Wells Fargo but few people mention it.

AT&T doesn’t really care if you grow or improve, they just use your work to make a profit. Once your skills aren’t the hottest thing, they move on. Focusing on your own development and opportunities outside the company makes a lot more sense.

Why is nobody picking up new skills? It feels obvious the auto industry is shrinking fast with automation and outsourcing. People are going to get left behind if they don’t start preparing. Learning something new and looking elsewhere could be the smartest move for the future.

Does anyone actually care about people with POT 34? What does this even mean? Feels like it’s a bait to keep the slave treadmill going. My sup. Just gave me few generic next assignments and said it will eventually depend on availability and performance. Then what are YOU doing for me?In the last 5 yrs I have one E, 3O and one OWD. How much more do I need to perform! Am I f*** and should I leave immediately?

Context: hired 9 months ago and had a meets rating during my mid-year review (~3 months after starting). Today I had my year-end review and received an IM rating, specifically for "communication".

Is this common for new hires to receive an IM rating on their first year-end review? Not only that, but for something so general as communication?

Details: my review did not mention any specific instance of lack of communication. Just a general statement of how some of my superiors felt I lacked communication that led to delays. So of course my review states an action plan on how to improve my communication, obivously without knowing what the problem even is.

What's even more confusing, my review has a glowing summary and notes from my manager for an array of things. From actively leading young talent to preparing me for a promotion by mid-2026. Not to mention assist in leading a new segment in for my group that will lead to massive growth for our market.

I don't even know what I'm asking, just needed to rant and put this out there. Anyone been through something similar or at least let me know wtf is going on with my IM rating?

Whats the word for the future of branches? Will District management positions continue to be cut? What about Branch Managers? I am in my 30's and been in branch management for about 7 years, next move would be a DM position but how likely is that? Are other branch managers working in a teller window and as a banker half their days?

If you get all 3s, do you think you will get a raise? How does that work?

I've been through many, many layoffs at Optum and seen many talented people let go. It's tough to watch, but I've also seen a clear pattern where a lot of those people ended up in much better positions elsewhere. They found roles with better pay, better culture, or just more respect. Just something to keep in mind.

Im in technology department and i have no one around me got promoted to svp. Is it citi not promoting people to svp any more but promoting to D directly?

We've heard the phrase "up and out promotion" before. I've seen it happen especially for limited availability positions....IE new manager comes in and they have a buddy they'd love to give a promotion to, but even managers have headcount targets and can't necessarily create new Senior Engineer positions..so they find a way to force out someone currently in that position so they can give it to their friend.

For departments with many GSR engineers, in-line promotion can bring you from a 6->7->8 eventually with no tangible difference in responsibilities.

My question is during layoffs.. do you think you'd be safer as a higher paid lower GSR.. or at a higher GSR and lower on the pay scale? I know there's dept headcount reduction targets during cuts, and they can be based on X number per GSR.

I am currently working at Cisco, Sr Tech Leader title.
Base: $260k
Bonus: 15%
RSU: 75k/year (for next 4 years)

I cleared CMTS interview with OCI recently. They are offering $230k base and $600k RSU, no bonus. Shall I take the offer? They told me that this is the max they can offer for IC5 and they can't hire for IC6. Why the base pay is so low for IC5?

Today's promotions, for the most part, are an embarrassment. Some were well-deserving, and some I totally scratched my head over. So many others, so talented, were left in the darkness. For the life of me, how do they get this wrong each promotional cycle.... Be prepared because some good people are planning to leave, and when they do, those newly defined managers will be lost.

If you were given the choice between a promotion from Band B5 to Band B4 or a 10% salary increase, which one would you pick and why?

I see some people getting promoted rapidly within 1-2 years max and others still have the same title after 4-5 years.

I was an account executive in Dells 3rd party software group. Been with Dell over 22 years not sure what comes next at my age

I am in my early thirties and have been here long enough to see how fast things shift. FIDO still opens doors when recruiters scan a resume, but that window feels smaller each year. I am focusing on learning what I can and staying realistic about how long the shine lasts.

I am looking forward to going back to work tomorrow.
Last year I logged in 93 Hours of learning. I did more than Think 40.

Jim Kavanaugh said to upskill, so I did. I led a Watson X challenge team, Arvind's bold leadership is going to make IBM a power player.

I was hired in June of last year and I know I can get to be a Band 7 this year.

I’ve been here for six years, moved laterally once, and my impression is that there are not many opportunities left to move upward. Even the people who try hard to stay visible with upper management do not seem to be getting anywhere. Why is this happening? You would think a company would want at least some percentage of skilled employees to progress, if only to keep them motivated and to ensure strong voices at the top. I know I may sound naive, but rationally this should be one of any company’s priorities.

Hey there!

Just got my miserable rating of 3 and another 4 rating. Does it mean I gotta an overall rating of 4?

I also suppose there goes my chance to even transfer to another team even if the promise of no PIP?

No need to say about incre or pathetic bonus, just looking survival at this point of time

Does anyone know the max salary you can have at 27?