> Yes. The industry moves at a snail's pace, and is very different from what you'd read on HN. A huge % of dev jobs are still using old software/processes, with managers that haven't written software in 20 years, if at all.
Spot on. Talented engineers can usually be picky and change job if they don't like the environment, but not everyone has this option. There's plenty of developers who are stuck in shitty companies (lack of skills/experience, or struggle with interviews, or just live in places with limited opportunities). And the longer you stay in a bad place, the harder it gets to escape it. 2 years ago I was the hiring manager for a few open positions and I was honestly shocked by some candidates. So many "senior devs" that despite having 5-10 years in the industry wouldn't have passed the interview even if they applied for a junior role.
It's very easy to have a distorted view of the industry if you are privileged enough to have only worked in great tech companies. I'm guilty of this myself, making friends with other devs in my city was definitely eye-opening for me.
Spot on. Talented engineers can usually be picky and change job if they don't like the environment, but not everyone has this option. There's plenty of developers who are stuck in shitty companies (lack of skills/experience, or struggle with interviews, or just live in places with limited opportunities). And the longer you stay in a bad place, the harder it gets to escape it. 2 years ago I was the hiring manager for a few open positions and I was honestly shocked by some candidates. So many "senior devs" that despite having 5-10 years in the industry wouldn't have passed the interview even if they applied for a junior role.
It's very easy to have a distorted view of the industry if you are privileged enough to have only worked in great tech companies. I'm guilty of this myself, making friends with other devs in my city was definitely eye-opening for me.