Career Search Update: Extending the Sabbatical
Wanted to give an update since it's been about a month since I started casually exploring post-sabbatical job opportunities. Essentially, I've learned that I'm very picky, and the market is very light on opportunity. This is a rough combo!
I've decided to pause the search, extend my sabbatical, and spend more time on career planning.
What's There to Think About?
Most roles I've seen involve some mix of:
- Leaving systems software for a completely different area (e.g. Web3)
- Taking a 40%+ pay cut to match local DC wages compared to my previous CrowdStrike role
- Accepting an hour of commuting time each way, 5 days a week
- Outrageous 996+ grind at a VC-backed startup
I know I'll eventually have to adjust expectations, but I'm undecided on what areas I'm willing to compromise on. I'd rather be very intentional about this than leave this to chance. I don't have a firm deadline or need to earn to force my hand.
DC-Metro Job Market Trends
AI & Tier-3 Pay
The buzzy AI startups are centered in SF, and the MAG7 are pushing RTO at hub sites. "Tier-3" firms that pay top-of-market aren't hiring in DC (outside Federal divisions), so the best jobs now require relocating to SF/Silicon Valley.
Amazon is the notable exception to this. Even though HQ2 hasn't fully materialized, they do have actual non-gov developer jobs in Arlington. They do seem to be flooded with applicants currently.
Startups
Some startups are still hiring remote, but often with unrealistic expectations. Several EDR startups have been very interested in me specifically, but the product milestones quoted to me and lack of having more experienced principals to act as a backstop seemed very risky. I'd be the backstop! After the CrowdStrike outage, I'm somewhat wary about this space.
Government
Hiring is frozen, and with 18F/DDS/USDS gone, it's unclear where engineers might even apply. Plus, most roles are contract-management or policy, not engineering.
Pay cuts would be 50–60% for me at a gov job, but I could perhaps rationalize it if it was interesting, impactful, and a path to getting cleared. I applied to the military's Chief Digital and AI Office based on these criteria, but let's be honest—I'll never hear anything back!
Contractors & Clearances
DC contractors are extremely risk-averse about clearances, even low-level ones like FAA Public Trust. Despite my FAA background, a contractor screened me out because my clearance expired in 2018. It seems they'd rather hire under-qualified but "paper-clean" candidates. Clearances expiring is now a "one way door" unfortunately.
Interviewing
Leetcode-style interviews have spread beyond MAG7 into Tier-1 and Tier-2 firms. Palantir set the precedent in the gov contractor space, and it seems like with applicant pools so saturated, it's really become normalized for companies of all sorts. I don't think leetcode grinding is really avoidable anymore.