Face it, as a software engineer, you want to work for an innovative and exciting company. You want to work for a company that has authority in the modern technology industry.
For instance, do you recognize the acronym FAANG? It stands for Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google, which are the big tech companies. These tech giants have completely changed our lives by developing highly innovative systems. As you would expect, working in these companies comes with a lot of benefits.
For instance, you will hone your skills while learning from the best and also be sure to earn a much higher salary than startup engineers. You will also be entitled to huge bonuses and allowances.
However, despite all those benefits, there is also a belief that only geniuses and highly skilled individuals can work in FAANG. But you don’t need to be an experienced coder to work in FAANG. It only takes your consistency, skills, and, to some point, luck.
As a FAANG engineer, you’ll work on innovative technologies. You will be a key contributor to a product used by millions of people.
However, have you ever asked yourself what these FAANG engineers do? Perhaps, are they super hackers that stay up all night writing code? This article digs deep into what FAANG engineers do, the benefits they enjoy, and their performance evaluation.
What FAANG Engineers Do
FAANG focuses on developing software engineers who can innovate, not just implement, technology. FAANG engineers mostly engage in problems that contribute directly to the business growth of the company.
They commit themselves to the product development process and own their work, from ideas to full delivery. To do this, they have to be curious and self-learners who can thrive on ambiguity.
They also have a great attitude toward continuously learning new technologies and techniques. These characteristics define intentional software engineers who can further develop and support the company with their best skills and knowledge.
FAANG engineers are not your average technical team members. They are problem solvers who work with various technologies every day to find the best solution. They use a combination of open-source and in-house developed projects.
Not only that, but they implement frameworks that integrate with their other tools already in place. They manage thousands of databases for the storage and retrieval of information. And yes, they use FAANG internally to communicate with other engineers to meet their objectives.
They develop tools to keep the site running efficiently while on the lookout for ways to increase productivity. For instance, each FAANG company has its goals. Google’s goal is to create the best search experience ever, providing better search results in response to user queries, while Amazon’s goal is to drive their Prime membership benefit by providing fast shipping and competitive pricing.
FAANG Engineers Performance Evaluation
Most FAANG companies have a performance evaluation system in place to grade their employees. These systems differ from one company to another and may include utilizing patterns needed to pass the technical interviews or online assessments.
They are a collection of weights on a set of contributions to team success. The weight of a piece of work considers its importance to the goal and the quality of the work.
FAANG engineers should create an impact on whatever they handle. The manager assesses every project for impact.
For instance, the best projects end up increasing revenue, cutting off expenses, or generating an idea that will increase the company’s revenue in the future. If there isn’t a clear path to any of these, your competency will be questionable.
For transparency in performance evaluation, managers consider the effectiveness of engineers’ work and the context of the organizational systems. They also consider factors like functional diversity, complexity, process efficiency, and product value.
FAANG Engineers Salary
FAANG engineers who work at Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon, and Netflix earn well above the average software engineer’s salary. The average total compensation for a Google software engineer is $186,883 a year.
The complete breakdown of the salary is as follows, according to Levels.fyi website:
- a basic salary of $125,569
- stock worth $40,659
- a tremendous bonus of $20,655
Why FAANG Companies Pay High Salaries
The landscape for software jobs has dramatically changed in two decades. Today, we live in a world where Google and Facebook pay high salaries to their employees.
They also offer generous benefits and perks to attract and keep talented engineers on board. Think about that: 15 years ago, it was unheard of for a company to offer six-figure salaries to software professionals consistently.
Two decades ago, many big tech companies lost their talented engineers to startups. Startups companies could lure them with prestigious salaries and freedom to work. They looked so promising up until other tech companies, like Google, realized and upped their standards.
Startups offered agile, dynamic teams with opportunities for advancement that didn’t require decades of experience. Today, the lines have blurred.
Today’s startup culture requires large companies to provide competitive pay and benefits to attract and keep talent.
Here are the main reasons why FAANG companies pay high wages to their employees:
To Avoid Unnecessary Talent Competition
FAANG companies pay higher-than-average salaries to stay ahead on the talent front. Although there are some differences among the mentioned companies’ salaries, the essential reason is the same.
All these companies want to hire the best engineers who can make exceptional quality products. They don’t want to outsource anything or compete with anyone of equal skill set next door or somewhere else.
Complexity
These companies rely on massive computer systems to operate their businesses. From mammoth social networks to vast e-commerce platforms to streaming video services, the technology underlying these companies is complex.
The demands of serving billions of users every day are testing the limits of human ingenuity. These systems need to be continually up-to-date and improved. There is a limitation of talent to build, maintain, and improve these complex systems. Therefore, FAANG companies pay their engineers incredibly well to keep them aboard.
Benefits of Working in FAANG
Working in FAANG companies is a very exciting and promising opportunity for your career. Remember, you are working for the best technology company across the globe.
Imagine controlling servers used by billions of people daily? Let’s not forget the reputation you gain once you work with these companies.
The benefits of working with FAANG companies exceed the general view of high salaries and bonuses. Here are some benefits of working with big tech giants:
Large-scale Impacts
Other companies may have more offices, more employees, and perhaps more money. But you can’t overlook the opportunity to work in FAANG. These organizations are so large-scale that every decision you make has the potential to affect millions of people.
You can help build products used by almost everyone in their respective industries. And instead of handling the typical growth issues of typical startups, you work with highly anticipated tech giants.
Bonuses and Reliefs
These companies offer their employees discounts on many products and services. They even go to the extent of offering free onsite lunch, shuttles to and from work, and other additional perks.
In addition, these companies offer commuter benefits and health care packages for their employees. Wages are competitive, and there is enough motivation to produce the best results.
Work With the Best
As a FAANG engineer, you’ll have access to some of the best engineering tools and training out there. Therefore, you will keep up with technology and learn how to master it as fast as possible. Plus, you’ll be surrounded by experts who care about your success and will help you get ahead.
What else can we say about FAANG? Working in FAANG these days is like having a VIP pass to the most exclusive club in your town.
Young and bright minds will surround you with an entrepreneurial spirit. They are all working on some of the biggest tech projects and problems around the globe.
For instance, as a software engineer on Facebook, you’ll gain valuable experience. You will be part of the team that monitors and controls a system used by over two billion people daily.
We’re talking about desktop and mobile clients available on all Web-capable devices. You’ll be working with phenomenal colleagues who share your passion, dedication, and a set of fundamental technologies. This will help you realize your maximum potential.
Huge Salaries
What could be better than working for one of the top companies in the industry? FAANG companies reward their self-driven and determined engineers with lucrative salaries.
They provide employees with immense recognition based on their hard work. All that fame comes at a high price, though; it’s no secret that big players pay the big bucks.
Stability
As a FAANG engineer, you are sure that your job is secure. This is because most of these companies have already established themselves in the market as the authority.
They own and control the tech space. In contrast, startups are not stable enough and can fail unexpectedly. As an engineer there, you can easily lose a job because of a mistake in decision-making. Working for FAANG companies, on the other hand, affords you the stability that many other companies simply can’t offer.
A recent survey by LinkedIn investigated how FAANG firms affected the career preferences of software engineers. The results were striking.
Out of all the companies mentioned in the survey, FAANG firms ranked the best at work. Having a mention or an internship with one of these firms opens a door for other lucrative opportunities.
Final Thoughts
FAANG companies are at the forefront of the technology world. The environment is hyper-competitive for the best engineers, designers, product managers, and other specialists.
To be a FAANG engineer, you have to know the bases of coding, SQL, python, and all other programming languages.
They’re well known for having some of the best employee benefits, work-life balance, and unique company cultures. That is why they attract an immense pool of talents whom they use to improve their productivity.
