Engineering

A Senior Engineer’s Advice for Making a Big Career Move

A Senior Engineer’s Advice for Making a Big Career Move

Junior engineers starting out their career typically have more flexibility than senior developers who are more established in their careers and families. Luis de Alba traded in the stability of a Fortune 500 company for the challenge of a fast-growing startup when he chose Wizeline. Read his story to find out why.

For a little over three years, I have been a member of the Wizeline team, and a happy one at that. It took me about two years to say Yes and start this new adventure. It was a long and difficult decision but, so far, it has been the third best decision of my life (after getting married and having my kids, of course).

“It is a place where clients are not treated as clients but as partners. A place that invests in ideas, professional development, relationships, and the wellness of its team. “

I had the opportunity to meet several Wizeline engineers before joining the company. This allowed me to understand more about Wizeline’s culture, its way of working, and helped me connect to its purpose.

I wanted to be at Wizeline because of the possibilitiesIt is a place where clients are not treated as clients but as partners. A place that invests in ideas, professional development, relationships, and the wellness of its team. A place that is striving to build a legacy.

My decision was difficult because I was working 10+ years at a Fortune 500 company in which I visualized myself retiring. I was thinking about supporting a family of five, paying for schools, mortgage, and more.

The idea of starting a career from scratch? It’s tough to follow your heart and make your head agree. But I craved the challenge; I wanted to explore the possibilities and be a part of the digital revolution that is taking place across industries all around the world.

I’d like to share four pieces of advice to help anyone who might find themselves in a similar position:

1.Meditate. Understand what you are leaving behind and what you are getting into. You will move from a comfort zone to a challenge that won’t feel safe or familiar; a new rollercoaster ride.

2.Make sure it’s a good fit. Ask the right questions. Not about perks or salary, but about financial stability, the CEO’s expertise, the vision, and investors. Be sure you don’t fall into a vaporware scenario. (Vaporware is generally used to describe a product that has been announced, but that the developer has no intention of releasing any time soon, if ever.)

3.Check your finances. As an engineer, you should run your own ‘’what-if’’ scenario. Ask yourself “If something were to go wrong, for how long can I resist? ” Do this for peace of mind. In my case, I crunched the numbers, checked my savings, and confirmed that I had a large enough bandwidth to take the risk.

4.Get ready for the new adventure. You will notice three things upon joining a startup, especially if you are coming from a very large company.

  • Speed Things move faster and leaner, so take advantage, adapt, and become part of the flow.
  • Connections – It is much easier to connect and get to know the leadership and become a partner and trusted advisor. You are truly part of the company and sharing your expertise is encouraged.
  • Organization – It’s a startup. Guidelines, regulations, and workflows are always a work in progress. This may be difficult to adjust to at first, but it’s an opportunity to help shape the organization and build processes. Share your knowledge and help make things work.

It has been about three years since I started this new adventure. I work in the Queretaro office, where we are a team of eighty and growing. We’re working together to make Wizeline Querétaro a top office for software, and data and analytics, in the coming months.

Written by Luis de Alba, Luis de Alba, Director of Software Engineering in Queretaro
Written by Luis de Alba, Luis de Alba, Director of Software Engineering in Queretaro

Leslie Medina

Posted by Leslie Medina on December 4, 2018