I'm really feeling burnt out at my job and tired of being viewed as a drain on the company. It always seems to be that if things are running smoothly, I'm overlooked, but if something goes wrong, I'm the first one blamed. Plus, there's this constant pressure to deliver more while being told that my efforts take too long. I know some improvements need to happen, but that's not my role—it's the Ops team's responsibility. I'm wondering if there are any lateral moves I could make that would keep me in a similar salary range of $150-200k. I dread the idea of going back to school, but I'm open to switching to a more sales-oriented role in a SaaS company or something in recruitment. I just want to be treated like a valuable employee again!
5 Answers
Have you thought about shifting more towards development? You might also consider getting a fancier title like Site Reliability Engineer or Platform Engineer to elevate your status a bit. It could make a difference in how you're perceived.
If you're looking to maintain that salary range, try getting into anything AI-related. Even though I can't stand some of the hype around AI, management is really keen on those roles right now, and they tend to pay better.
It's frustrating that AI roles pay more than actual value delivery. People just want real solutions, not more prompts!
Totally get that! I'm dabbling in AI too, and while it's interesting, it doesn't always feel valuable.
You could consider becoming a solutions engineer. It involves showcasing demos mainly, and while it might not hit the $150k mark, the pay is usually pretty competitive depending on the company.
That's actually a solid option; I'll look into it.
What you're describing sounds like a classic DevOps dilemma. It's frustrating that your efforts often go unnoticed until something breaks. You should really be seeking out a real Site Reliability Engineer role that recognizes your contributions better.
DevOps tends to be about supporting development at the cost of your own recognition—definitely not cool!
It's common to feel sidelined in this line of work, especially when others are celebrated for new features while you're the one keeping things running smoothly. You've just got to find a way to communicate your value better. You clearly make things happen in the background, and that should count for something!
Absolutely. It's all about showing what would happen if your role vanished. Companies need to see the tangible impact!
I appreciate that. I just feel stuck; they won’t fire me because I'm needed, but promotions are out of the question.
I've already got the SRE title. It feels like everything is the same, and I'm more interested in finding something different that might still pay well, even if it's not exactly the same.