90% of programming jobs are in creating Line of Business software
Engineers are hired to create business value, not to program things
You really want to be attached to Profit Centers because it will bring you higher wages, more respect, and greater opportunities for everything of value to you.
Don’t call yourself a programmer
You are not defined by your chosen software stack
Co-workers and bosses are not usually your friends
You radically overestimate the average skill of the competition because of the crowd you hang around with
“Read ad. Send in resume. Go to job interview. Receive offer.” is the exception, not the typical case, for getting employment
Networking: it isn’t just for TCP packets
Networking just means a) meeting people who at some point can do things for you (or vice versa) and b) making a favorable impression on them.
Academia is not like the real world
"How much money do engineers make?" is the wrong question.
People who are skilled in negotiation make more than those who are not.
How do I become better at negotiation?
Equity is generally worthless.
You radically overestimate the likelihood that your startup will succeed and radically overestimate the portion of the pie that will be allocated to you if the startup succeeds
Are startups great for your career as a fresh graduate?
So would you recommend working at a startup?
Your most important professional skill is communication
You will often be called to do Enterprise Sales and other stuff you got into engineering to avoid
Modesty is not a career-enhancing character trait
All business decisions are ultimately made by one or a handful of multi-cellular organisms closely related to chimpanzees, not by rules or by algorithms
At the end of the day, your life happiness will not be dominated by your career