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Comment by logfromblammo | Hacker News Reader

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Every time I hear that question, I die a little inside. I'm not sure it's possible to answer it honestly without taking yourself out of contention.

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I suppose it depends on your 5-year goals and the position, but as an entry-level developer my first thought would be:

"Well as I'm interviewing here I would obviously see taking this position as a step foreword for all the reasons we've discussed. Naturally I don't see this position as the job I'll work until I retire, and obviously I'll be looking for at least some mild expansion of responsibilities in the future. Whether that happens here or somewhere else in 5 years remains to be seen, but staying here is certainly an option depending on how things are going after 2-3 years. On that note, exactly how are company name's technical and managerial tracks structured..."

In that paragraph I've been honest, I've let them know that I don't intend to do menial labor forever and have aspirations, the minimum amount of time-loyalty they can expect from me, an assurance that I won't job-hop, and I've shown further interest in their company as well as the initiative to ask questions of my own if I haven't done so earlier.

Edit: Reading it here may sound like I want to be a manager in 3 years (which is crazy for a junior dev), but that's where manner and vocal tone come in.

Ok, now do it for someone with 5 and 10 years of experience.

That question is easier with experience, because you know more about how positions look like in practice and what you disliked in the past.

Here's my honest answer:

I don't know, because based on my experience, your company won't even exist as a separate entity five years from now, and if it doesn't lay most of us off before the acquisition, the purchasing company will just afterward. So I'll probably be sitting right where we are right now, answering the same question again. But maybe--just maybe--the company will last that long, and grow, and I'll be sitting in your seat, asking it. But since I am where I am, that obviously hasn't happened yet.

Dude, you absolutely should be trying to be a manager in 3 years, if you want to go down the management track.

Depending on company size, you should probably be a team-lead or something by then.

Junior developers that remain "solo" workers after 3+ years in the industry is a bad sign for value. If you've been developing for a while, at the very least you should be put in a leadership position from a project perspective. Management/leadership experience doesn't just pop up out of nowhere. It's a skill you have to work really, really hard at. Take every leadership opportunity you can grab. You don't have to be "the boss" in the formal sense of the word, but you absolutely should be working towards a leadership role.

Depends on the industry. None of my current managers have anything less than 10 years experience, even at the lowest level (I'm at a big old defense contractor). First promotion from associate developer to staff developer typically comes after two years, and it's not due to lack of talent. Likewise our team leads and SMEs are often pushing 10-20 years and are still non-managerial. The program would likely fall apart for a few months if all of them just left at once, so I wouldn't say they lack value. :)

A manager with a scant 3 years of experience undervaluing a "solo dev" (whatever that is, unless you're talking about 1-person companies) with 10 years experience sounds like a good setup for an episode of Silicon Valley.

There are a whole lot of senior developers who've done a turn as lead/manager, only to go back to dev. It's not for everyone, and promoting this narrative that it should be everyones goal is kind of shallow.

I don't think answer that question honestly takes you out of contention. You simply state what your career goals are in broad strokes. Say 'I want to advance to a position to mentor others' or 'I want to be managing a small team' or things like that. This helps make things clear as to what you are looking for in the future. If I know you want to be a team lead, manager, whatever that helps shape the job and your career growth, and maybe keep you around longer. Or if I know you have no interest in management, you don't get forced into it and leave earlier than you would have.

Obviously shouldn't answer and say 'I want to work at Major Competitor X, doing Y', but being honest is good for everyone involved. Everyone knows people stick around for maybe a few years and move on. 5 years is a long time, and you may not be (probably not) working for the same company, but its a question about character, motivation, and goals. Not company loyalty or some sort of trap question.

I would try to keep the audience and context in mind and answer accordingly.

It depends on whether you are interviewing the job or the job is interviewing you :)

If you're at the same company, generally the answer is obvious. Overly bored with the tech and internal politics. Probably, brushing up on interviews to escape.

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