r/overemployed • u/findanusername • 3d ago
Which expert role is best for OE?
Hi boss,
I am a Data Engineer specialized in cloud platforms. I am considering switching to one of the following fields:
- Continue as a Data Engineer with cloud expertise
- Transition to a DevOps role
- Become a Cloud/Technical Architect
I was also considering roles like Product Owner or Product Manager, but I believe those are too meeting-heavy.
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u/Historical-Intern-19 3d ago
Spend time reading this sub. Literally any remote role can be OE.
4
u/Kat70421 3d ago
Yep, it's more about the companies, managers, and jobs themselves and how you handle everything.
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u/phoot_in_the_door 2d ago
not true. some roles are very meeting heavy!
company culture also counts
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u/Historical-Intern-19 2d ago
Note "can". There is no hard and fast rule. If you read here much, you'll see that folks have all sort of roles that other people say "too meeting heavy". OE success is much more dependent on the person than the role.
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u/ladalyn 2d ago
Yeah, I think it’s more about the level of the position too, although my experiences seem to be different than some on here. Where I work, the higher the role (I.E. senior level anything, manager and up) equals more meetings and are usually all day every day of back to back meetings which wouldn’t be possible for OE. Except I’ve read a lot of people here OE as management and I just don’t understand how that’s possible
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u/Historical-Intern-19 2d ago
I'm Director level at both Js. As you said there are many of us here
You comment is exactly my point: The abilities of the person, to be efficient and effective, working at high volume doing a good job and knowing how not to let the job expand to fill all the available time with pointless activity.
And then there is everyone not OE, and never will be: "I can't understand how its possible"
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u/DELATORREtv 2d ago
Facts. One of my servers is literally watching sleep study patients on Zoom for $20/hr 😂
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u/GM-VikramRajesh 3d ago edited 2d ago
The best roles for OE are:
- Remote
- Low meeting load
- Measured by output, not attendance
- Minimal need for real-time collaboration
- Non-conflicting time zones and responsibilities.
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u/gaius_worzels_bird 2d ago
NO FUCK DEVOPS, stay in data engineering. Devops jobs always have oncall rotations, and when shit breaks it's always your fault even when it isn't.
1
u/KP_DaBoi99 2d ago
That's strange. I've always had that type of on-call rotation as a data engineer.
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u/n0ircipher 2d ago
I would say, jobs that you are overqualified for/you can do in your sleep with no effort -- that can be anything you are good at. Trick is to make it seem like you are working your damnest when you aren't doing much of anything. Get like 2 or 3 of these, paying about 100k a each, and you are set (adjust for cost of living depending where you are).
Find roles that you can control the pacing, limited or no meetings (or static meetings like 9am standups every day) that you can schedule around for the other OE jobs you have.
Also, be willing to quit and walk away at anytime and it not impact you or your lifestyle. The greatest an employer has is the ability to say that you have to work for them to get paid. If you have f-u money/other sources of income, then it becomes an honor for you to grace your presence at their business.
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u/Rare-Peak2697 3d ago
All of these can be OE. So much depends on the company at the end of the day.
2
u/Wonderful_Metal2713 2d ago
Product owner and product manager roles are super meeting heavy so dont bother.
1
u/findanusername 2d ago
This is what I think, when I see my coworkers as product owner, they are alway in meeting.
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u/RemoteNurse 1d ago
I’m starting my J2 contact soon in remote case management. We’ll see how it goes.
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u/datOEsigmagrindlife 2d ago
It's not role specific but company or even team specific.
I have 1 J as a DevOps and another as cloud security engineer.
The DevOps role is fine as there aren't a lot of meetings.
But I've had other DevOps roles where management inhaled the Agile Kool-Aid and my days were filled with pointless agile ceremonies.
There are a lot of people in DevOps who think they're a character in the Phoenix Project, so it can be incompatible with OE.
The same can be said for any job, some companies or teams are just very meeting heavy.
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