My company does not want contractors to lead new features
I work as a contractor for a big fintech in the USA. This fintech does not allow contractors to lead new feature development regardless of seniority (not explicitly, FTEs have separate sprint planning and meetings).
We (contractors) only work on research tickets and bugs.
This is frustrating. Should I change company?
![Senior Software Engineer [E5] at Meta company logo](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebasestorage.googleapis.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Ftech-career-growth.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fcompany_logos%252Fmeta.jpeg%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3Da7a5bcc0-e178-4b5b-b71e-09bf6c6aefae&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
![Entry-Level Software Engineer [L3] at Google company logo](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebasestorage.googleapis.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Ftech-career-growth.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fcompany_logos%252Fgoogle.jpeg%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D780356ef-3efc-4728-9eb4-d909b75bb4a6&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Discussion
(2 comments)- 210 months agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero
It sucks, but I get why the company would do that. That being said, if your goal is career growth (i.e. grow from mid-level to senior), then you should 100% change companies.
There's several benefits in being a contractor (more flexibility, a higher hourly wage in some cases), but when it comes to scope, they are always treated as second-class citizens relative to FTEs. As Rahul mentioned, even prestigious companies like FAANG will do this.
To help you find an awesome new role, check these out:
- 110 months agoTech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
Yes, you should change companies and ideally get a full-time employee (FTE) role.
If you're a contractor:
- Your access to information will be limited.
- Your peers won't invest in you as much, since you probably can't write them performance feedback
- Without having relationships or information, your ability to learn and grow is severely handicapped.
At Meta and Google, contractors are very much second-class citizens (they can't attend all-hands meetings or receive swag). In the long term, you should change jobs.
A big part of career growth is about your manager: https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/oeY7ncZhzJ5NO6dij5e7/masterclass-what-software-engineers-should-look-for-in-their-engineering-manager/
