Tech Jobber Podcast

What would the cast of Silicon Valley actually earn in 2026? Richard Hendricks built a world-class compression algorithm — and took home less than Big Head, who coasted through big tech without breaking a sweat. In this breakdown, we run the real numbers on both career paths: startup founder vs. Big Tech engineer, and what the gap between them looks like today.

💰 Richard (Technical Founder): $180K–$220K base + equity lottery ticket worth tens of millions — if the company hits.

💰 Big Head (FAANG-Style Engineer): $250K–$400K+ total comp, zero existential dread, and compounding stock grants every year.

The show got it right: the smarter play isn't always the startup. Sometimes the guy who coasts in big tech quietly wins.

🎯 Whether you're deciding between a startup offer and a FAANG offer — or you just want to understand how tech comp really works — this one's for you.

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Most engineers are optimizing for the wrong skills. 

In this episode, I sat down with Thanagai Velour — VP of Engineering at Expedia — to talk about what's actually getting engineers hired (and promoted) right now. We break down the rise of platform engineering, why FinOps is shifting from an accounting function to a core engineering discipline, and how AI is changing what it means to be a software engineer in 2025 and beyond. If you're a software engineer, DevOps engineer, or SRE looking to level up your career, this is the episode you can't skip.

What we cover: 

📌 Why platform engineering is the highest-leverage role in tech right now 

📌 What FinOps actually is — and why every engineer needs to understand it 

📌 The "P-shaped engineer" framework and why companies are hiring for it 

📌 How AI agents are replacing grunt work — and what that means for your career 

📌 Red flags VPs see on resumes (and how to avoid them) 

📌 The difference between outputs and outcomes — and why it determines your promotions 

📌 Why "why" matters more than "how" in every technical interview 

🔔 Subscribe for weekly tech career strategy, insider hiring insights, and interviews with executives who actually make the hiring decisions

Use "techjobberpod_20" for 20% off the FinOps site certs found here: https://www.finops.org/training-certi... for the 

For FinOpsX, the event in San Diego this summer, use code "TECHJOBBERPODX26", which can be redeemed here: https://x.finops.org/register/ . It gives $200 off the ticket price!

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$250K+ in tech — no coding required. Here's the ERP career path nobody's showing you. In this video, I break down the Big 3 ERP platforms — SAP, Workday, and Oracle NetSuite — and the high-paying non-coding roles hiding inside each one. Follow the career ladder from NetSuite Administrator to Project Manager to ERP Consultant and watch the salary jump at every level.

💰 Salary Breakdown:

NetSuite Administrator: $80K–$120K

ERP Project Manager: $110K–$160K

ERP Consultant (Senior / Contractor): $180K–$250K+

I also break down the Partner Ecosystem — firms like Deloitte and Accenture — and why that's where the salary ceiling disappears. Whether you're in finance, HR, supply chain, or just looking to break into tech without a CS degree — ERP is recession-proof, in demand, and pays like a developer without writing a single line of code.

📌 What You'll Learn:

The Big 3 ERP systems and who they serve

The no-code career ladder: Admin → PM → Consultant

Salary ranges by level for SAP, Workday & NetSuite

How the Partner Ecosystem accelerates your income

How to pick the right ERP track for your background

🔔 Subscribe for weekly tech career strategies, salary breakdowns, and insider hiring insights.

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He went from bootcamp grad to Senior Software Engineer at Tesla — and he's placed 500+ people in tech jobs using the EXACT same playbook. Cyrus Yari breaks down every hack, script, and shortcut

🔥 In this episode, Cyrus reveals:

✅ The #1 resume hack that DOUBLED his interview callbacks overnight

✅ The exact 3-step LinkedIn outreach script that gets responses from hiring managers

✅ Why hiring is JUST sales — and how to weaponize that

✅ How to get a job with NO degree and NO years of experience

✅ The "Fabricated Scarcity" trick that makes employers chase YOU

✅ Resume tips pros won't tell you: gaps, dates, grades — here's what to hide

✅ Why being a generalist is the most powerful career move in the AI era

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 – Intro: Who Is Cyrus Yari?

02:30 – From Immigrant to Tesla Senior Engineer (The Untold Story)

08:50 – "Two Types of People in the Future" — Why Cyrus Went Technical

13:30 – Hiring Is Sales: The Core Philosophy

18:00 – LinkedIn Job Search Strategy: The 5-7 Person Outreach Method

24:00 – The "Fabricated Scarcity" Script That Gets You Hired

28:00 – Resume Hacks: What to Remove, What to Fake, What to Feature

36:00 – How to Mask Career Gaps & Ignore "Years of Experience" Requirements

40:40 – Why "Years of Experience" Is a Scam (The Tesla Proof)

44:40 – The Danger of Being a One-Company Man

50:00 – Generalist vs Specialist in the AI Era

🎙️ ABOUT CYRUS YARI Former Tesla Senior Software Engineer | Founder | VC | Tech Career Coach Cyrus has helped 500+ professionals land roles in tech using unconventional job search strategies rooted in sales psychology and resume optimization.

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🚀 ABOUT TECH JOBBER PODCAST The go-to channel for tech career acceleration, job search strategies that actually land interviews, and insider advice from hiring managers, executives, and industry leaders in software engineering, AI, and tech sales.

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Amazon laid off 30,000 people. Google. Meta. Microsoft. Meanwhile — one industry has an OCEAN of jobs that nobody from Big Tech is even applying for. And the skills to get hired? You already have them.

In this episode, I sit down with Michael Flores, Digital Transformation Executive at OpSite Energy, to expose the hidden tech job market inside Operational Technology (OT) — where SCADA engineers earn 20%+ MORE than their software engineering counterparts, and a mid-level Ignition professional clears $150K without a FAANG resume.

Oh — and the FBI showed up to his office. We'll get to that

💥 WHAT WE COVER:

→ What OT, SCADA, PLC, and DCS actually are (plain English)

→ Why the FBI called the largest national security meeting since 9/11

→ The exact salary gap: Software Engineer vs. SCADA Engineer

→ How to break in using FREE tools (Ignition University — no cost to start)

→ The full learning path: Python → PLC → Ignition → $150K

→ Which industries are hiring RIGHT NOW (Tesla, Toyota, oil & gas, airports)

→ Why this career is recession-proof (survived COVID, will survive anything)

→ The "mercenary to missionary" mindset shift that accelerates your career

→ How AI is reshaping OT roles — and creating NEW opportunities

• Software Engineer (3-5 yrs): $105K–$120K

• SCADA Engineer (same experience): 20%+ higher

• Ignition Professional (mid-level): $150K+

🎓 YOUR FREE ENTRY POINT: Ignition by Inductive Automation — used by 80%+ of Fortune 100 companies. Download it free → learn it free → deploy it free.

Link: https://inductiveautomation.com/ignition/trial

🎙️ ABOUT MICHAEL FLORES:

15+ years in digital transformation across energy, midstream, and manufacturing.

VP of Technology & Digital Strategy at OpSite Energy. In a single week he's served clients at Tesla, Toyota, John Deere, and Cummins.

Co-host of the Energy Tech Podcast.

🔗 Connect with Michael: [📷/mikeafloresenergy]

🎙️ Energy Tech Podcast: [📷/@opsiteenergy]

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Love is Blind star Cameron Hamilton went from firefighter to $2M AI empire founder — and nobody was paying attention to the career behind the love story. His story is the opposite of our recent episode on Singles Inferno Star Samuel Lee's journey to become a Quant Trader.

💰 Firefighter & EMT → $35K–$50K

🎓 Double Master's (Biomedical + AI) → $60–100K investment

🔬 AI Scientist at Weill Cornell Medicine → $130K–$180K

📺 Love is Blind → attention converted into career assets

🚀 Alliance AI Founder → $2M+ net worth

If you're wondering how to become an AI consultant or pivot into tech from a completely different field — this is your roadmap.

I break down the exact 5-stage framework Cameron used (whether he knew it or not) so you can apply it to YOUR career

🔔 Subscribe for weekly tech career breakdowns 📩 Connect with me: [www.linkedin.com/in/christopherschwenk ~ www.instagram.com/chris_delosstaffing]

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 – The Samuel Lee Comparison

1:00 – Stage 1: Firefighter ($35K–$50K)

2:30 – Stage 2: The Double Master's

4:30 – Stage 3: Weill Cornell Medicine ($130K–$180K)

6:30 – Stage 4: Love is Blind Effect

Get paid to learn AI with AI Trade Pilot - https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/2UJ6AW0lfugS50ol7pxY?am_id=techjobberpod

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AI is replacing jobs faster than ever — but these 7 tech careers are virtually untouchable AND still pay $150K+. I break down exactly why AI can't automate these roles and how you can start positioning yourself NOW.

Whether you're in a tech career transition or just want to future-proof your income, these AI-proof jobs offer real security in 2026 and beyond.

🔗 RESOURCES & TOOLS FOR EACH ROLE:

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1. Cybersecurity / Security Engineer — [Linux Foundation Cyber Courses: Use Code "TECHJOBBERPOD" for 30% off - https://training.linuxfoundation.org/...]

Ellington Cyber Academy - https://www.skool.com/eca-cyber-range...https://www.skool.com/eca-cyber-range-4625/about?ref=674cbede79de482fa76b88623c0cf89e

2. Cloud / Platform / DevOps Engineer — [Linux Foundation Cloud and DevOps Courses Use Code "TECHJOBBERPOD" for 30% off https://training.linuxfoundation.org/...

Level Up in Tech Community - https://www.skool.com/luit-academy/ab...]

3. FinOps / Cloud Cost Optimization Engineer —

4. MLOps / AI Platform Engineer — [Linux Foundation Cyber Courses: Use Code "TECHJOBBERPOD" for 30% off - https://training.linuxfoundation.org/...]

5. Data Engineer / Analytics Engineer — [Data Engineer Academy - https://my.dataengineeracademy.com/lo...]

6. Solutions Architect / Sales Engineer — [https://www.skool.com/bigtechmoney/ab...]

7. Technical Product Manager (Platform / AI / Security) — [PMP Mastermind - https://www.skool.com/pmp-mastermind-...]

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

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00:00 — The AI job apocalypse is real... for MOST roles

[02:31] — #1 Cybersecurity / Security Engineer

[03:47] — #2 Cloud / Platform / DevOps Engineer

[04:55] — #3 FinOps / Cloud Cost Optimization

[06:08] — #4 MLOps / AI Platform Engineer

[07:27] — #5 Data Engineer / Analytics Engineer

[08:48] — #6 Solutions Architect / Sales Engineer

[08:58] — #7 Technical Product Manager

🎯 IN THIS VIDEO YOU'LL LEARN:

• 7 tech jobs AI can't replace — each paying $150K+

• Why these roles actually get MORE valuable as AI grows

• The skills and certs that make you untouchable

• How to pivot into these roles from your current position

📌 SUBSCRIBE for weekly tech career strategies → https://www.youtube.com/@TechJobberPo...

🎙️ The Tech Jobber Podcast — Career acceleration, job search tactics, and insider insights from hiring managers & industry leaders.

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What does it actually take to go from $50K to $120K in ONE year in tech?

Cybersecurity. And not the generic "get a cert" path — the REAL roles nobody on LinkedIn is talking about.

Kenneth Ellington, founder of Ellington Cyber Academy, breaks down the exact cybersecurity career paths driving $120K–$200K salaries right now — and why most people are sleeping on them.

In this episode:

🔐 The top cybersecurity jobs hiring RIGHT NOW (IAM Engineer, GRC Engineer, Threat Hunter, AI Governance)

💰 Real student stories: waiter → Security Solutions Engineer, $50K → $120K in 12 months, Splunk engineer clearing $200K W-2

🤖 Why AI Governance is the cybersecurity career of the next 5 years

🏥 The industries with the most cyber demand (DOD, healthcare, construction)

🎓 How Ellington Cyber Academy trains people with zero experience and places them in roles — using Splunk, IAM, and more

📈 Why 90% of Fortune 100 companies use Splunk and what that means for YOUR salary ceilin

Whether you're trying to break into cybersecurity with no experience or level up your current tech career, this episode maps the exact path from entry-level to six figures — and beyond.

🔗 Ellington Cyber Academy: [https://www.skool.com/eca-cyber-range...]

🎯 The Tech Jobber Podcast helps tech professionals land interviews, negotiate offers, and accelerate their careers. New episodes weekly

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🔐 Are cybersecurity jobs actually disappearing — or is the bar just getting impossibly high?

In this episode, Chris sits down with Cassandra Mack, CISO at Tensorwave, for one of the most brutally honest conversations about the cybersecurity job market you'll hear right now. From the collapse of junior roles to AI automating away GRC workflows, this is the cybersecurity career roadmap reality check most people never get.

→ Why junior cybersecurity jobs are disappearing (and what employers actually want)

→ How AI is reshaping the day-to-day of every security professional

→ Cybersecurity certifications (CISSP, Security+, CompTIA) — do they still matter?

→ Hands-on labs vs. theory-based degrees: what CISOs are really hiring for

→ How to write a resume that gets past HR (the CAR method: Challenge, Action, Result)

→ The future of GRC and why automation is killing junior-to-mid level roles

→ How to break into cybersecurity with no experience using TryHackMe & bootcamps

→ Career advice for women in tech and security

→ What keeps a CISO up at night in 2025

🔗 Connect with Cassandra Mack: [ 📷 / cassandramack-lasvegas  ]

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🎙️ The Tech Jobber Podcast drops new episodes weekly covering tech career strategies, job search tactics, and real talk from hiring managers and executives.

📌 Subscribe so you never miss an episode → [ 📷 / @techjobberpod  ]

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Mr. Robot is arguably the most accurate hacking show ever made—but how accurate are the careers? In this video, I break down the real-world job titles, compensation packages, and career paths for 5 major characters: Elliot Alderson, Tyrell Wellick, Gideon Goddard, Angela Moss, and Darlene. We’re moving past the drama to look at the numbers: Base salary, equity, bonuses, and what it actually takes to land these roles in today’s tech market.

From Principal Security Engineers to Global CTOs, I’m analyzing the specific skill stacks you need to reach these income levels. Whether you want to be a high-paid individual contributor like Elliot or a corporate power player like Tyrell, here is the roadmap (and the paycheck) for each path.

Timestamps:

0:00 - The Real Tech Careers of Mr. Robot

1:12 - Elliot Alderson: Principal Security Engineer (Salary & Skills)

3:45 - Tyrell Wellick: The Path from VP to CTO (Total Comp Revealed)

6:20 - Gideon Goddard: Enterprise VP vs. Niche Founder

8:50 - Angela Moss: The Non-Technical Power Player Route

11:15 - Darlene: Red Team Lead & Offensive Security Consultant

13:30 - Which Career Path Fits You Best?

🚀 Ready to accelerate your tech career?

To Access All My Resume/Linkedin/Interview Prep Templates: 

Subscribe for more insider career strategy: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyrxBCde2MK_IAe7lhrNGPQ

www.delosstaffing.com

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