The process was straightforward. I applied online, a recruiter reached out, and we discussed salary early on. We established that compensation could be an issue later, but decided to continue.

The hiring manager was knowledgeable and affable, and had a solid understanding of the kind of candidate he was looking for. I enjoyed speaking with him and everyone on his team he put in front of me. They seem like a great bunch that I would be proud to be a part of.

Much to my delight, I got an offer. The talent acquisition agent was the sweetest lady you could ever meet. She's very personable and was eager to speak about whatever was on my mind, even topics outside of work.

Unfortunately, we could never get there with salary. Fidelity boasts a strong retirement plan, but even the total compensation is still not competitive with the market, especially at the Principal level. They claim they couldn't give me more because even directors don't make what I was asking due to their strong adherence to employee equity. If directors don't make much more than engineers, and engineers can't get a raise above their director, something's gotta give for Fidelity to stay competitive in the market. The pay is still objectively very good, just not quite as much as a determined engineer could make elsewhere.

One minor discrepancy was that my offer indicated that I would be a Principal Software Engineer, which didn't match what I applied for.

I would highly recommend this role for anyone who values work-life balance, mental health through reduced stress levels, and aggressively saving for retirement.

What brought you to Fidelity?