>How do they even get into these positions?
Sociopathic mindgames to eliminate the competition and make them appear to be the only viable choice by finding elaborate ways to make others look worse while perfectly covering up their tracks.
It's networking at the highest game. It's all about networking, but the ones at the top usually find ways to push the odds in their favor and some will go to extreme lengths.

>>133941
At this point I start to question what EVEN is networking.
I regularly interact on a monthly basis with fortune 500 managers and sometimes even directors, the kind of folks that get featured in IT magazines and give speeches etc... but what kind of networking can I even do being a middle manager that at best interacts with them for 30 minutes once a month?
I feel like the kind of networking that's expected of me to do to go the the "next level" would need to be done in person rather than over the internet, and that's impossible for me being in latin america and all

I loathe the fact that my autist brain somehow landed a job in neurotypical land. I can pretend pretty well to be a neurotypical, but that's the best I can do, pretend.

>>133942
> would need to be done in person
Yes, the type of networking that is worth a damn is going to industry events or company parties and then going to the "after parties" where people do more candid "smoking and joking" or it's in a context like after work and you are going to a bar or something with coworkers (the ones above your pay grade). At least that's how it is in my field. It's all about making "friends" which requires excuses to socialize with them, outside of work. People pay people they trust, even if they aren't the best for the job. Verifying that someone is the "best" can be hard and costly but you can trust your friends and if your friend is good enough, he gets the job.

I think if you spend enough time with someone, they'll naturally consider you when they have a job opening to fill.

>>133943
Fuck... I had a gut feeling that reality was just as you described, but I never took the time to confirm it.
Also, funny fact, I was finally supposed to meet some of my biggest clients in person at a huge company event they're hosting in SF this year, after working with them for over three years got invited personally by one of the managers I have a better relationship with but then got cockblocked by their HR saying they can't let me join because I'm not actually their employee.

>>133945
It sounds like it's not all bad then. Just keep looking out for those opportunities to meet people. It sucks that HR cockblocked you but that's why it's good to be around a lot of people, more opportunities to meet come up.
If you really want to move up it may be worth focusing on the local side of your industry more or switching to an industry that has a stronger local presence. Just so you can get to know more people in person.

They're hiring foreign because you're basically making a lot more after currency exchange. They wouldn't hire foreign labour otherwise. But maybe there is a situation where you would make more, idk. That would be something about looking at other BR people and seeing if they have it different

>>133947
>They're hiring foreign because you're basically making a lot more after currency exchange
I mean, yeah, 50k a year is like top 1% salaries here in BR considering 90% of brazilians make under 1k a month I'm doing pretty well for myself I would say... but I can't help but be jealous of the fortune 500 managers I work with that make up to 500k a year

>>133940
1. Just because it's the first thing on their profile doesn't mean that's where they started, there's no point cluttering your resume with a decade of low-level grind when you're looking for high-paying project management positions.
2. That pay is exceptional for the first world too everywhere except a handful of extremely high cost of living areas and I could retire in a few years off that, even with the government stealing half of it.
3. They are probably doing a lot more actual work than you and you're probably happier watching anime all day. Or they're lucky enough to have found a team that holds them up and hasn't collapsed under their weight yet.
4. If you get into a company early you can get an important-sounding title right away and, as long as the whole thing doesn't collapse around you, you'll be set there for life.

>>133943
Parties aren't strictly necessary, but it is key that you get people to like you socially. This is a lot easier in an office because just taking a few hours a week to chat with the people around you will impress you on them as someone who is good at their job and easy to work with. Parties do supplement this, though, and let you create those connections outside of your immediate sphere. You can also do this with friends outside of your professional sphere. Once you have some rapport with someone, just make sure they know you're looking for something more and hope they run across something you'd fit into. Or, alternatively, find something they're having a hard time with and come up with a way you could be the solution.

>>133952
Move to the US and you will be fucked living the way you probably do in BR because in the US you have to pay for basically everything yourself. No government subsidization of your quality of living. So not only do you need to be payed equivalent between BR vs US, you also have to make extra to compensate.
That's why you are hired in the first place compared to a local US worker.

FYI I'm CAN payed in USD so US-CA exchange rate and standard of living are fairly good. I get paid about same that a mid range dev would be payed in Canada for the price of a high-junior level. And I would not want to move to the US on my salary if I were consuming at least 60% of my month to month. Because I would have to pay for health insurance and then I have to get a car. And living in US appartments is shit so I would need to buy a house

>>133957
>Move to the US and you will be fucked living the way you probably do in BR because in the US you have to pay for basically everything yourself
That's already my situation here in Brazil. Government social services are shit, and the "free healthcare" is abysmal. Additionally, I’m a hikikomori and use zero (0) services provided by the government.
To be honest, I invest 90% of my salary in safe stocks and crypto with the hope of becoming financially independent and a real NEET again someday. At this rate, I’ll probably be able to retire in around ten years, by that time I'll be in my early 40s.
I also don’t want any additional responsibilities if it means commuting and putting actual effort into my work, so I guess the U.S. is off the table for me for now.

>>133958
You might be right then. Because Canada has a lot of benefits and I can mouche off of family if need be. If Brazil maybe only has the family benefits then dunno.

The main thing to be considering here is that you can't just blind jump into a country, especially the US, and you need a job lined up.