I love this article, thank you for sharing and I can already think of ways in which I will apply your insights!
I’m curious what you think about this - what happens to your workload in the long-term? I’m thinking of this in the context of becoming the owner of non-promotable tasks that over time can add up to be a big part of your workload. This has happened to me before, where at first these activities helped me build capital at work, but over time I was doing less and less of what was actually essential. How do you navigate this as you progress in your career? Do you have any strategies for making sure that you can drop or pass on some tasks as you move on to new ones without making your manager unhappy?
Thanks for writing one mate ... really insightful, would you like to share your role of Frontend please 😛, mentioned RTL and frontend just wanted to know if you have managed both front and backend
Good to call out the irrelevance of "years" and experience. I've previously written about that particular topic (https://blog.alexewerlof.com/p/on-years-as-a-unit-of-measurement) but TLDR; it's about the tragectory of growth not the absolute position at a given point in time.
I appreciate the read but a thought regarding title inflation: calling it out isn’t about putting anyone down - it’s about acknowledging the reality of what one learns in 1-2 years of experience vs. 10-15+
I think this is a great article about how to be effective as an engineer early on in your career, but remember! Titles are inflated but the recognition is not
Very impressive career path. I love the section on how you stood out. Publicly sharing learnings has always worked well for me. It's great that you're highlighting that so early in your career.
In the first minimum responsibilities for Year 1 you say: "Any free time you have should be dedicated to doing your assigned project better, even when you are blocked." Did that include your free time outside of work?
Or more generally: what did you do outside of work in your first year? Any side projects/learning?
This is a really interesting article and you provide some great ways juniors and mid-level engineers can identify additional leadership opportunities, which can be a challenge for sure.
"Regardless of if that is true, who cares? If your company promotes you for good work and wants to give you a title for it, let them. You deserve it."
This quote in particular stands out. I don't disagree, but I do wonder if you have any additional insight on how to exercise this line of thinking without creating more adversity in the long-term. The few times in my career that I've been concerned about cases of title inflation, the concern that I've had- especially when it comes to senior and staff promotions- is that the engineer is not able to consistently write code at a senior or staff level or build the more complex solutions that a senior or staff engineer would be expected to be able to build and maintain without any hand-holding. In this way, they can become "locked-in" at their current employer because they can't pass a senior/staff-level technical interview elsewhere.
You mention learning from seniors and tech leads and that pair programming was especially helpful; you also point out that you can't take on extra credit without meeting the minimum responsibilities- both these I agree strongly with! Still, the article seems mostly focused on going above and beyond and finding opportunities to increase your visibility and influence rather than strengthening your technical competency or fast-tracking your professional development.
Do you feel like rising through the ranks quickly ever put you in a situation where you felt like you were in over your head on the technical side once you made it to senior? Or did you run into any challenges interviewing for your next senior role after Gusto that you weren't expecting?
I love this article, thank you for sharing and I can already think of ways in which I will apply your insights!
I’m curious what you think about this - what happens to your workload in the long-term? I’m thinking of this in the context of becoming the owner of non-promotable tasks that over time can add up to be a big part of your workload. This has happened to me before, where at first these activities helped me build capital at work, but over time I was doing less and less of what was actually essential. How do you navigate this as you progress in your career? Do you have any strategies for making sure that you can drop or pass on some tasks as you move on to new ones without making your manager unhappy?
First and foremost, congrats!
Two things I find super interesting:
- Your drive
- Your ability to spot what you've to do to excel
Very impressive and well deserved!
Giving away gems of advice brother 👊 - Keep 'em coming :)
This is basically what I need for a Monday mind shaping. Thank you for sharing
Thanks for writing one mate ... really insightful, would you like to share your role of Frontend please 😛, mentioned RTL and frontend just wanted to know if you have managed both front and backend
Thanks again 🙌
Excellent write up @jordancutler 🙌
Good to call out the irrelevance of "years" and experience. I've previously written about that particular topic (https://blog.alexewerlof.com/p/on-years-as-a-unit-of-measurement) but TLDR; it's about the tragectory of growth not the absolute position at a given point in time.
I appreciate the read but a thought regarding title inflation: calling it out isn’t about putting anyone down - it’s about acknowledging the reality of what one learns in 1-2 years of experience vs. 10-15+
I think this is a great article about how to be effective as an engineer early on in your career, but remember! Titles are inflated but the recognition is not
I like your mindset. What gave you this inner ambition as a person?
Such valuable information here - I love the way you break it down into simple actionable steps.
Great article, thanks for writing it!
Very impressive career path. I love the section on how you stood out. Publicly sharing learnings has always worked well for me. It's great that you're highlighting that so early in your career.
Thank you for the great advice.
In the first minimum responsibilities for Year 1 you say: "Any free time you have should be dedicated to doing your assigned project better, even when you are blocked." Did that include your free time outside of work?
Or more generally: what did you do outside of work in your first year? Any side projects/learning?
Coming from the contractor and freelancing world, this writing echoes one thing: show people you care.
Care about their problems, the solutions, and the general success of the project aka. their dream.
Once you show signs of caring, you start to build real and long-term connections that propel your business (or career) forward.
This is a really interesting article and you provide some great ways juniors and mid-level engineers can identify additional leadership opportunities, which can be a challenge for sure.
"Regardless of if that is true, who cares? If your company promotes you for good work and wants to give you a title for it, let them. You deserve it."
This quote in particular stands out. I don't disagree, but I do wonder if you have any additional insight on how to exercise this line of thinking without creating more adversity in the long-term. The few times in my career that I've been concerned about cases of title inflation, the concern that I've had- especially when it comes to senior and staff promotions- is that the engineer is not able to consistently write code at a senior or staff level or build the more complex solutions that a senior or staff engineer would be expected to be able to build and maintain without any hand-holding. In this way, they can become "locked-in" at their current employer because they can't pass a senior/staff-level technical interview elsewhere.
You mention learning from seniors and tech leads and that pair programming was especially helpful; you also point out that you can't take on extra credit without meeting the minimum responsibilities- both these I agree strongly with! Still, the article seems mostly focused on going above and beyond and finding opportunities to increase your visibility and influence rather than strengthening your technical competency or fast-tracking your professional development.
Do you feel like rising through the ranks quickly ever put you in a situation where you felt like you were in over your head on the technical side once you made it to senior? Or did you run into any challenges interviewing for your next senior role after Gusto that you weren't expecting?