Choosing an Expert or Management track & Building Portfolios

Choosing an Expert or Management track & Building Portfolios”

• anekdote
  • ”people leave managers, not companies”
    • pro tip: find a good manager
  • management suffers from peter principle
  • peter principle
    • ”In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.”
      • Laurence J. Peter,
  • this is why top companies acknowledge the need for separate tracks
• expert/management tracks
  • part peter principle, part salary discussion at google
  • google two track system
    • separate engineering managers (EM) from individual contributors (IC)
    • observations
      • managers should choose to manage
      • research skills needed just as well for technical challenge or management challenge
      • switching feels like starting over
  • expert track
    • observations
      • your progress and improvement isn’t going to be as dramatic as it was in year 1.
      • experience doesn’t directly translate into impact.
        • individual contributor path is much more “ambiguous”
    • ladder
      • junior
      • roles / “senior”
        • owning development and rollout
        • tech lead
          • ”guide their team members through all technical challenges and issues.”
          • consult on software or experiment designs from other engineering team
        • onboarding and mentoring programs
        • writing
        • public speaking on technical subjects
      • ”senior+” / “level 4” / principle
        • architecture
        • cross-team infrastructure
    • signs you might be an IC
      • picking niche / deep knowledge
      • people come to you for advice? Do you like sharing your knowledge and experience?
      • tendency to manage projects over people
      • find challenge in projects instead of in people
      • like to let your work speak for itself
  • management track
    • ”it is no longer about you making the right technical decisions it is about you guiding your team to make decisions.” -natasha vinnik
    • observations
      • linking pins
      • liason / glue / scrum guide
      • hiring
      • project management
      • people management
      • performance management
    • observations
      • ”having influence beyond your own work”
        • identify and suggest work
      • cognitive switching costs (production vs management)
      • good manager is an accessible manager → not consumed with production work
      • ”impact”
    • ladder
      • senior
        • 5 - 15 people
      • senior+
        • manager of managers
      • principle
        • executive
    • signs you might become a manager
      • mentoring
      • feedback
      • taking ownership
      • writing
      • system level thinking
  • clear separation expert / managementtrack does not happen in all companies
    • be aware!
    • when you get forced into management:
      • know this does not have to be
      • please find another place where you can stay a contributor
  • also note: personal development is relevant to both tracks:
    • proactiveness / growth mindset
    • feedback
    • planning / long term schedule
    • prioritizing
    • time management
    • coaching
• bonus: building portfolios
  • enthusiasm
  • example development portfolio
    • github
      • exercises vs personal projects
      • forks vs repositories
    • linkedin
      • projects / li
    • personal website
      • entrypoint to relevant links → github, live projects
  • internship criteria:
    • only hire potential level-1 engineers next year.
    • recruit interns who will graduate and be on the job market next year.

sources - https://blog.usejournal.com/the-software-engineering-job-ladder-4bf70b4c24f3 - https://medium.com/@koun/to-ic-and-not-to-be-a-manager-cc92309d6fec - https://howigotjob.com/software-engineer/became-engineering-manager/ - https://www.quora.com/Is-staying-an-individual-contributor-software-engineer-your-whole-life-a-good-career-choice-Can-one-still-be-as-competitive-on-an-IC-track-as-he-she-would-be-on-a-managerial-executive-track-Are-IC-developers-with-20+-years-experience-valued - https://www.managersclub.com/natasha-vinnik-senior-engineering-manager/

backup - what is “senior” - article - Owns a functional area. - Breaks large requests down into sub-tasks, gives higher-level status updates. - Writes test plans. - Takes operational responsibility. - Sets measurable goals, and meets them. - Reviews code changes. - Helps mentor new hires. - independance / autonomousness - giving guidance - aware of context - oxygen project + Is a good coach + Empowers team and does not micromanage + Creates an inclusive team environment, showing concern for success and well-being + Is productive and results-oriented + Is a good communicator — listens and shares information + Supports career development and discusses performance + Has a clear vision/strategy for the team + Has key technical skills to help advise the team + Collaborates across Google + Is a strong decision maker