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3 days ago
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A big part of my job is helping other engineers grow their careers. I’ve collected resources that have personally helped me, and helped me help others.
- The Magic Loop by Ethan Evans
- Build your career by making a partnership with your manager that accelerates you both. This is the framework I personally use to grow.
- Longer form video version.
- Don’t call yourself a programmer by Patrick McKenzie
- Frame your career as solving business problems, not building software. Work in profit centers not cost centers. An oldie but a goodie.
- Three Things Blocking Your Promotion to Staff/Principal Engineer by Steve Huynh
- Your org, project and manager may not have the scope for you to grow (but they won’t tell you that).
What does it mean to be a Staff+ Engineer, and how do you get there?
- Staff Engineer by Will Larson
- Mandatory reading for any Staff+ engineer. A comprehensive overview of what it means to be Staff+, how to get there and the different Staff archetypes. Also available as an audiobook.
- Why and How to be a big-tech Principal Engineer by John Miller
- Specifically covers Principal and how it differs from Staff.
Inspiration from others can be hugely clarifying and motivating.
- Peterman Pod by Ryan Peterman
- Long form candid conversations with engineering leaders.
- Highlights:
- Instagram Principal Engineer on Promotions, Breaking Prod, Tech Leading
- How to tech lead, managing risk and manage your valuable time.
- OpenAI & Meta Distinguished Engineer (IC9) On Working With Zuck, Carmack & Career Growth
- Breakdown of the impact and scope expected from IC1 to IC9.
- Amazon VP On Stack Ranking & PIPs, Working With Bezos, His Promotions Candid candid dive into how big tech promos and layoffs actually work.
- Shopify Distinguished Eng (L10) on Principal+ Engineering, Career Story, Regrets
- Great exploration of Principal+ engineering and the “specialized generalist”.
- Instagram Principal Engineer on Promotions, Breaking Prod, Tech Leading
- Staff Engineer Stories by Will Larson
- Stories from the Staff Engineer book.
- StaffEng Podcast by David Noël-Romas and Alex Kessinger
- Interviews with Staff+ engineers across the industry.
As an Individual Contributor you should understand how your manager thinks, and be good at management-shaped work.
- High Output Management by Andy Grove
- The canonical engineering management text, a must read.
- An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management by Will Larson
- The engineering management counterpart to the Staff Engineer book.
Money matters. With some minimal effort you can make a lot more of it.
- Salary Negotiation by Patrick McKenzie
- The ROI on salary negotiation is absurd. Think in terms of fully loaded costs and the business’ goals.
- The Trimodal Nature of Software Engineering by Gergely Orosz
- Why does the same role pay 2-4x as much as different companies? How can you earn an American tech salary while working in Europe?
I hope you find these resources as useful as I have. If there’s anything I’ve missed please reach out and let me know!
