The Individual Contributor Path - DPC2024
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The document discusses the journey and challenges faced by individual contributors advancing to staff and principal engineering roles. It emphasizes the importance of communication, defining personal and organizational values, and the differences between various engineering roles, particularly the distinction between those who improve projects and those who enhance team dynamics. Additionally, it offers guidance on mentoring, leadership, and navigating engineering strategy within a company.
The Individual Contributor Path - DPC2024
- 1. Rafael Dohms (@rdohms) The Path of an Individual Contributor A guide to growing beyond senior Credits: It’s all AI generated. The images I mean!! Not the content, that’s all me, I swear
- 2. For a long time…
- 6. No Promotion Engineering Management
- 7. “Most often, they turned a great engineer into a terrible manager”
- 11. Principal Engineer / Architect he/him @rdohms Rafael Dohms doh.ms “Dad, Engineer, Educator, talks a lot.”
- 13. Usabilla
- 14. Usabilla
- 18. SurveyMonkey
- 19. Moral of the story “Don’t put yourself ina box, it may not exist tomorrow”
- 20. Moral of the story “Define your own box, proactively try to find where you can help the company be better” “Don’t put yourself ina box, it may not exist tomorrow”
- 21. Junior Medior / Analyst Senior / Lead Sta f Manager Sta ff with Reports Principal with Reports Principal Time Principal
- 22. Succeeding as an Individual Contributor
- 23. “Staff+ Engineer, is not a clearly defined role”
- 24. “Staff+ Engineer, is not a clearly defined role” “Staff+ Engineer, is not a clearly defined role”
- 25. What’s the difference between a Senior and Staff+ Engineer?
- 32. One makes the project better, The other makes the team better.
- 33. The 3 Pillars of a Staff Engineer
- 35. BIG PICTURE
- 37. BIG PICTURE EXECUTION LEVELLING UP
- 38. Everyone is not the same
- 39. Everyone is not the same
- 40. Everyone is not the same Tech Lead
- 41. Everyone is not the same Tech Lead Architect
- 42. Everyone is not the same Tech Lead Solver Architect
- 43. Everyone is not the same Tech Lead Solver Right Hand Architect
- 44. Core Tech Skills Product Management Project Management People Management Tech Lead Solver Right Hand Architect
- 45. You are “it” now.
- 46. CTO / VP Director Sr Manager Jr Manager Sta ff + Sta ff + Sta ff + Sta ff + • Di ffi cult challenges • Risk / Impact • Visibility Reporting High MORE LESS • Manager time • Hand Holding
- 47. CTO / VP Director Sr Manager Manager Sta ff + Sta ff + Sta ff + Sta ff + • Manager time • Singular focus Reporting Low MORE LESS • Risk / Impact • Inside scoop • Manager Experience
- 49. Is focusing on the big picture really a full-time job?
- 51. Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain
- 52. Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain
- 53. Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain
- 54. Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain
- 55. Reilly, Tanya. The Sta ff Engineer's Path. The local maximum, the best decision for a single group, might not be anything like the best decision when you take a broader view.
- 56. Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain Team / Domain This is where much of your work happens
- 58. You are a manager leader!
- 59. Staff+ are like Vampires.
- 60. So where do I start?
- 61. Pick your own adventure
- 64. TOPOGRAPHICAL Temple of Tech Debt The mountains of distrust The hills of green fi eld The dependency rapids The Forest of Legacy LOCATOR you are here
- 65. TOPOGRAPHICAL Temple of Tech Debt The mountains of distrust The hills of green fi eld The dependency rapids The Forest of Legacy LOCATOR you are here TREASURE
- 66. Your biggest challenge will always be: Communication.
- 68. Communicate in the open Cross-skill, Cross-Org Groups
- 69. Communicate in the open Cross-skill, Cross-Org Groups Pave the Elephant paths
- 70. Care about the business.
- 71. Guiding with Strategy and Vision
- 72. Identify your company’s engineering values.
- 74. Summarize
- 75. Summarize
- 76. Summarize
- 77. Summarize
- 82. Avoid the echo chamber
- 84. Your time is limited.
- 89. “Snacking” More Effort More Impact “Preening” “Chasing Ghosts” Less Impact Less Effort
- 90. “Snacking” More Effort More Impact “Preening” “Chasing Ghosts” Less Impact Less Effort
- 96. Energy Credibility Quality of Life Skills Social Capital
- 97. Energy Credibility Quality of Life Skills Social Capital
- 98. Energy Credibility Quality of Life Skills Social Capital
- 99. Energy Credibility Quality of Life Skills Social Capital
- 100. Execution != Code
- 101. Leading Projects
- 102. Leveling up
- 103. You are a Role Model
- 104. Be Competent. Be Responsible. Be a Good Leader. Technical Knowledge Domain Knowledge Own your mistakes Admit when you don’t know Seek constructive feedback Step Up, Make decisions Remember the Goal Remember the people
- 105. Hold people accountable, start with yourself.
- 106. Empower other Individual Contributors
- 107. Be the bridge between the industry and your company
- 108. Tiers of influence
- 109. Tiers of influence Individual Grows a single person’s skills
- 110. Group Impacts multiple people at the same time Tiers of influence Individual Grows a single person’s skills
- 111. Catalyst Your impact goes beyond your direct in fl uence, it has a compound effect Group Impacts multiple people at the same time Tiers of influence Individual Grows a single person’s skills
- 112. Catalyst Your impact goes beyond your direct in fl uence, it has a compound effect Group Impacts multiple people at the same time Tiers of influence Individual Grows a single person’s skills Advice Teaching Opportunities Guardrails
- 113. Individual Group Catalyst Advice Mentoring, sharing knowledge, feedback Talks, documentation, articles Mentorship program, events Teaching Reviews (code, design), coaching, pairing Classes or workshops Onboarding process Guardrails Pull Request review process Processes, linters, style guides Frameworks, cultural change Opportunity Delegating, sponsoring, supporting Behind the curtain work, empowering teams Culture of giving credit not taking. Reilly, Tanya. The Sta ff Engineer's Path (p. 400). O'Reilly Media.
- 114. Individual Group Catalyst Advice Mentoring, sharing knowledge, feedback Talks, documentation, articles Mentorship program, events Teaching Reviews (code, design), coaching, pairing Classes or workshops Onboarding process Guardrails Pull Request review process Processes, linters, style guides Frameworks, cultural change Opportunity Delegating, sponsoring, supporting Behind the curtain work, empowering teams Culture of giving credit not taking. Reilly, Tanya. The Sta ff Engineer's Path (p. 400). O'Reilly Media.
- 115. Know when to give someone else the chance
- 116. Your turn to design your future.