num_pages: 337
description: At most technology companies youll reach Senior Software Engineer the career level for software engineers in five to eight years. At that career level youll no longer be required to work towards the next promotion and being promoted beyond it is exceptional rather than expected. At that point your career path will branch and you have to decide between remaining at your current level continuing down the path of technical excellence to become a Staff Engineer or switching into engineering management. Of course the specific titles vary by company and you can replace Senior Engineer and Staff Engineer with whatever titles your company prefers. Over the past few years weve seen a flurry of books unlocking the engineering management career path like Camille Fourniers The Managers Path Julie Zhuos The Making of a Manager Lara Hogans Resilient Management and my own An Elegant Puzzle. The management career isnt an easy one but increasingly there are maps available for navigating it. On the other hand the transition into Staff Engineer and its further evolutions like Principal and Distinguished Engineer remains challenging and undocumented. What are the skills you need to develop to reach Staff Engineer? Are technical abilities alone sufficient to reach and succeed in that role? How do most folks reach this role? What is your managers role in helping you along the way? Will you enjoy being a Staff Engineer or you will toil for years to achieve a role that doesnt suit you? Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track is a pragmatic look at attaining and operating in these Staff-plus roles.
language: English
title: Staff Engineer: Leadership Beyond the Management Track
publisher: Will Larson