What it takes to be a Senior Engineer
Published: 2021-12-07 20:45:05

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title: What it takes to be a Senior Engineer
published: true
description: And why is it so hard to explain?
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Hello Friends.

I finally did it. Happened about a month and a half ago. I was ✨ promoted ✨ to a senior level engineering position. Want to know the most frustrating part about it? It didn't feel like I deserved it. Yes, imposter syndrome sticks with you.

I started my career as a software engineer five years ago after working a job as a developer at a small startup that just needed hands and thoughts which I kinda see as my boot camp experience.

I started my "engineering" career at a larger, yet still small startup in San Francisco, where I learned a lot, but not enough to become a senior there. I did primarily backend work with a spattering of frontend excursions. I got close to senior at that company. So close that my manager wasn't able to pinpoint anything specific to work on.

I was good enough though to land a job at a larger, public company where I was given a position that was once called senior (but was actually software engineer III). The job didn't feel senior and I didn't feel senior. I've stayed at this company for over two years, learned how things work, started working in the frontend, started planning projects, started running certain meetings, and it finally happened. I got promoted. That's the basic history. Five years. Expect that long.

Now for what _actually_ got me to where I am.

You need expertise in the technology. I have four years of experience as a backend engineer and one as a fullstack engineer. I know databases, APIs, graphQL, react and redux, bash, vim, how to use my IDE effectively, how to test things properly, a bit about AWS, networking, algorithms and data structures, design patterns, architecture best practices.. the list goes on. There's a lot you need to know -- some you'll encounter in your day-to-day, some you need to seek out. I read a lot of books. Things will start to meld together and your thoughts and ideas will become more complex without you even noticing.

You need expertise in yourself. My work ethic has fluctuated over the years, but like the Dow Jones, it inches up ever so slightly over time. You need to learn how to use your time effectively. You need to know your limits, set boundaries, and keep focused on one thing at a time, as much as possible. Time management is a skill you build up over time (is that a pun? not a good one, if so) and I -still- suck at it, but I'm  getting better as more responsibility is piled on to my plate.

You need expertise in interpersonal communication. If you've read the 7 habits of highly effective people (if you haven't do it, and read it slowly, and absorb what he is saying), you might recognize that the first two paragraphs of what you need are all about becoming independent. Independent is good, but the real magic comes from interdependence -- working with a team of independent people who leverage each other's strengths to create something much bigger and stronger than they are alone. You need to learn how to communicate your problems, what you know, how you can help, what you need help with. Communication is something I can't effectively teach, it's just something that comes with time and experience. One thing I can advise is this -- listen twice as much as you speak. Not just at your job, but in every aspect of your life. Listen to understand, not to respond.

I probably didn't hit on every detail precisely, because your journey will differ from mine. Like I said, this kind of came together over the course of 5 years, plus the boot camp time. Invest in yourself. Learn as much as you can. Bring value to your team, your customers, and yourself. You can do it, so stick to it.

Thanks for reading.