diff --git a/_posts/2025-06-10-mid-senior-engineer.html b/_posts/2025-06-10-mid-senior-engineer.html deleted file mode 100644 index c5063bb8..00000000 --- a/_posts/2025-06-10-mid-senior-engineer.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,165 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: post -title: "Mid-Senior Engineer: A Journey of Self-Discovery" -date: 2025-06-10 -author_name: Irina Kamalova -author_role: -blurb_img: /assets/images/blog/2025-06-10-mid-to-senior-engineer.png -blurb_img_source: -description: | - So, you've mastered the fundamentals, you're a reliable contributor, and the "Mid-Level - Engineer" title feels comfortable. But the ambition to grow, to take on more responsibility, - and to reach that coveted "Senior Engineer" status is bubbling beneath the surface. You're - not alone! The journey from Mid to Senior is a significant step in any tech professional's - career, and understanding the available pathways is crucial for strategic advancement. -category: Career-progression ---- - -
-

- So, you've mastered the fundamentals, you're a reliable contributor, and the "Mid-Level - Engineer" title feels comfortable. But the ambition to grow, to take on more responsibility, - and to reach that coveted "Senior Engineer" status is bubbling beneath the surface. You're - not alone! The journey from Mid to Senior is a significant step in any tech professional's - career, and understanding the available pathways is crucial for strategic advancement. -

- -

- I suggest to look at two strategies following the chart: -

- -
- mid-to-senior engineer chart -
- -

- Path 1: Get a promotion within your company -

-
    - - -
  1. Align your goal with your manager.
    2. -     -

    - This is the first and the most crucial step. Unless you come to the person who is responsible for your promotion - and ask for it there's no sense in preparing a plan with steps, enrolling in certifications for promotions, and - getting more projects on the plate without any advice. -

    - - -
  2. Set up exact steps with your manager.
    3. -     -

    - From the first step, you should learn what you need to do: where your gaps are, where your strengths are, where - your weaknesses are. -

    - - -
  3. Execute those steps
    4. -     -

    User SMART technique for each step.

    - - -
  4. Ensure recognition across teams.
    5. -     -

    It's crucial for promotion to be visible inside your company. The more you help others, the more scope you touch - and your knowledge increases.

    - - -
  5. Work for the review & feedback.
    6. -     -

    The important point is to know exact dates where reviews and promotion windows inside your company are happening. - Your review date is your hard deadline. - ● Outcome (if your goal is not yet achieved): -

    -
- -
-
    -
    - -
  1. Gather the feedback and create an actionable plan from it to close gaps.
    2. -     - All those steps gave you an amazing experience. How could you do better? What is left for the next time? Through - several iterations you're guaranteed to get the promotion. However, it could be from 2 to 5 iterations with a - feedback loop. -
    - - -
  2. Go from 1 to 5 from the previous block again.
    3. -     - - Pass the Interview to obtain the Senior position - - -
-

- A couple of months ago, shortly after I released my fourth solo mobile game project on the Google Play Store, I - texted an old coworker of mine. He replied, “Oh, I didn’t know you were also a developer!” And I immediately tried - to convince him that I wasn’t. “I’m not a developer! I just… make games in my spare time. I learned it myself, but I - have so many things I don’t know. So, I’m not a developer,” I said, almost defensively. And he said, “Well, I’ve - never released any games, so there’s a lot you know that I don’t, and a lot I know that you don’t.” And that - conversation bugged me for a while. What makes a person a developer? Certainly I, an English major, couldn’t be one. - But I wanted to prove to myself why that was so. -

- -

- After thinking long and hard about my excuses, and carefully separating myself from people who are “developers”, I - came to the conclusion that I had lots of gaps in the most basic things that any “developer” would know - instinctively. The thing is, I knew some of the terms I didn’t understand, but the biggest problem was that I didn’t - even know what I didn’t know. And that’s when I decided to join the mentorship program at Women Coding Community. In - our first session, Rajani successfully identified my gaps and suggested how I could improve them. She also told me - how important it was that I already had complete projects. She gave me what I couldn’t give myself - an honest, - experienced outside perspective. I had always been extremely self-critical, always focusing on what I lacked. With - her help, I managed to just stop and look at how far I’ve come, and appreciate the things I’ve accomplished. She - suggested that I take an algorithms and data structures course, which I did from various free online sources, and I - already feel much more comfortable. -

- -

- Now, the great question: should you follow both paths simultaneously? It's up to you, however, the balanced model - will be to go through Path 1 for a year and if you've not succeeded go through Path 2 for the next year. The - iterative approach will lead you to the goal. However, the common trap for engineers is to try to do both paths at - the same time and it leads to burnout. One path can be the background while the other is the focus. Regular - interviews wouldn't hurt but be mindful of your time and remember that they were in the background path when you've - got a rejection. - I wish you the best of luck on your way! - -

- -
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