Senior Engineer Career Development Videos, Forum, and Q&A

I have been making progress towards meeting senior level competencies. My manager is aligned and wants to put me up for promo at the end of the year. However, I’m looking for a third project in Q4 to really nail down my case. Additionally, I want to provide more impact and learn how to define new initiatives. I love creating “swim lanes” for my teammates and leading projects that grow their scope. How would you recommend:

1. Coming up with a project idea
2. Vetting the project to make sure it has enough scope for a senior level (or staff! I would love to provide more impact)
3. Vetting the project to make sure it has enough impact for a senior level

I have a lot of ideas for step 1, but am struggling to choose which are appropriate to pursue. Previously, I built a reusable web component at a company wide scale, and am working with a cross org team who wants to use it. I am also working on a technically complex web authentication project that has potential to be used by other teams. Both of these project were scoped by me (with some guidance from my staff mentor) and my manager has communicated they are senior level projects. I have built good relationships with my teammates, our direct stakeholders, and several cross-org engineers. I’m also exceeding expectations at my current level, so there isn’t anything to worry about there. However, I feel like I’m hitting a wall and need to figure out the next project that will turn my promo case into a slam dunk. Any advice? I’m a frontend web engineer if that helps. :)

Context can be found below:

I am a 32-year-old engineer with 7 years of experience. For the past 5 years, I've been working at a startup that is around 10-12 years old and recently went public, serving as a mid-level backend engineer.

Despite my time at the company, I haven't seen much career growth. I received my first promotion after a year and a half, but nothing significant has happened since then. I'm feeling lost and unsure about my next steps. The work is unmotivating, and I feel like I'm not learning or growing. I'm constantly occupied with production issues, and my manager frequently cancels 1:1 meetings. Even though I receive positive feedback, I know I'm not fully utilizing my potential, which is troubling as my years of experience increase without meaningful progress.

Currently, I'm extremely demotivated and struggle to find the drive to work each day. I wake up feeling stuck and unhappy with my job. Although I get my monthly salary and perform my duties, I'm no longer passionate about my work. I have the knowledge and skills, but I just don't feel like contributing to this company anymore.

Can you help? I'm not happy with my current situation. I used to be a curious person, staying up all night coding and learning new things. However, for the past two years, I've been merely going through the motions at work. I want to regain my curiosity and sense of empowerment, so that when I go to bed each night, I feel excited about what I can achieve the next day.

How common is leetcode/hacker rank at FAANGMULA companies and startups for initial tech screen?

How common is it that there are companies that interview similar to Imbue (another YC backed company, whose technical interviewing process I posted below) and SourceGrap h where you actually instead are asked to code on the fly with your actual environment (this to me feels way more comfortable than having folks throw out random questions at me)?

Interview Process length - I've seen rounds go for 8 for some companies (for even Google non-technical a million years ago I've seen it followed a similar format without technical at least like 5 rounds. If someone can post how long their average interview rounds were (how many interviews, how many technical screens, easy to hard, and how long did it take until you got an offer / knew you were rejected - a month, 6 months etc.?). I've head so many stories ranging far and wide over the years and wonder what the average is during this market, which feels longer than a year some people, even those who were laid off at FAANGMULA companies.

Interview #1) Recruiter Reach Out, Resume Submission, and Behavioral

Interview #2) Tech Screen #1

Interview #3) Behavioral with Team Member 2 Years Your Senior / Tech Screen

Interview #4) Behavioral with Team Member that is your director/higher up manager by at least 2 levels or something / Tech Screen #2

Interview #5) Behavioral with Team Member that is your actual position (peer / Tech Screen #3)

Interview #6) Vote by Committee / Group Interview / Panel or something

Any insights into the interview process more in detail will be helpful! Thanks!

For example: I have been assigned a task that is estimated to be done in 3 days, let's assume it was well estimated.

Because of my skills, I can only finish it in one day.

But if I finish it, the team leader will assign me more tasks.

So my reward for being productive is more work.

So why should I be more productive if I'm just going to have more work to do with no bonus?

Remember, this scenario is as an individual software engineer, not as a company.

What do you think? should I change my mindset? if yes, what are the reasons?

If there is nothing I could do as individual, what do you suggest to handle this with my manager? if they don't want to give bonuses or incentives, should I leave?

What are the best resources (if any exist) that serve neurodivergent and ADHD tech professionals with technical interview prep?

I’m finding resources very scant and I totally bomber my DSA interview years ago leading to lots of shame I’ve had to overcome and now going back into interviewing rounds which make me anxious so looking for more general help as I also learned only in the last 6 years I also have dyscalculia (dyslexia with numbers) even though I love math (geometry, statistics - anything related to machine learning and computer graphics has always been my fav). I hate standardized tests and get super anxious under time pressure for interviews with abstract questions that aren’t practical and often times get asked in such a way that I will solve the question in reverse and give the inverse answer. I’ve worked really hard to overcome this in my work the last 8-9 years, which I’ve been fine at, but when it comes to interviews I completely crumble.

I also ask this since even though English is my first language (born and raised in Silicon Valley), coming from working class communities of color, standardized testing has been the bane of my existence (even with almost perfect GPA), I crumble when it comes to these tests and find them very biased and feel the same experience for me when it comes to DSA, where I find a lot of bias in how the question is asked, and it’ll be so confusing to me that I’ll end up responding in the reverse. I also in the past was a professional writer (usually obsess about grammar), so I don't think the issue is me not having a grasp of the language, something just isn't clicking for me with DSA, where I've often thrived instead on take home projects, or for some interviews where they lock you in a room for a few hours and tell you to build a project, or have you work on the job.

I’m trying to also figure out if I need to ask the interview more subquestions to makes sure I’m understanding the question correctly so I can respond appropriately.

Any help is appreciated.

I'm in the first few weeks of onboarding and I'm hearing I'm expected to lead a new project initiative because the lead engineer decided to leave the company.

The project is barely off the ground lacking resources, technical design, requirements etc. and I'm afraid I have to produce something meaningful within a tight deadline over the course of the next few months.

What do I do? On one hand, this seems like a good opportunity to deliver. But on the other hand, it doesn't seem like a successful onboarding path. I'm extremely new to the company, and executing on a multi team / scope initiative like this seems like a big ask.

Should I ask to be placed somewhere where I'll have more support?

I’m very scared right now. I was labeled underperforming as a mid level at a FAANG and was on my way to being PIPped but shortly thereafter was part of one of the mass layoffs that happened.

Now after a LONG time of interview preparation I have secured an offer as a senior engineer at another FAANG

I realize maybe I shouldn’t have gone for senior level positions but they were the ones with the most headcount so I was advised to do so based on my years of experience. I was never asked my level at the previous company

Now the company I’m going to doesn’t know I was underperforming as a mid level and yet I’m going to have to meet expectations as a senior.

The silver lining is that my interview performance was amazing so at least they trust that I pass that bar even if I don’t

I plan on following advice to be the “code machine” but I don’t know if I have it in me to actually perform as a senior, both code wise and also the expectation to provide some level of mentorship to junior engineers

Sorry for the very long post but any advice?

I'm working on myself to perform like a senior software engineer at a FAANG company, and by doing your courses and following you on youtube, I understand that being a good at debugging is one of the greatest qualities.

But I am facing couple of problems.

• I work in a project where the technical debt is huge, the documentation is complicated (sometimes in code, sometimes on google drive, sometimes in the form of an algorithm written in French by a non-technical person).
• Only people who have been working with code for 3 years or more seem independent (And they only have time for themselves), thus, many of us sometimes feel lost.
• A lot of money has already been invested and it is in production. So no time to rewrite the services, where more than 100 people contributed.

Do you have any advice or steps to deal with this type of problem? I know that among the FAANG there is a 0% chance of having this case, but still, any advice will mean a lot to me.

Does anyone have a suggested study schedule/plan for someone with a current 9-5 full time job? I really want to leave my job and I’m not sure when I should schedule interviews at companies I really want to work at. Like realistically when would I be confident to try interviewing with a higher chance of passing?

How often do Engineering Managers (EMs) and Technical Product/Program Managers (TPMs) go from this role back to a senior IC software engineering role?

I've seen this happen before at companies like Meta, but seems far more rare (tends to be more senior level folks)? Is it more common that folks go from IC to EM?

Will they potentially downgrade based on interview performance? Or will I get flat out rejected if it doesn’t go well?

Meta recruiter said he would reconnect with me next month. Realistically, how much time does that give me to study?

A meta recruiter reached out to me and I asked for study materials and he sent back materials for IC6. What level is this and is there anything special I should study for this role besides DSA?

I went through and kudos to her for doing a great job at articulating everything so well.

But I was wondering at the same time if there are any differences in leading a tech team at a startup (100 engineers company) vs a FAANG company?

These are questions for Rahul since he put together a great negotiation course that I completed the other day.

I recently skimmed the Design Guru's course on negotiation, and two questions came up

1. How/when do you negotiate? - Live on a phone call/in-person right after the interview, after the interview via email or via phone? What is the most ideal? Design Gurus said email is the best mode.
2. What do you do if they explicitly ask you what your salary # amount is? - They actually asked via email (hiring manager at Meta) before my phone screen what companies I was interviewing at (to name them). Is there a script to be able to not disclose this?

Hey y'all!

I've been interviewing for a startup. I'm in the reference check step. This was supposed to be the last step before getting an offer, but they wanted to interview me again to (paraphrasing) dive deeper into topics they hadn't had the chance to ask before.

This feels odd to me; from previous experiences, the reference check is the final step before getting an offer. They also said this in my email after passing the "final interview": they needed to do a reference check before extending an offer.

Question:

• Do you consider this to be a red flag from them?
• Should I be worried?
• Would it be okay to ask upfront what's concerning and take it from there?
• Is this common? This is the first time this has happened to me (I've had 5+ jobs).

Thanks!

As a new hire, I want to make a strong first impression.

On the other hand, if I go the extra mile and overachieve early, will I be setting a bar for future expectations so that when I return to normal effort I might be perceived as not as effective as initially thought, or decreasing in performance?

That's the main question. More generally, should we ever over-exert? If the answer is "sometimes," then how do select the cases?

Hi folks, I need your help to understand if any action can be taken from my side here.

I gave Stripe interviews recently for SSE (Bangalore) and here is the feedback I received.

Round1 (LLD) - Strong yes

Round2 (Bug Squash) - No

Round3 (Integration Round) - yes

Round4 (Systems Design) - Strong yes

Round5 (Manager Round) - yes

I am aligned with this feedback except Round 2 (Bug Squash). I thought I had a strong yes in that. I was very easily able to navigate the code, find out the bug, fix it, and explain it. We were left with 15 more minutes so she gave me another bug to solve. I reached halfway on that, was able to partially figure out the bug. Didn't solve it but I think the expectation is to solve just one bug.

I have communicated the above with HR with a positive outlook.

Also, I felt that the interviewer wasn't very present and interested from the beginning so I think that the interviewer hasn't given much thought to this.

Current status: They have sent the case to the hiring committee for SSE but the HR mentioned that I might get downleveled. But I have been pretty vocal that I want to be considered for SSE only. Another factor she mentioned is I have a borderline work ex of 5.5/6 years so that might also contribute to this.

I asked the HR if I could reinterview for this round but she mentioned that's not possible and is not part of company policy.

Anything that I can do here?

Hey! I am joining a startup as a Staff Engineer. I understand, titles can be inflated at a start up. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get to staff at big tech, without a supportive team.

My eventual goal is to be a staff engineer at a FAANG, or a very high achieving Senior at a FAANG. I want to use this startup "Staff" as a way to really hone my skills, learn and grow. Purely focussing on my love for coding, software engineering and learning, and not motivated by money.

Keeping the above in mind, how can I ensure, I have staff level scope ( & not just a title) at this startup.

And any tips for successful onboarding at a startup helps, from your personal experience.! ( Yes, I went through Rahul's course already :) )

It is a series B start up, with 70 people.

Seeking Advice on Choosing the Right Team

Hello everyone,

I’m currently at a crossroads in my career and would appreciate any insights or advice. Here’s the context:

Background:

• I work at a company that primarily deals with payroll and HR services for companies.
• I was originally on the payroll team, which has now been absorbed into a larger payroll, taxes, and payments vertical.
• Earlier this year, I was loaned out to help another team set up a new service and architecture.

Current Situation:

• Our company underwent reorganization, and my old team is now part of a different department with the same manager but a different director and VP.
• I recently spoke with my skip-level manager, who praised my work and mentioned that several teams would be happy to have me. I also have the option to stay with the team I’ve been helping recently.

Teams Available:

1. Growth Team: Works on tools for prospective customers (estimates, self-enrollment, etc.).
2. Accounting Firm Team: Services accountants who handle payrolls for multiple companies, focusing on admin ops tooling.
3. Payroll Team: My old team. Not sure how things will change post-reorganization, but I had a good relationship with my manager and team.
4. Integrations Team: Handles integrations with multiple product teams. Not too many interesting problems to solve.
5. Leave and Absence Team: Deals with leave/work schedule-related matters (PTO, holidays, work schedule, etc.). This is the team I was loaned to recently. The new manager appreciates my work, and I get along well with the team, although they tend to work slower than I’m used to.

Considerations:

• I feel a strong inclination to stay with the Leave and Absence team due to high visibility and good relationships with the current director and SVP.
• Career growth and self-fulfillment are important factors in my decision.

Question:

• For those of you who have had to make similar decisions, what type of team did you choose to join and why?
• Any advice on factors to consider in making this decision?

Thank you in advance for your insights!

I hope this helps structure your thoughts and gather valuable advice from others.

Having just started my first stint as a senior software engineer (a terminal level at my company), I'm curious to know what I can do to effectively transition into an EM role. How much planning / direction setting does this require with my manager?

Context:

• I'm open to moving along the IC ladder into a staff role, but an EM role might expand other skillsets I'm interested in building.
• I haven't spent much time as a tech lead (~6 months at a startup) and I'm still very new to my current role.

Large tech companies used to provide a sense of stability and financial security, but with falling stock prices and layoffs everywhere I wonder if joining a hyper growth late-stage startup with a growing business and hefty pre-ipo RSUs is a better choice?

I work at a pretty early stage startup and I've historically only done backend. There's been a lot of new scope on the frontend side and so I'm now having to start getting some of the frontend features working as well. But the issue is the codebase seems to be using a lot of the newer frontend techstack like next.js, tailwind CSS and redux and whatnot.

I've never written any frontend so I'm kind of starting from scratch. How do you recommend I tackle this?

I know the common taro advice is to learn by doing but given that frontend is almost a different skillset I'm not sure what's the best approach.

Should I spend some time watching lessons or tutorials or try and hack together a small side project or should I just learn as I go?

Is there a time of year when FAANG and other companies hire more? I’m thinking when I should start applying