[Timeless Career Advice] The Promotion Formula

Come Up With 500k+ User Project Ideas [Part 7] - The Alex Formula

Repeated excellence is the key to any very successful tech career. Alex has accomplished this time and time again with around a dozen side projects that have 10,000+ users, and he's here now to spill the beans. This lesson teaches you:

- The exact playbook Alex uses to repeatedly build successful apps with several thousand users
- The "Honer vs. Innovator" philosophy when it comes to understanding engineer types
- Why you should (probably) stop trying to be Steve Jobs and go hard down the innovator route
- How honers are often incredibly underrated and can still achieve stellar career outcomes
- The ideal place to be on the honer &lt;-&gt; innovator spectrum when it comes to side projects

Engineer Your Ideal Tech Career [Part 7] - What's Your Specialization?

In this video, we walk through three (of many) specializations you can pursue, what type of work you may be working on in each, and who its a good fit for based on the work you like to do.

These are just three of many; each of these buckets are massive and cover a lot (while also having distinct sub-categories in each):

- Frontend/mobile
- Backend
- Generalist

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Worksheet: [Formation - Coding Your Career](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/tech-career-growth.appspot.com/o/courses%2Fslides%2FFormation%20Career%20Direction%20Worksheet.pdf?alt=media&token=f6344b78-529a-411e-a449-7a34a8d55fc8)

Senior Staff Engineer at Cruise Shares The Most Important Skill - Rama Karve

[Rama Karve](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramakarve/) is a Senior Staff Software Engineer [L7] at the autonomous vehicle company Cruise, working on fleet management.

Previously, Rama spent 9 years at Meta and 9 years at Amazon as a software engineer. At the very senior levels, engineers have an impact in more unique ways, leveraging their strength as a generalist or specialist.

As one of the most senior engineers in the company, Rama says the most important skill at the Senior Staff level is to get disparate teams and systems to work together for the same goal. A further challenge here is to identify which teams or people even need to start working more closely together.

Rama has 2 pieces of advice for other Senior Staff Engineers:

1. **Figure out your superpower.** Understand what you are uniquely good at in the context of what the company is trying to accomplish.
2. **Give yourself time to ramp up.** Your impact is not as simple as writing a bit of code in the first week. The first few months should be dedicated to learning how things work.

Here's the full playlist asking engineers what the most important skill is for their level: [Asking 7 Levels Of Engineers The Most Important Skill](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/J9Io5lDGaYUpI8vGrUyI/)

Related:
- [How do I figure out whether I should stay as an IC engineer or explore management as an EM?](https://www.jointaro.com/question/Y6qIop9wpOlCYUL0nGs0/how-do-i-figure-out-whether-i-should-stay-as-an-ic-engineer-or-explore-management-as-an-em/)
- [[Masterclass] What Software Engineers Should Look For In Their Engineering Manager](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/oeY7ncZhzJ5NO6dij5e7/masterclass-what-software-engineers-should-look-for-in-their-engineering-manager/)
- [The Journey to Staff Engineer In Big Tech (Panel Discussion)](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/SaYyJGLYvrAy4XGrDhy7/the-journey-to-staff-engineer-in-big-tech-panel-discussion/)
- [David Pan on what makes a great tech lead](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/uHqZZ15SK19MatEvLSO6/what-makes-a-truly-great-tech-lead-a-vp-of-engineerings-perspective/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [senior to staff engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/YD8LMCSlE71VUGUbNAWM/)

The Breakdown Of A Good Technical Question

Asking effective technical questions: 
- **Intention**: What is your high level goal?
- **Expectation**: What do you expect to happen? 
- **Mismatch**: What is actually happening?
- **Investigation**: What have you tried?

If you're interested in learning Android, check out the tutorial Rahul references:  [Tip Calculator - Build Your First Android App](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7NYbSE8uaBCMVBVg6cskGzdYguj3CUP-)

How To Be An Effective Tech Lead [Part 6] - Be The Code Guardian

As a tech lead, you are ultimately responsible for all the code that is delivered. The tricky part is that you need to do this without simply writing all of it. This lesson teaches you:

- The role tech leads play when it comes to cleaning up the code and paying down tech debt
- A high-level, multiplicative lever tech leads should pull to enforce code quality
- The in-the-weeds tactic tech leads need to constantly use to keep code quality high

To get better at code reviews, particularly those outside of your immediate domain, read through this: ["How to give better code reviews without full business context?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/vio35mw1SYWM8AYojB2w/how-to-give-better-code-reviews-without-full-business-context/)

Why Chasing Promotion Could Hurt You

Daniel has never gunned for a promotion when choosing teams or projects. In fact, he's actively turned down promotions he was offered at Microsoft and Meta (Philip Su famously down-leveled himself at Meta so he was no longer a Director). 

Here's why chasing a promotion could end up causing more stress and end up hurting your career in the long run. 

- Connect with Daniel Tomko on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieltomko/)
- Videos from [Philip Su](https://www.jointaro.com/tagname/Philip%20Su/)

Related video: 
- [Taro Premium Session: Mentoring Meta Engineers From E3 -> E5](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/EX9563YnxcJb62cCmetg/session-5-mentoring-junior-swes-e3-to-senior-e5-in-just-25-years-at-meta/)
- [Rockstar Software Engineer Story: SW2 -> Principal In Just 4 Years](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/Lvf1TDKt1R4ZJSCr9BVv/rockstar-software-engineer-story-sw2-greater-principal-in-just-4-years/)
- ["Is there something as growing too quickly?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/o9oyCcIjWT4Xa6w1Eau5/is-there-something-as-growing-too-quickly/)

Master The DSA Interview [Part 10] - Run-Time Analysis

After clarifying the problem and coming up with a detailed, granular plan, coding up the solution should have been trivial. Now it's time for big O. This lesson teaches you:

- How to actually learn run-time analysis instead of memorizing the big O of every individual problem
- The structure of a strong run-time analysis for a data structures and algorithms problem
- Exactly what a quality run-time analysis looks like, explained with an in-depth example

[Timeless Career Advice] The Soft Skills

Write A Stellar Resume As A Software Engineer [Part 18] - Non-Technical Experience

A lot of software engineers don't have a Computer Science degree and switched into software from a non-technical background. So how can those engineers succeed with their resume? This lesson teaches you:

- What transferable skills are
- How to best frame your non-technical experience on an engineering resume, broken down with an in-depth example

Asking Great Questions [Part 6] - Be Clueless In Public

The best software engineers are those who embrace their lack of knowledge. This lesson teaches you:

- Why it's better to ask your question in a broader audience
- The difference levels of visibility when asking a question with higher being better
- A huge, often unknown benefit that comes with asking questions in public which allows even junior engineers to become leaders
- Why you should always try to create a record of your question and its answer(s)

Grow From Mid-Level To Senior Engineer [Part 20] - Mentorship

Mentorship is one of the most skills to master as a software engineer, especially at senior levels. It is both a way for you to do some good and scale yourself. This lesson teaches you: 

- The difference between passive and active mentorship
- Ways to provide passive mentorship to teammates
- Why you should consider taking on an intern as a mid-level engineer growing to senior
- The jump in quality when it comes to mentorship advice given by a mid-level engineer vs. a senior engineer
- The key thing to remember when being an effective mentor

To learn how Alex was such an effective mentor: [\[Case Study\] Mentoring Junior SWEs \[E3\] to Senior \[E5\] In Just 2.5 Years At Meta](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/EX9563YnxcJb62cCmetg/case-study-mentoring-junior-swes-e3-to-senior-e5-in-just-25-years-at-meta/)

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 6] - Slow & Steady

**In this section, we'll delve into the importance of patience and strategic thinking in career advancement.**

- **The Power of Patience:** We'll discuss the significance of taking a long-term perspective and understanding that significant growth often requires time and consistent effort.
- **Balancing Exploration and Exploitation:** We'll explore the delicate balance between learning and applying knowledge, and how to effectively allocate time to both.
- **Mindful Communication:** We'll emphasize the importance of clear and effective communication, both in expressing your desires and in actively listening to others.
- **The Role of Mindset:** We'll discuss the importance of cultivating a growth mindset, embracing challenges as opportunities for learning, and maintaining a positive outlook.

If you want to get personalized support from Yogi, you can reach out to him at [coaching@yogisharma.com](mailto:coaching@yogisharma.com) or schedule an introductory call to dive into your situation at <https://tinyurl.com/meetyogi>.

Negotiation Course: Get Other Offers

Researching data points is helpful when constructing a negotiation argument, but the **best** argument you have is an offer in hand from a comparable company. 

The big mistake most tech workers make is to be reactive with recruiters. If you decide to interview with a company, figure out comparable companies and apply to them as well. (Google and a seed-stage startup are not comparable.)

Talking to many recruiters and companies at once is painful, but it's better to concentrate the pain in a short window, rather than spreading it across several months. You can also negotiate interview dates, though this is admittedly harder in a bad economy.

As soon as you have a verbal offer, push all your other loops to skip you to onsite using that as leverage ("Don't let the awesome candidate of me get away!").

15 SWE Years In 1.5 Hours [Part 10] - Data Structures And Algorithms

Because of Google, we all need to live in a LeetCode reality. Data structures and algorithms (DSA) are something we all love to hate, but at the end of the day, you need to master them to land a job at the world's leading tech companies. This lesson teaches you:

- Why grinding DSA is 100% worth it
- How the learning curve for DSA works (and why you shouldn't get discouraged)
- How to learn DSA properly
- The best tool to get for DSA prep
- What to do when you get stuck on a data structures and algorithms problem

To dive deeper into data structures and algorithms, follow our learning path here: [Crack The Data Structures And Algorithms Interview](https://www.jointaro.com/learning-paths/crack-the-data-structures-and-algorithms-interview/)

Master The Behavioral Interview [Part 21] - Record Yourself

Behavioral interviews are inherently difficult as they're very open-ended and there's no such thing as a 100% "right" answer. Luckily for you, behavioral interview questions are incredibly easy to simulate. This lesson teaches you:

- How to properly record yourself for behavioral interviews
- What kinds of questions you should be asking yourself in behavioral interview recordings
- Creative ways to make behavioral interview recordings more realistic
- How to analyze the quality of your behavioral interview response recordings

Master The Behavioral Interview [Part 23] - Just Be A Human

Behavioral interviews are really just an exercise in communication (a skill many software engineers struggle with). This lesson teaches you:

- The difference between being an introvert (this is fine) and shy (this is really bad for your career in tech)
- The right mindset to have when it comes to building relationships and the underlying skills necessary to ace behavioral interviews
- The secret behind getting extremely good at communication

To get better at communication, check out our course: [\[Course\] Effective Communication For Engineers](https://www.jointaro.com/course/effective-communication-for-engineers/)

This Is What A Good Code Review Test Plan Looks Like

In this segment, we highlight a real-world example of an **exceptional test plan** that showcases how thoughtful demos not only validate functionality but also build confidence and trust before a single line of code is reviewed.

### Key Takeaways:

- **We use test plans to demonstrate functionality and edge cases**: In this example from the Random Name Picker app, the test plan includes both the core feature (removing images from names) and handling an edge case (screen rotation), showing completeness and attention to detail.
- **We treat test plans as trust tokens**: A strong demo assures reviewers that the author has thoroughly tested their changes, reducing fear or hesitation around approving the diff.
- **We provide a positive starting point for reviewers**: Watching the video demo first puts reviewers in the right mindset—making them feel confident that the code works as intended, even before reading the diff.
- **We recommend test plans for all product-facing diffs**: Especially when there’s a visual or user-facing component, attaching a video or GIF dramatically improves understanding and quality of collaboration.
- **We invest a few minutes to add a lot of value**: Creating a short demo takes just 5–10 minutes, but it adds context, transparency, and professionalism that elevate the entire code review experience.

Engineering Manager Feedback Example: Good vs. Bad

DSA Crash Course [Part 44] - Tree Sum Walkthrough

In this lesson, Alvin walks through the python implementation for the *tree_sum* problem.

Code along and test your work in the following editor workspace: <https://structy.net/problems/tree-sum?language=py>

If you need additional support taking these DSA skills and actually applying them, take [**Alvin's**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/) *complete* data structures and algorithms course on [**Structy**](https://structy.net/?utm_source=taro). You can try out the concepts yourself in their interactive code editor and learn advanced DSA patterns like stack exhaustive recursion.

Use [**this link to get 20% off**](https://structy.net/purchase?promo_code=taro20) the entire Structy DSA learning experience.

Follow Alvin on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-zablan-b73a92117/>

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