Stage 1 of 6 · 8 lessons · ~2 weeks
Seniority as scope, with a clear bar
Seniority is not years: it is how much ambiguity and responsibility you can handle without being told what to do. Find out exactly what the next level means where you work, and get it in writing.
Start: Seniority as scope, not yearsLessons· one lesson for each topic, in this order
Do this
- Read your company's career ladder, or Engineering Ladders if there is none
- Rate yourself against the next level on each dimension, with one real example per rating
- Ask your manager: what separates my work today from the next level?
- Write their answer as 3 to 5 expectations and send it back to confirm
- Pick 2 or 3 pieces of work in the next two quarters that would show those expectations
- Add a 15-minute check on the bar to one one-on-one every month
Start with
- GitHub repoFreePath to Senior Engineer Handbook
Jordan Cutler · Intermediate
Start with the sections on what senior means and how scope grows
Keep handy
Also worth your time
- Google Software Engineer Levels Explained: L3 to L10 and the Terminal Level (opens in a new tab)Read
How scope changes from L4 to L5 to L6 at a company with a well-documented ladder
The senior and tech lead parts, with concrete expectations at each level
Before moving on: A one-page document, confirmed by your manager, listing what separates you from the next level and 2 or 3 pieces of work that would demonstrate it.
Hoping to be noticed is not a plan. Ask your manager directly what you would need to show, write the answer down and send it back to confirm. If they cannot describe the bar, that tells you something too.