Stage 1 · Lesson 5 of 8
The gap to the next level
A compares your recent work with each expectation of the next level. For each line, you mark whether you have evidence or not. It shows your gap to the next level in concrete terms.
Do it honestly, one line of the framework at a time, with one real example per rating. "I think I do this" without an example counts as no evidence. The result is usually two or three clear gaps.
For example, you may never have led work across teams, or never written a . Those gaps become the work you look for over the next two quarters.
Common traprating yourself on intentions, or spreading your effort across every line instead of closing the few gaps that matter most.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come with the full roadmap. Unlock
Resources for this stage
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