Stage 1 · Lesson 4 of 8
Your company's level framework
Most companies with more than a few dozen engineers have a , also called a career ladder. It is a document that describes each level through expectations, such as technical skill, delivery, collaboration and impact. It is the closest thing to the real rules your promotion will be judged by.
So read the level you are at and the one above, line by line. Notice the verbs that change between levels, such as "contributes to" becoming "leads" or "owns". If your company has none, a public one such as is a reasonable stand-in.
Common trapreading it once, deciding it is vague corporate language and ignoring it.
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