Once at a team leads meeting, I heard one lead say:

• I have Anton, he is a Senior and performs just top-notch. And what can I offer him next? Only my position, perhaps…

At that moment, silence fell. Each of the leads thought about it. And indeed, what would I do in such a case?

But there is an answer! And it’s not your position 😄 But let’s go step by step.

Sara Drasner highlights the following career steps for Software Engineers:

1. Engineer 1
2. Engineer 2
3. Senior Software Engineer
4. Staff Engineer
5. Principal Engineer
6. Distinguished Engineer

Senior is only the middle. At Google, Senior is called L5, and it is also a mid-level, with room to grow up to L10.

Senior is the level where an engineer achieves mastery as an individual contributor. In short, this is what was discussed in the previous post. A complex tasks are handled end to end, from idea to production.

It is important to note that in many engineering organizations there is a “terminal level” - a level where you are no longer expected to grow to the next level. Often this is the first Senior level. Up to the Senior level, an engineer is usually expected to grow and gain experience within a certain period. But with the attainment of the “terminal” level, you can stay in this position for your entire career if you wish.

And where is the team lead here, you ask? And you will be right, because such a position is not here. Team lead is an additional “package” of responsibilities related to people management, growth, and inter-team connections. It is the first level of the management vertical. So, you can conditionally distinguish between the management vertical and the Software Engineer vertical as an individual contributor. And depending on the person’s wishes, you can develop one direction or the other (or both).

So, if we return to the story about Anton, it would be worth talking to him about his desires. If Anton wants to be a team lead - find him a team. And if he wants to develop as an engineer and does not want management - provide him with tools for development to the next level like Staff.

And what can Anton do right now to reach the next level in terms of skills?