Engineering Career Paths
The dual track explained. What "Senior" actually means. How to grow from IC to Staff—or pivot to management.
The Dual Track: IC vs. Management
There are two paths to senior leadership in engineering. Neither is "better"—they require different skills and offer different rewards.
What Each Level Really Means
Title inflation is real. A "Senior" at a 20-person startup is different from a "Senior" at Google. Here's what each level generally means in terms of scope and autonomy.
- • Works on tasks scoped by others
- • Asks questions frequently (this is expected!)
- • Learning the codebase, tools, and team norms
- • Code reviewed closely by seniors
- • Owns features end-to-end with less oversight
- • Writes reliable, tested code
- • Starts mentoring juniors informally
- • Identifies edge cases and trade-offs independently
- • Owns complex projects with ambiguous requirements
- • Makes technical decisions and documents them (RFCs)
- • Mentors mid-level and junior engineers
- • Improves team velocity through tooling, processes, or code quality
- • Trusted to work without close oversight
- • Sets technical direction for multiple teams or a domain
- • Identifies and solves cross-cutting concerns
- • Influences without direct authority
- • Writes the RFCs that define multi-quarter initiatives
- • May spend 50%+ time on coordination, not coding
- • Org-wide or company-wide scope
- • Sets multi-year technical vision
- • Partners with VPs and C-level on strategy
- • External visibility: conference talks, open source, thought leadership
- • Rare title—many companies have only 1-5 Principals
How to Grow to Senior (and Beyond)
1. Expand Your Scope
The biggest difference between levels is scope. Juniors work on tasks. Seniors own features. Staff engineers own systems. Actively seek work that stretches beyond your current boundaries.
2. Create Leverage
At senior+, your value isn't just your code—it's making the team better. Write documentation. Improve the CI/CD pipeline. Mentor juniors. Fix recurring incidents at the root cause. Ask: "What's the 10x multiplier I can create?"
3. Communicate Like a Senior
Senior engineers write great RFCs, give clear status updates, and know when to escalate. They translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders. Communication is 30%+ of the job at Staff level.
4. Build a T-Shaped Profile
Go deep in 1-2 areas (backend systems, frontend performance, ML infrastructure) and broad enough to collaborate across the stack. Specialists with context are more valuable than pure generalists or isolated experts.
5. Get a Sponsor, Not Just a Mentor
A mentor gives you advice. A sponsor advocates for you in rooms you're not in. Find a senior leader who will champion your promotion and give you stretch opportunities. Then deliver results that make them look good.
Should You Go Into Management?
Management isn't a promotion—it's a career change. You'll write less code (maybe none) and spend your time on people, process, and politics. Here's how to decide:
Consider Management If...
- You get energy from 1:1s and helping people grow
- You enjoy coordinating across teams and stakeholders
- You're okay giving up hands-on coding time
- You want to build teams and culture
Stay IC If...
- You love solving deep technical problems
- Meetings drain you; coding energizes you
- You want impact through systems, not people
- You want to stay close to the code
Pro tip: Many companies let you try management and switch back. Ask about "tour of duty" management roles if you're curious but not sure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I should switch to management?
Management is a career change, not just a promotion. If you enjoy enabling others, strategic planning, and people development more than coding all day, it might be the right path. We recommend taking on a Tech Lead role first to test the waters.
What is a typical timeline for promotion to Senior Engineer?
While it varies by company, 3-5 years is a common benchmark. However, focus on impact and scope rather than just years of experience. Consistently delivering complex projects and mentoring juniors accelerates this timeline.
I feel stuck at my current level. What should I do?
Have a candid conversation with your manager about the gap between your current performance and the next level's expectations. If growth opportunities aren't available internally, it might be time to look for a role that offers the challenges you need.
Is it possible to switch back to an IC role after becoming a manager?
Yes, the "pendulum" career path is becoming more common. Many leaders switch back to high-level IC roles (Staff/Principal) to stay technical. It's a valid and respected career move that often makes you a better engineer.
Ready for your next level?
Whether you're pushing for Senior or exploring Staff roles, we can help you find opportunities that match your career trajectory—not just your current title.