Career
From Junior to Senior: Lessons That Changed How I Write Code
The mindset shifts, technical habits, and career decisions that shaped my growth from a junior developer to a senior engineer over seven years in the industry.
·3 min read
Tags
career
24 articles
Career
Reflecting on Five Years of Software Engineering Lessons
Distill five years of software engineering into the lessons that matter most — from mastering fundamentals over chasing frameworks, to building trust through reliable delivery, writing code for the next developer, and knowing when simplicity beats cleverness.
·3 min read
Career
Writing Effective Technical RFCs and Design Documents
Write technical RFCs and design documents that actually drive decisions by structuring proposals around trade-offs, alternatives considered, and measurable success criteria rather than exhaustive implementation details that nobody reads.
·5 min read
Career
Building Your Personal Brand as a Software Engineer
Develop an authentic personal brand as a software engineer through technical writing, open-source contributions, conference talks, and strategic networking that creates career opportunities without feeling performative.
·5 min read
Productivity
Deep Work for Developers: Structuring Your Day for Maximum Focus
Apply deep work principles to software development with concrete scheduling strategies, environment design, interruption management, and energy-aware task allocation that protect the extended focus periods coding demands.
·4 min read
Career
Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Engineering Manager
Navigate the shift from individual contributor to engineering manager with practical frameworks for delegation, one-on-ones, performance management, and the identity change that comes with measuring success through other people's output.
·5 min read
Career
The Art of Saying No: Protecting Engineering Focus
Practical frameworks for senior engineers and tech leads to evaluate, negotiate, and decline work requests effectively, protecting team focus while maintaining relationships and organizational trust.
·4 min read
Career
Navigating Organizational Politics as a Staff Engineer
Practical strategies for staff engineers to influence technical decisions across teams, build alignment without authority, manage conflicting priorities, and drive change through organizational dynamics rather than code alone.
·5 min read
Career
Building a Career Ladder That Actually Works for Engineers
Design engineering career ladders with clear expectations, measurable competencies, and dual-track progression that retains both individual contributors and aspiring managers without forcing a single path.
·4 min read
Career
Engineering Manager's Guide to Technical Hiring That Actually Works
Design a technical hiring process that evaluates real engineering ability, reduces bias, respects candidates' time, and consistently identifies strong contributors.
·5 min read
Career
Developer Networking That Doesn't Feel Forced
How to build genuine professional relationships as a software engineer — through open source contributions, technical writing, conference participation, and community engagement without the cringe of transactional networking.
·5 min read
Career
Remote Work Productivity Systems for Developers
Practical productivity systems for remote developers — covering async communication, focus time protection, home office ergonomics, and workflows that prevent burnout while maintaining high output.
·5 min read
Career
Giving and Receiving Feedback on Engineering Teams
A practical framework for delivering constructive feedback, receiving criticism without defensiveness, and building a team culture where honest feedback is normal — with specific techniques for code reviews, 1-on-1s, and retrospectives.
·5 min read
Career
Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Tech Lead
A practical guide to navigating the shift from IC to tech lead — covering delegation, technical decision-making, one-on-ones, and redefining what productivity means when your output is measured through your team.
·5 min read
Career
Running Effective Standup Meetings for Engineering Teams
How to transform daily standups from painful status recitals into focused synchronization sessions — covering async alternatives, time-boxing techniques, and formats that surface blockers early.
·4 min read
Career
Mentoring Junior Developers Effectively
A senior engineer's guide to mentoring that actually works — structuring 1:1s, giving feedback that sticks, calibrating challenge levels, and building independence rather than dependency.
·5 min read
Career
Negotiating Compensation as a Software Engineer
A framework for negotiating software engineering compensation — covering research, timing, competing offers, equity evaluation, and the specific phrases that move conversations forward.
·5 min read
Productivity
Burnout Recovery Strategies for Software Engineers
Practical strategies for recognizing, recovering from, and preventing burnout in software engineering — covering workload management, boundaries, and sustainable productivity habits.
·5 min read
Career
Building a Developer Portfolio That Gets Interviews
How to build a developer portfolio that stands out — covering project selection, storytelling, technical depth, and the common mistakes that get portfolios ignored by hiring managers.
·4 min read
Productivity
Time Management Systems That Work for Engineers
Practical time management strategies designed for engineering work — including deep work scheduling, context-switching reduction, energy management, and meeting optimization.
·4 min read
Career
Interviewing for Senior Engineering Roles
Practical advice for preparing and succeeding in senior engineering interviews — covering system design, behavioral questions, architecture discussions, and negotiation.
·5 min read
Productivity
Building a Personal Knowledge Management System
How to build a sustainable knowledge management system as a developer — covering note-taking frameworks, linking strategies, and retrieval workflows that compound over time.
·5 min read
Career
Effective Pair Programming: Patterns That Actually Work
Practical pair programming techniques that boost code quality and knowledge sharing — covering driver-navigator, ping-pong, and remote pairing workflows.
·5 min read
Career
Building a Career Growth Framework for Software Engineers
How to think about career progression as a software engineer, from setting intentional goals to building leverage beyond writing code.
·4 min read