Tips for Advancing Your Engineering Career

I’m a Software Engineer at Microsoft with 7+ years of experience. If I could sit down with a Junior Engineer just starting out, these are the 7 things I’d tell them to help them grow faster, stay sane, and build a career they’re proud of: 1. Stop aiming to impress. Start aiming to contribute. Trying to sound smart in meetings? That won’t earn you trust. Solve real problems. Make teammates' lives easier. That’s what gets remembered. 2. Learn how to learn. Fast. Tech changes every 2 years. Your degree won’t save you. Get good at reading docs, asking focused questions, building fast prototypes and recovering from failure. 3. Feedback isn’t an attack. Your code got ripped apart? Your idea got rejected?  That happens. Learn to listen without ego. The best engineers I know ask for feedback constantly and don’t take it personally. They don’t avoid it, also. 4. Don’t just look for mentors. Make yourself easy to mentor. Ask crisp questions. Show progress between meetings. And don’t vanish after asking for help. Good mentors love helping those who actually execute. 5. You won’t be judged by the complexity of your code. You’ll be judged by the clarity of your solutions. Keep it boring. Make it readable. And don’t fall for the trap of “looking smart” by making things complicated. 6. Document everything. Not because someone told you to. But because six months from now, you won’t remember why you did what you did. Writing makes you sharper. It builds trust. And it saves the future you. 7. Burnout isn’t a badge of honor. You’re not a machine. You’re a human building machines. Rest. Recharge. Protect your energy. You can’t build a long-term career on short-term sprints. You don’t need to be the smartest in the room. You just need to be someone people want to work with again. That’s how you build a reputation that compounds. That’s how you build a career that lasts.

A collection of learnings from my 15-year Software Engineering career at companies like Meta, Pinterest, and Walmart. 1. To learn how to code, you must write code in an unstructured environment. Tutorials can help initially, but don't get stuck in tutorial hell: these engineers can't actually solve problems. 2. The only way to learn how to write good code is to write a bunch of terrible code first. It is fundamentally about the struggle. 3. Debugging is effectively playing a game of detective. Becoming an expert debugger in a large, complex codebase will make you extremely valuable to any company. 4. For software engineers, most of what you learn in school won't be relevant on the job. The biggest value of a university education is your network. Invest in getting to know students and faculty. Don't worry too much about grades. 5. Networking is about building long-term relationships built on trust and value. Give more than you take and your network will grow rapidly. Remember this phrase: "Your net worth is your network." 6. Everyone in tech faces imposter syndrome. Consider imposter syndrome as an opportunity to learn from people who are further along. Actively seek out feedback and talk to people. 7. Tech interviews are immensely broken and your interviews will probably differ from your job. View interviews as a learning opportunity where you get to meet some other cool, smart people. 8. Realize that the average person will spend < 10 seconds scanning your resume. No one is as interested in you as you, so you need to keep things short. Your resume should be 1 page long. 9. Feedback is the secret to rapid career growth. Make it easy for others to give feedback by introspecting and asking for specific parts of your behavior. A lazy “Do you have any feedback for me?” will often be met with a similarly lazy “Nope, you’re doing great!” 10. If you're not sure what company to join, go to a larger, well-respected company (FAANG) as your first job. Junior engineers benefit from the consistency and stability of Big Tech. 11. Onboarding is a magical time when you get a free pass to ask as many questions as possible, request people's time, and build foundational relationships. Work with a sense of urgency when you're new to a company. 12. The relationship with your manager is the most important relationship you'll have in the workplace. You should proactively drive meetings and feedback with your manager; don't wait for them. 13. Getting promoted as an engineer is not just about skill or output. You also need scope and trust. Most promotions are deliberately planned months in advance. If a promotion is important for you, bring it up with your manager well in advance. 14. Most engineers don't negotiate their offers, but they should. The most important tool for negotiation is leverage. This means competing offers. I put this all together in a 1.5-hour video here: https://lnkd.in/gAH4Q2pD

10 things I wish I could tell my younger engineering self. That would have accelerated my career by years. 1.Technical excellence alone won't get you promoted. Visibility matters as much as ability. Document your wins, communicate your impact, and make your contributions visible to decision-makers. 2.The team you join matters more than the company. Great managers accelerate your growth. Toxic ones stunt it. Choose your boss, not your brand. 3.Being the smartest in the room is overrated. Making everyone around you smarter is what creates real impact and recognition. 4.Learn systems, not just languages. Technologies change yearly. System design principles last decades. 5.Code reviews are career opportunities. They're not just about catching bugs. They're chances to demonstrate how you think and influence architecture. 6.Most career growth happens between 5pm and 9am. The side projects, the learning, the networking - these after-hours investments compound dramatically. 7.Clean code isn't about aesthetics. It's about empathy for those who will maintain it after you're gone. 8.Career capital comes from solving hard problems. Seek out the challenges everyone else avoids. That's where your value multiplies. 9.Relationships determine opportunities. Technical communities, not just technical skills, create career options. 10.Your mental health is a technical requirement. Burnout isn't a badge of honor. It's a systems failure that compromises your most valuable asset - your mind. I can't go back in time. But maybe you can avoid these lessons the hard way.

I’ve been promoted 11 times in 20 years at 6 companies Here’s how I did it: 1. Eliminate entitled expectations and patiently play the long game 2. Be truly exceptional in your current role - don’t underestimate how long it takes to achieve mastery 3. Clarify and communicate your long term career goals including your ideal next step  - it is not up to your manager or anyone else to do this for you 4. Demonstrate you can do the next role by taking on key responsibilities of that position - you don’t need to ask permission to solve important business problems 5. Make your manager’s life easier, become indispensable to them and seize learning opportunities to take projects off their plate 6. Lead by example by exuding optimism, assuming positive intent and helping others, especially through challenging times 7. Don’t complain and only talk about problems, design and implement solutions that drive real results 8. Act like an owner and don’t let your current job description hold you back from doing what is required for the business to be successful  9. Respond to inevitable disappointment gracefully and don’t give up  10. Choose the company and evaluate the hiring manager wisely - a great company and an invested manager are two key ingredients to create the conditions for career advancement My biggest lesson 20 years into my career: The promotions are great but don't feel as good as you think they will - focus on the journey and the process, that's the good stuff #personaldevelopment

When I first started at my company, I was eager to take on more responsibilities but hesitant to speak up. I worried that my request might be seen as overreaching. Then, a mentor gave me invaluable advice: "Opportunities are rarely given; they’re taken." This changed everything for me. Here’s a step-by-step guide based on my journey to help you leap: ➙ Self-Assessment 📝: Before asking for more, evaluate your current workload. Are you consistently meeting your deadlines and excelling in your tasks? This will show that you're ready for additional responsibilities. ➙ Identify Areas for Growth 🔍: Look for gaps in your team or company where you can add value. It could be a project that's been neglected or a new initiative that aligns with your skills. ➙ Prepare Your Case 📊: Approach your manager with a clear plan. Highlight your achievements, explain how you can contribute more, and detail the benefits to the team and company. ➙ Show Enthusiasm and Commitment 💪: Demonstrate your passion for growth. Enthusiasm is contagious and shows that you're genuinely invested in your role and the company's success. ➙Be Ready for Challenges 🚀: Taking on more means stepping out of your comfort zone. Be prepared to tackle new challenges and show resilience. After implementing these steps, I not only got the additional responsibilities I wanted but also gained the trust and respect of my colleagues and superiors. My career growth skyrocketed, and I felt more fulfilled in my role. Big Lesson: Don't wait for opportunities to come to you. Take charge of your career by proactively seeking out more responsibilities. You'll grow, learn, and stand out as a proactive, driven professional. How Do You Go About It? 📞Regularly communicate with your manager about your career aspirations. 📞Seek feedback and use it to improve continuously. 📞Network within your company to identify potential growth opportunities. Have you successfully asked for more responsibilities? Share your experiences and tips below! Let’s inspire each other to take control of our career paths. 🚀 ————————————————————————— Meeting me for the first time? I’m Rudy Malle, a clinical researcher dedicated to improving public health outcomes, and a career advisor helping ordinary professionals take their careers to the next level to enhance visibility for individuals and companies. #CareerAdvancement #ProfessionalGrowth #TakeTheLead #WorkplaceTips #CareerAdvice #LinkedInCommunity #personaldevelopment #20daylinkedinchallengewithhaoma #rudyhacks

I spent too many years thinking my boss was responsible for my career. Or the company. Or a magical fairy godmother. I thought it was everyone else’s job to advocate for me. To push me. To help me advance and grow. And I completely missed the fact that it was me. It was always ME. Our job is to be the biggest advocate for our careers. We are in the driver’s seat. And we can’t take a back seat and expect someone else to do the driving. Here are ten ways to start advocating for your career not tomorrow, TODAY: 1️⃣ Take a seat at front of the table, not at the back of the room. Be visible. Log onto that Zoom early, make sure people know you are there. Don’t shrink to the corner of the screen or room. 2️⃣ Raise your hand 🙋🏾♀️ Ask that question. Show you’re engaged and thoughtful and there to contribute. I always ask a question early on in the meeting to build my confidence to contribute more later. 3️⃣ Ask to be put on that assignment Make sure you are working on assignments that are priorities for the company. Especially in this market. 4️⃣ Coach your peers on their work You don’t have to have direct reports to have influence. Guide peers who ask for your help: position yourself for the next level by acting like you are at the next level. 5️⃣ Build a career development plan If your boss won’t help you do this, ask a colleague to be a sounding boarding or a friend outside of work. Understand what your goals are this year and what you want your next two roles to be. 6️⃣ Focus on one new skill you want to build What’s one new skill you want to learn that can help with your career growth? Pick it and commit to it. Block 30 minutes on your calendar daily to work on it. Make this time non negotiable. 7️⃣ Take credit for your work Even if they won’t let you in that meeting, share what you are working on with others. Whether that’s it in 1:1 conversations or in team meetings, make sure you let others know the impact you are making. 8️⃣ Get meaningful feedback If your boss keeps saying you’re killing it or avoids giving your feedback, ask others. Show up with what you think your strengths are and areas of opportunity to get their reactions. 9️⃣ Keep a track of your wins Start a Google doc or grab a notebook, and down all of your wins and the end of every month. This makes it easier to do your self evaluation during performance review time and update your resume. 🔟 Always have your resume ready Whether you are looking for internal or external, always have your resume ready. And make sure it’s not saved on your work lap, especially in this market where layoffs are happening every day. How do you advocate for yourself at work? #leadership #culture #inclusion #MitaMallick

As engineers we are really good at being technical... 👇🏼 Dependency injection, TDD, Clean Code, Reverse Proxies… we are all in. But there’s something simpler but harder we struggle with... And it’s makes you standout when interviewing, and looking to grow as an engineering leader (senior and beyond roles). Taking on challenging, high-impact projects. AND. Quantifying those project wins to business outcomes and wins. 🧠 We are technical superstars, so what often happens internally in conversations, or when interviewing is we go deeeep into the technicalities. “I rebuilt our build system from webpack 1.x to webpack 4.0 and removed the x/y/z security vulnerability, and speed up load times significantly.” Sounds impressive… But for product, business, and hiring leaders, it’s hard to really understand how valuable and impactful that was. What if instead for the same project, you were able to say: “I identified that our build system had several security vulnerabilities. I also discovered it cost our engineers 125 hrs / month waiting for builds to complete. I spearheaded an effort to upgrade this system, and led the team to fix our security issues, and decrease build times by 78%. Combined these measures saved our business approx $150,000 / yr.” Ok now you have their interest… they can’t wait to dive in more and ask follow up questions and learn more about the project. 🔥 But how can you get stories like that? Brag docs. – Keep a daily log of project updates + learnings. – Summarize these into meaningful impact every 2 weeks. – Summarize those wins again every 2-3 months into top wins/learnings. – Quantify them. Talk with engineering, business and product leaders to get the bigger picture and some impact numbers. – Use these wins/learnings in resumes, performance reviews, interviews, etc. Taking on challenging projects is key to your success. Don’t stop there. Quantify and document those wins. ✔️ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - If you liked this post, you’ll probably love my weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e95JH9qH

I went from making little progress in the first 7 years of my career to becoming a VP in 5 years. Here's everything I learned about growing my career I wish I knew sooner: 1 - No one owes you anything If you want something, go and get it. Don't hold your breath waiting for favors. 2 - Hard work is not enough The # of hours you work doesn't correlate with impact. You can work long hours and barely move the needle. Impact > hours For every task on your to-do list ask: • Will it impact my main KPIs? • If skipped, would it matter? • What is the alternative cost? Don't count hours, count results. 3 - The more value you add, the more valuable you become Value triumphs MBA/Titles/Fancy resume How can you add value? • Increase revenue • Reduce costs • Efficiency Tie your work to any of these 3 and you'll become invaluable. 4 - Showing is better than telling Talk is cheap. Anyone can do it. If you want to earn an opportunity prove you can do it. • Identify a gap • Take initiative • Solve a problem Do the work before you ask for the reward to earn it. 5 - You're not supposed to be a superhero You are not supposed to have it all figured out. You are not supposed to do it all on your own. That's why we have: • Team members • Colleagues • Mentors So we can delegate, collaborate and ask for help. Even Wonderwomen has the Justice League. Iron Man has the Avengers. They're better together. 6 - When you believe in yourself, others believe in you It's counterintuitive, but that's how it works. If you doubt yourself - people will doubt you. If you have no idea what you are doing, but you believe you can figure it out, they'll follow you blindly. Trust yourself. 7 years with little progress Then IC to VP in 5 years. That's what happens when you learn which levers to pull. 💪 Repost ♻️ to help someone grow their career faster

The Fundamental Misconception Stalling Professional Advancement   After placing executives for over 25 years, I've observed a consistent pattern among professionals experiencing slower-than-desired career progression: they're operating on an outdated assumption about how recognition and advancement actually occur.   The most insidious career misconception is that consistent performance naturally leads to recognition and advancement.   In reality, organizational systems aren't designed to automatically identify and reward quiet competence.   Executives who achieve rapid advancement understand several critical principles: • Visibility Engineering: Deliberately creating awareness of achievements among decision-makers without relying on immediate supervisors as sole advocates • Documentation Priority: Systematically recording contributions and impact, making it easier for leaders to recognize patterns of value when advancement opportunities arise • Strategic Relationship Building: Developing connections with leaders who influence advancement decisions, not just peers and immediate managers • Opportunity Anticipation: Positioning themselves for roles before they're formally available, rather than waiting for announcements   The professionals who advance most efficiently aren't necessarily performing at higher levels - they're ensuring their performance is strategically visible and aligned with organizational priorities.   If your career progress feels disproportionately slow relative to your contributions, the solution may not be working harder, but rather shifting how you position your existing work within the organization.   What strategies have you found effective for ensuring your contributions receive appropriate recognition?   Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju   #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #careeradvancement #executivedevelopment #professionalrecognition #careerstrategist