What is the expected behavior of an SDE 2 & SDE 3 when given a feature request?
I work in a high-growth, scaled startup where my organization builds revenue-generating platforms and forms small teams to create new verticals. However, we face challenges such as fast-tracked, inexperienced engineering managers (EMs) who disrupt work-life balance and often expect overtime or weekend work.
Feature requests are typically communicated via Slack messages or one-liners, with frequent status updates focused on completion. There is significant bias and favoritism, yet I can operate in such an environment. Although I know the best long-term solution might be to move to big tech or a more stable team, I’m seeking advice on how to behave in this current setting.
I avoid responding to negative remarks within the team because the EM’s typical reaction to any request is dismissive, suggesting that bugs shouldn't happen or that tasks should be managed independently. I was down-leveled upon joining this team from a similar toxic environment but have since been promoted to SDE 2. My senior, an SDE 3, also struggles emotionally, which makes me question whether this is common in leadership across companies of similar scale and situation.
How do you handle working in such an environment? I am currently taking a course on managing up, which seems relevant. I focus solely on my tasks and avoid reacting to negativity, which is appreciated, but I’ve stopped working weekends due to shifting priorities and deliverables. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Discussion
(4 comments)- 2
3 months agoStaff Eng @ Google, Ex-Meta SWE, Ex-Amazon SDM/SDEI know switching jobs isn’t easy, but… maybe while you’re navigating all of this you’re looking, too? It seems super volatile and undependable.
Be the engineer you want to be, even if it’s not the norm. If you think documentation is valuable, write it. If people don’t like that, you don’t have to publish it and can just do so when you leave. If you want to push your status updates instead of getting pinged, give an over-aggressive schedule like 3x per day, and meet that schedule.
Otherwise it sounds like you’re saying you don’t have faith in the business model, the development model, and those in charge. If that’s the case, what is motivating you?
- 0
3 months agoSoftware Engineer [OP]Taro CommunityThe pay is motivating me it is by far the only factor even though this mini product is not working we are paid on time
There are other good internal teams where each feature has atleast two engineers involved in it. This helps in load sharing
My problem solving skills are not on par with the requirements of big tech
Resume is not getting shortlisted
- 03 months agoSoftware Engineer [OP]Taro Community
Moreover the SDE-3 doesn’t wishes to document any feature saying I’m the document so that they can’t be replaced The product is burning a lot of money and the business model is vague even after two years. The founder of the org has given a last shot to the leads to produce and the approach is still slow. When I look at the business it seems a pointless effort, when I look at features to build I got plenty of them.
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3 months agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course HeroIt's tricky as I only have 1 side of the story here, but from what I see here, it seems like the company is dying? In that case, I would switch jobs: [Course] Ace Your Tech Interview And Get A Job As A Software Engineer
That being said, you should still try to do your best and learn what you can from this situation as dealing with thrash is a part of SWE life (especially at Big Tech). Here's my advice:
- Learn how to say "No"
- Ruthlessly prioritize
- Think as proactively as possible and plan ahead
- Write stuff down (this is especially important in political environments as you need the paper trail to protect yourself)
I cover all that in-depth here: "How to figure out what the most important projects are?"
To answer the original question that's the title of this post, I recommend this: [Course] Grow From Mid-Level To Senior Engineer: L4 To L5
