Senior Engineer Career Development Videos, Forum, and Q&A

I just watched . Great material! In a couple of session, it was mentioned that Infra teams works differently, e.g. there is not as much XFN. Can you shed some light on how Infra team promo works?

I have an offer that's much better than being laid off (actually, freelancing is going well, but let's put that aside)

but much worse than what I think I'm worth (I think I could get 50%+ more comp with 1-3 more months of job search)

so I'm planning to accept and keep interviewing.

How should I message other companies as I keep interviewing?

1. declare my new employer, companies like to hire people that are employed and it outweighs quick-leaving stigma
   1. Note, in case company prestige matters, this is a Tier 2 household name company currently ranking in the top 80 according to
2. do not declare the new employer, continue to signal that I was recently laid off. this might show a 1-3 month gap on my resume but that's better than being a "quick leaver"
3. something else

I'm thinking of joining Amazon as an L6 Applied Scientist. The reporting chain they've proposed to me looks something like:

VP -> Snr Dir -> Dir -> Snr Mgr -> Mgr -> Me

Now I've been made to understand that as L6, my official scope is Snr Dir, i.e. impact across teams that sit under Snr Dir. I'm concerned how far down the chain I am here, especially if I eventually want to grow to L7, which would require impact at the higher level (VP). I doubt reporting to the Snr Dir is on the table, but I'm wondering if I can try to convince them to let me report to the Dir. They're telling me that who your manager is doesn't affect your scope, but I'm skeptical. On the flip side, it is Mgr who seems very excited to hire me, and I'm wondering if mentioning this to either him or Snr Mgr (who I have a sell call with next week) will cause problems.

Any advice on how to navigate this situation would be most helpful.

I joined Pinterest few months ago, and I was under the impression that I will be driving a large, high-impact project. I was hired with this project in mind, but due to external factors, this project has been deprioritized and removed from the roadmap.

This puts me in a vulnerable position as now I don't have major scope to work on. Here are my thoughts on how to remedy the situation:

• Find new scope - I am doing this now, but this is tough as I'm pretty new. Unsure how I can find this on such short notice.
• Change teams
• Wait for the manager / lead to figure out a new large scope project for me
• Work closely with my manager, so they can find a new project for me

I received feedback from my manager indicating that I need to improve my understanding of upstream and downstream dependencies when working on big ambiguous problems. They suggested that I should propose solutions that properly consider these dependencies' requirements as in my preview project I missed a few so the tech lead on my team had to point those out. Could you recommend any resources? techniques?

I am building an iOS team as the lead engineer. Here are the iOS roles I'm looking to fill based on my assessment of the product's requirements:

• Number 2 (capable of handling 60-80+% of my tasks as my right hand)
• Designer Engineer (specializes in dealing with design layouts)
• Real-Time Data Engineer (specializes in dealing with real-time data)
• Automated Testing Engineer (specializes in code coverage and unit testing)
• Bug Squash Engineer (generally a more junior engineer to address menial tasks)

What are your thoughts and anything I might be blindsided on?

For example: I have been assigned a task that is estimated to be done in 3 days, let's assume it was well estimated.

Because of my skills, I can only finish it in one day.

But if I finish it, the team leader will assign me more tasks.

So my reward for being productive is more work.

So why should I be more productive if I'm just going to have more work to do with no bonus?

Remember, this scenario is as an individual software engineer, not as a company.

What do you think? should I change my mindset? if yes, what are the reasons?

If there is nothing I could do as individual, what do you suggest to handle this with my manager? if they don't want to give bonuses or incentives, should I leave?

Hello, few questions which the resume video didn't answer for me (for context i'm a senior engineer with almost a decade of experience including some years working at FAANG):

1. Should I put months for each year for all my experiences or is it okay to just put the years? For example if this hides a 6 month gap? I've heard very conflicting opinions on this!
2. If I'm in a city in California that's not super close to San Francisco, is it okay to just put California and leave my city out so I'm not auto rejected for positions that are in San Francisco, since I'm open to relocation? Also should I say somewhere on resume that I'm open to relocation?
3. Pretty sure the answer to this is no but figured I'd ask! Is it worth going from 1 to 2 pages to list a few side projects that are over a few years old now and didn't really get a lot of users?

As you climb up the career ladder (senior -> staff), this soft skill becomes more and more important. What are some ways I can keep honing it? Are there any professional courses I can consider?

I would learn to be effective and efficient at it, specially in scenarios such as public speaking, team meetings, project status, emails etc.

Also, English is not my first language.

I've been really enjoying the all Interview Courses here on Taro. I'm currently putting together my resume to apply for Senior Engineer positions and I'm struggling to frame some of my experiences so that the level of my contribution/impact is clear.

For context: I've been working on a major backend system migration that's core to the company's flagship product. This migration has been happening for the last 2 years and is being handled by my team (6 people), of which we have a Tech Lead leading the project, and a mix of Senior and Mid-level Engineers. Throughout the last 2 years, I've been working closely with the Tech Lead to co-design the migration plan, which we've then been executing on over the last 2 years. I wouldn't say I'm leading the project but I've made significant contributions (almost like a co-lead) to designing the new replacement system, coming up with the migration plan, leading multiple smaller scoped initiatives (within the the bigger migration plan, each initiative spanning 1-3 months), up-skilling and mentoring more junior Engineers on the team.

I've played a more significant role than simply contributing but I'm not exactly leading the project here. What's a good way to think about framing my experiences here?

I have been with my current team (a platform team) for about almost 3 years now, and I believe I have build good relationships with others in the org. I am thinking about projects that can get me to E6.

So far, the projects that I come up with, feels underwhelming after talking to more senior IC. The IC either think there the ROI is not high enough, or the project is too much of BE. For other ideas, it feels like that I would have scope collision with other ICs. I sometimes feels too tired to churn through more ideas. I am not sure if this is normal, or if I would be able to succeed in my current team to get to E6. How would you decide it is time to change teams?

I have been working as a backend engineer for around 6 to 7 years, splitting my time between India and the UAE. Recently, I've come to the realization that I don't derive much enjoyment from software engineering. Also, I don't plan to stick to current startup for long as I don't see much future ahead. Consequently, I am contemplating pursuing an MBA with the aim of transitioning into either product management at major tech companies like FAANG or management consulting at firms such as McKinsey. I don't have a strong preference for either career path; my primary consideration is which one offers higher compensation in Europe.

Question:

1. After obtaining an MBA from a top business school, which role typically commands a higher salary: product manager or management consultant?

2. If I were to continue in software engineering and attempt to transition to a position at a FAANG company in Europe, which role would likely yield the highest income: engineer, product manager, or management consultant?

3. Can I get breakup of salary?

I acknowledge that these questions may seem unconventional, but at this juncture, my main focus is on maximizing my earning potential as I navigate my career path.

I am looking for new opportunities and based on what I am seeing on Taro. My strategy so far has been.

1. Create and polish resume
2. Prep for DSA and System Design
3. Apply to jobs.

This is the end of week 2. 8 Applications, 2 Rejections and not heard back from the rest.

So far I have been applying through LinkedIn and Otta only. I have intentionally avoided and not reached out for personal references. My thinking has been, that I don't want to waste the guaranteed interview opportunity if I am not ready.

My target at the moment is that I should be able to complete 90% of the grind 75 leetcode questions and at least a few system design mocks.

My questions to the community:

1. What are other good job listing services?
2. Is my approach sound or should I change my strategy?

With every rejection, I try to remind myself what said. "We can only do what is in our control; that is to continue preparing."

I was searching for any red flags in a company with 5K-10K employees. I'm uncertain if it varies depending on the organization or team I might join. However, I wanted to get a general sense. I've been reviewing GlassDoor and Blind, but I also wanted to gather insights from the Taro community.

Hi everyone! Hope this question finds you well! I am currently working as a senior software engineer, and our company currently has opportunities for us to take on engineering management responsibilities (mentoring junior SWE career development, giving them performance reviews, approving expense reports, etc.) and carry the engineering manager title along with my senior SWE title. I was wondering would taking on management responsibilities translate into future value for career development if I want to mainly grow my career on technical skills and engineering leadership skills (so I don't want to be only a people manager in the long run)? Or would only focusing on growing my technical and communication skills without taking on management responsibilities be more efficient?

I would really appreciate any thoughts/insights! Thank you very much! 🙏

Hey! I am joining a startup as a Staff Engineer. I understand, titles can be inflated at a start up. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get to staff at big tech, without a supportive team.

My eventual goal is to be a staff engineer at a FAANG, or a very high achieving Senior at a FAANG. I want to use this startup "Staff" as a way to really hone my skills, learn and grow. Purely focussing on my love for coding, software engineering and learning, and not motivated by money.

Keeping the above in mind, how can I ensure, I have staff level scope ( & not just a title) at this startup.

And any tips for successful onboarding at a startup helps, from your personal experience.! ( Yes, I went through Rahul's course already :) )

It is a series B start up, with 70 people.

I've been a software engineer in India for 8 years, working with reputed companies. My previous company (A) was an Indian startup that grew significantly during my 5-year tenure there. I learned quickly as a junior and mid-level engineer, often handling urgent issues. Despite frequent deployment failures, it never hindered our release pace. However, after 5 years, I felt burned out due to poor work-life balance, especially after getting married, and the pay wasn't competitive.

I moved to my current company (B) about 2.5 years ago, drawn by a 100% salary hike, better work-life balance, and excellent perks. But I soon noticed a strong cultural shift. The engineering quality at B is not on par with A, and their systems are less mature despite being in the same domain. I saw this as a chance to improve B's systems using my experience, but progress was slow. The company seemed more focused on appearing as tech leaders rather than actual tech innovation.

Initially, I had a supportive manager, but my feedback on engineering practices and processes led to tension. Over time, my manager avoided interactions with me. Now, the team dynamics are strained. Juniors respect me, but peers and seniors, even recent joiners, view me negatively, questioning my teamwork. Bureaucratic politics from new tech leads and senior managers, who came from the same previous team, add to the problem. My manager, caught in this new dynamic, no longer supports me and avoids our 1:1s due to their negative nature, although she now wants to rebuild our relationship as she claims that she has reflected over it after she got a break from everything after few weeks' of leaves.

The toxic environment has pushed me to prepare for other opportunities, though it's made me wary of company cultures. I don't want to join startups due to their poor work-life balance, but I seek a role where I can spend 60% of my day learning valuable tech skills without unnecessary politics. The office environment has turned very hostile for me where anything I try to say gets taken in negative light. This is affecting my mental health, but I'm trying to stay here until July for my stock vesting.

I'm struggling to stay hopeful about the software industry and would appreciate any encouragement. Thanks!

Hey folks,

I'm currently facing a tough decision - whether to ask for a raise at my current company. I am unsure if it's the right time to do so or not. Here's a little context to help you understand my situation

My timeline in the company:

• In 2023
  • I joined the company as a Sr SWE II (L4)
  • I joined the company nine months ago on August 23'
  • I made it to the second review cycle of the year (mid-October), and I got a "Consistently meeting expectations." My manager then said that he was very impressed that I managed to get so much done in that short time and that he could see strong signs of a Staff Engineer (L5) in me.
  • I shipped the most important project in Q4, 2023, on time. I even ended up as the technical lead of that project (the Staff engineer in that project got pip-ed, but that's another story)
• In 2024:
  • I mentored a Sr SWE I (L3) on her first project as a lead.
  • I'm the lead of the web working group
  • I'm interviewing candidates almost on a weekly basis
  • I'm one of the owners of the Design System initiative
  • I just got a "Consistently exceeding expectations" in our current review cycle. I've been praised for how easy it is to work with me, my technical quality, my communication skills, and my thoughtful PR reviews. And that I should keep working on my influence across the organization.

How things are right now:

• My previous manager quit to join another startup, and I got an interim manager (we're hiring another manager for my team)
• I ended up talking about salary adjustments with my previous manager the other day (there, I didn't ask for a raise; it was just a casual conversation). He told me that the company does a compensation review every January and that I wasn't considered for the one that happened in January 2024 because I didn't join earlier than July 2023.
• The next performance review will happen in mid-Oct 2024.
• I will be leading a new tiger team (6 engs) until the end of Q2.

Questions I have right now:

• Is this the right time to ask for a raise?
• I've never asked for a raise.
• I know for a fact that an L3 has a pretty similar (<5%) salary to me, and I know that another L4 has a >5% salary than me.
• Should I wait until I finish this new project, the next performance review, or my first anniversary?
• We're in the hockey stick growth stage.
• I also really like working here, and the market has been bad lately.

Thanks!

Recently, while working on a project that is very open-ended, I realized part way through the project that the initial solution I had come up with for the problem would work only partially and in order to solve the problem fully, I would actually need double the amount of time I had estimated earlier. Since the initial estimate was in months, I feel really terrible about this. I made sure to report this to my chain as soon as I discovered this, but I'm curious: how common is it for others to miss their estimates? I'd like to gauge whether I am alone in this situation. Furthermore, how do people typically manage the disappointment and pressure that arise from missed deadlines, especially in exploratory or open-ended projects?

When I say re-org, I mean product we are working on changes, but people more or less remain the same.

I have primarily worked in the consumer space for most of my career and I was re-orged 9 months back, still working in the consumer space. This was first re-org of my life, and it came up with lots of uncertainties and new partner teams.

Now again, I (along with few more people) have been re-orgd to enterprise product. For 2 months, we'll help another team in one project. After that we'll get a proper product to work upon.

I have the following doubts and need help with:

1. Moving from consumer to enterprise at the first glance doesn't seem interesting. I am not sure how will it go with time but if anyone had this experience in their career, please consider sharing.
2. Any advice to cope up with the demotivation due to continuous re-orgs?
3. I was a UI developer and now I am focusing majorly on API. Tbh, my tasks are pretty easy but I am taking time to grasp how everything works end-to-end. Until we get to the final product we will be working upon, I don't think I will have solid points to show in performance review since I am mostly focusing on execution. The team owning the project had already disambiguated the main chunks of the project.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Alex and Rahul give amazing presentations! Would love to hear your tips for creating amazing presentations. For example:

• What's your process for creating your slides?
• How do you find memes/jokes?
• Do you memorize your slides before the presentation?
• How much time do you spend rehearsing before your presentations?
• Any other tips?

I feel like I am basically surviving in my current job, one story to another, one deadline to another. It was not like this before. Earlier I used to be very passionate about developing stuff. I don't think it's normal. I do get my passion by solving some leetcode questions with my friend but that's it. I don't find joy anymore in my work, it feels forced. I feel like I should have a life outside my job as well which I don't have right now, and since the joy is not there anymore with my job it feels just bad.

What can I do to change it?

I am trying apply to companies via referrals by reaching out to people on LinkedIn who work there already. Some people give me a yes but never get back after that. I understand that it's a transaction, but I don't know what value i could offer them in return for a referral? Or how I could get them interested in referring me?

Any tips?

Thanks!

For taro engineers in india, would you be able to shed what the interview process in india is like? im curious how it compares to the US -- is it harder/easier? Do they always just ask hards?

If you could break it down by level/tier that would be awsome!