1.9 Vertical Growth - Milancho/CareerPathGuideline GitHub Wiki

  1. Tech Lead

    • You are responsible for delivering the MVP (Minimum Viable Product).
    • You make the technical decisions.
    • You manage and mentor 1 or 2 additional engineers.

  2. Engineering Manager

    • You grow your team to 5-7 people.
    • You learn to let go of writing all the core code.
    • You get used to negotiating with the new Product Manager.
    • You avert crises using your ingenuity and ability to improvise.
    • You build a cohesive team, rather than a collection of individuals.
    • You communicate more outside your team, to align with other departments.
    • You are increasingly involved in people management, conflict resolution, and performance reviews, as well as project planning, resource allocation and task prioritization.

  3. VP / Director of Engineering

    • You now manage at least two teams of 5-10 people each.
    • You now manage managers.
    • You are the decision-maker on hiring and firing.
    • You institute systems of work that streamline operations.
    • You increasingly focus on strategic issues, rather than tactical.
    • You now manage budgets and resource allocation across teams.
    • You beef up your leadership, mentorship, and conflict resolution skills.
    • Performance management and talent development concern you increasingly.
    • Your communications are more versatile: upwards to senior management, downwards to the engineering teams, and across the organisation to your peers and other stakeholders.
    • You identify and address high-level technical challenges and risks, providing solutions at an organizational level.
    • BTW, coding at this stage is a crime. You have more important things to do.

  4. Chief Technology Officer

    • You are no longer a tech geek.
    • You have crossed over to the business side.
    • You are now a C-level strategic business leader.
    • You collaborate with other C-level executives, department heads, and stakeholders to set the long-term technology vision, align it with business objectives, and influence overall company strategy.