Self Discovery and Career Growth to Principal Engineering

A lot of people get promoted to senior engineer, and then they ask how to go to principal. This is not how it works. For any promotion, I tell people not to worry about immediately figuring out how to get to the next level, but especially as a senior engineer. Just focus on being a really great senior engineer first. Be great at whatever level you’re currently at. Once you become fantastic at your level, then the rest of the opportunities will unlock over time naturally.

I think there are roughly three phases between a senior and a staff or principal engineer.

Phase 1: Earning trust, Forming partnerships, Building habits, Optimizing impact, Mental Exercises, Strategy.
Phase 2: Leading PE-scoped projects
Phase 3: Delivery & more (Promotion time)

The first phase is the build-up phase. This is where almost everyone spends the majority of their time as a senior SDE. At this point, what you’re trying to do is earn trust and be capable of leading a PE-scoped project.

Until you’ve earned the trust and are capable of leading a PE-scoped project & behaving like a PE, which is what you have to finish to get promoted, you have to earn the respect and trust of everyone.

The first phase takes a long time, and it’s beneficial to stay on a particular team and problem for several years and push it forward to the point of being one of the best in the industry. If you switch, regardless of how senior you are, it is unlikely you will be immediately handed an opportunity in a brand new place or organization unless you really know the area and team beforehand. Because you’re most likely going to be rebuilding trust and expertise in a new area or domain. This is a common mistake that I see people make, and it usually ends up delaying their careers long-term.

The second phase is a lot more in-depth depending on what project you’re working on. It requires a bit of strategy; for example, you need to make sure you have the project or scope identified that everyone will agree is a PE-scoped impact. Ideally, you’re the person identifying and pushing for that project or scope too. Don’t completely rely on managers to give you all those opportunities; remember the Resounding Impact and Technically Fearless tenets.

You need to have all the prerequisites met already so that you can lead a project with other senior engineers that look up to you, and ultimately they need to think they can grow their careers by listening to you. Luck and timing are definitely a thing. But ultimately, I believe anyone can force these conditions to occur with the right strategy and support system.

The third phase is simply acting like a PE and having all the artifacts + delivery. No amount of luck or timing is going to really help you there. This is where the rubber meets the road.

Figuring Out Who You Are

Figure out who you are, and who you are not. Focus on what makes you great, and double down on that. It is likely better than trying to address your weaknesses. Make your own tenets for work and life and apply them consistently.

If you have just one thing you can remember from this blog: remember that everyone’s journey is vastly different, and the problems you encounter are going to be different than anyone else’s. I always tell people: you need to figure out who you are, and who you are not. Generally, it’s better to focus on what makes you great and double down on that rather than trying to address your weaknesses. These strengths and weaknesses will help you define career roles for yourself.

Everyone’s going to have different problems, and the biggest problem you have is going to be personalized for you.

For almost everyone, the biggest gaps between a senior engineer and PE are going to be related to habits and mindset. With the right habits and mindset, you can fill any technical gap quickly. That’s a part of our job and being technically fearless. By the time you’re approaching PE, the technical gaps you should already be able to close, or you should apply these shifts to get them. If you can’t fill in the technical gaps after fixing everything else, then you should just focus more on being an exceptional practitioner longer and optimizing that.

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