Fatima Taj — Senior Software Engineer @ Yelp
Fatima is a graduate of the University of Waterloo, Canada. Post graduation, she's worked full-time as a Software Developer at DRW, a trading firm, and currently works at Yelp as a Senior Software Engineer.
Abstract: Imagine this: you're about to hit the one-year mark in your first role as a software engineer. Just a couple of months ago, you were fresh out of college and ecstatic about landing a job at your dream tech company. Now, a year into your career, you feel lost, and the initial thrill has given way to a sense of uncertainty. As you navigate your new role, your manager raises concerns about your performance, and the pressure to secure a promotion within a specific time frame looms large.
This scenario isn't unique; many of us face similar challenges in our tech careers. There's no guidebook handed to us at the start, and the path to becoming a senior software engineer can be daunting. This talk aims to provide an in-depth explanation of what typical career progression looks like for software engineers, how promotions work, what they entail, who’s involved, and details actionable steps to get promoted to a senior software engineer.
Detailed description: The session will be a story-telling presentation specifically meant for students, interns, early career professionals (new grads, mid-level engineers, anyone with 1-3 years of professional experience), and even seasoned professionals looking to mentor younger engineers.
Introduction:
- Overview of the motivation behind this talk.
- A quick overview of my educational and professional background.
- Agenda of the session.
The session will focus on the following areas:
- The basics
- What is an IC
- What is the typical engineering track for a software engineer (intern, new grad, mid-level, senior, staff, principal, distinguished)
- Brief description of what these roles are and how expectations vary for them
- What is a terminal level
- Difficulties of getting promoted the higher up you go
- Why do promotions matter?
- Opportunity for greater impact
- Changes to compensation
- Understand how promotions work
- The process: self-review, peer view, manager feedback, frequency, etc
- Who’s involved?
- Your manager’s/skip-level manager’s role
- How to successfully navigate your relationships with the key players involved in your promotion
- Understanding the criteria (competencies)
- Technical contributions and expertise
- Design and architecture
- Collaboration and communication
- Team building and mentorship
- What if you don’t get promoted?
- The importance of being realistic in this process
- Pros and cons of changing companies to get promoted
- Q&A
Key takeaways:
- Describe what typical career progression looks like for software engineers.
- Summarize actionable steps to get promoted to senior software engineer.
- Explain the role others play in your career progression (manager, skip-level manager) and how to manage these relationships to get promoted successfully.
- Level: Introductory and overview
- Tags: Professional Skills