Most software engineers don't actively take steps to promote themselves. Take charge of your career!
Over time, most engineers move into management, pursue an MBA, or switch careers. Only 10% of software engineers make it to Tech Lead.
It is a grueling path. Promoting to Tech lead needs continuous upskilling, chasing impact, and cross-team consulting.
This article breaks down what you should do to be a Tech Lead.
1. Focus on Impact
If you aren't sure how a project is helping the business, it probably isn't.
In software engineering promotions, impact matters. The volume of JIRA tickets and Code Commits don't matter nearly as much as business impact.
So in your next presentation, focus on the business impact of your solution.
Many engineers make the mistake of focusing only on the technical problems solved. We understand: tech problems are fun to discuss. But highlighting the business problem helps everyone see how it matters.
Your projects and practices must leave a mark on team efficiency and overall business goals. That's what will get you noticed during promotions.
2. Use Strengths, Outsource Weaknesses
You are not paid for being good at everything. You are paid for getting things done.
If you aren't an expert at LLMs, you don't need to spend the next few months building a side project on LLMs.
Instead, use open-source tools, existing solutions, public APIs, etc… to outsource this work. Remember: impact matters, movement doesn't.
3. Team-level Responsibility
Leadership is more than yourself; it's about making life easy for your team.
Hold yourself and your team to high standards, promote best practices, and focus on team success.
For example, an onboarding script for new joiners that sets up their local environment can save hundreds of team hours.
When your team wins, you win.
4. No task is too small
Fixing button sizes and colors may be more impactful than redesigning the website. But how many developers dare choose the first option?
Everyone wants plum projects with great learning opportunities. But the reality of business and markets is this: there is always some boring impactful work to do.
If you are tasked with a tedious, repetitive, boring task: Rejoice, and suck it up. Your manager and team are looking at how you perform.
Ironically, when you show you can work on boring stuff, you build a lot of trust. This leads to securing the most interesting and impactful projects later!
5. Build Social Muscle
Technical leaders have a keen interest in innovations outside their team.
Despite being masters of their codebase, they regularly look externally. Like a magpie, they pick the best practices from different places.
Cross-team influence helps brainstorm better, set expectations faster, work through dependencies, and debug problems together.
The value of your social influence is hard to overstate.
Wrapping up: when it comes to technical leadership, be impact-driven, focus on your strengths, and set high standards.
We're not just here to tick off boxes; we do stuff that really matters. If you want to know more about engineering topics like system design, start here: https://interviewready.io/course-page/system-design-course
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