Dear new developer, The title of this post is true. I've seen it done and done it myself. However, when I first started out, I saw the managers who hired me and thought "wow, they are the ones in charge; I want that!" Spoiler: I didn't. Common software development roles Let's define some common terms. … Continue reading It Is Possible To Progress In Your Career Without Managing People
Dear new developer, Hopefully you'll work in a place where you'll have regular one to ones with your manager. I find these helpful for building a relationship and engaging with your manager and your reports (if any). I even did them with my co-founder when I founded a startup. These meetings tend to be 30 … Continue reading How to manage one to ones
Dear new developer, One of the most shocking things I learned when I started working in a professional capacity is that there are no adults in the room. That is not to denigrate everyone at your company, working hard to help make the place successful. Rather, it is to say that no one knows everything … Continue reading There are no adults in the room
Dear new developer, You will encounter good managers and bad managers in your career. I've found that one common thread for all managers is that they are busy. Busy with meetings, busy with coordination with other teams or parts of the business, busy putting out fires, busy with helping team members. Busy busy busy. They … Continue reading Write a brag document
Dear new developer, This post from Charity about the choices you face as an engineer, and the challenges of technical management, is wonderful. As a new developer, you're probably a few years away from thinking about that (but perhaps not. If you join a startup rocketship, it's possible you'll be managing people in months). But … Continue reading Think deeply about engineering management
Letters To A New Developer 