Let me tell you a story - it's not that unique, but hey, this is my blog and I can write what I want! All through primary and high school, I was told I excelled at math. I would get special worksheets and lessons; I took advanced classes in high school; I took part in a Math Bowl (if you have to ask, you're not cool enough). Because of all of this reenforcement, I spent most of my teenage years pretty much set on going to college for Math. I didn't know what I was going to do with that degree, but that was a problem for Future Travis.
And so, that's exactly what I did! I started college working toward a Bachelor's of Science degree in Mathematics.
It was the worst! I mean, some of the courses were fine, others (Abstract Algebra, I'm looking at you) were just plain mean. Why would anyone do that to themselves?! But, not being one to give up, I persevered, trying my best to eke something out of these classes that might flip that lightswitch.
Funnily enough, it was the one credit of Computer Science required for the Math program that did it. I took an Introduction to C++ class as I was wrapping up the Math degree, and I knew I had found what I wanted to do! So, after 7 (and a half) years and some 150 credits... I graduated with a double major in Mathematics (which I still didn't know how to use) and Computer Science.
"Ok," you're asking. "What was the point of that story other than to brag you have a double major?"
Au contraire, my captive audience! I am not bragging - this is self-deprecation! I spent a good part of 7 (and a half) years going to college, pursuing a degree I had no idea how I was going to use. I had no end game plan.
And then it happened again! I've now spent a decade as a professional software engineer, but up until a couple years ago, I didn't really know what I wanted out of my career. (I still don't, not really, but I'm working on it - the first step to solving the problem is admitting you have one, or something like that)
I knew I liked programming, solving problems, tinkering with tech. I knew I didn't like the idea of managing people, and if I'm honest, even being a mentor to people is hard for me. I wanted to just sit in a corner, on my own, solving the world's problems (or at the very least, solving The Company's problems).
Obviously, I couldn't do that. That's not what a professional software engineer does. So, I gritted my teeth and leaned into the team lead or tech lead role - trying to take baby steps toward whatever was next.
Oh, right, the point of this post... getting there...
I pushed myself to become more visible, doing presentations at The Company's internal conference, pushing initiatives I thought were important, leading tech discussions.
Looking back now, obviously those things were super important and helpful, but sometimes it still felt like it was all for naught. I didn't see the progress in the moment.
So, that brings me so last year, when I attended a session at Oracle's JavaOne entitled Beyond Senior Java Dev: the next steps for your technical career by the esteemed Bruno Souza (a recording from a difference conference can be found here). This session and the book Bruno mentions, Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track by Will Larson, really lit a fire under me - these helped me see what that future career could look like.
In particular, the Will Larson book lays out a number of "staff engineer archetypes" (link), with helpful descriptions and examples. For me, this helped provide some structure, a framework, to what the Staff Engineer role could be. I would say by identifying the archetype I most align with, it gave me an ethos, a mantra, a personal mission statement as a Software Engineer. I align with the Solver archetype - I can lose hours at a time, focussed on trying to solve deep, complex problems. I do also enjoy aspects of the other archetypes - probably the Architect comes in second - but solving a problem and providing solutions is my bread and butter.
If you're in a similar spot in your career, in a Senior or Staff role looking for some direction, I highly recommend Will Larson's book. At the very least, take a look at his website, which contains much of the broad strokes from the book.
But wait, there's more!
So, why am I writing this now? What's the impetus behind this blog post? Believe it or not, another book! The book is Own Your Tech Career: Soft skills for technologists by Don Jones (link), which I picked up a while ago and just got to reading while traveling to a conference.
I believe this may be just as crucial a read, possibly even more so, as it can apply to professionals at any level and more broadly than just software engineer.
To begin, Don Jones outlines a method you can use to understand what you want from your career. That is followed by setting goals and a "roadmap" that will get you to that end state. This is all followed by deep dives into all aspects of achieving your ideal career.
This blog post is actually an outcome of several of my goals - to stop second-guessing if I should do something, and instead just learning from my mistakes if I do fail; and starting to establish my "personal brand".
I hope you found something helpful in all of this! And even if you didn't, at least I can say I tried :)