Perhaps you’re familiar with the Peter Principle, a possibly facetious managerial theory exploring the root of occupational incompetence.
The concept, unburdened by the ambiguity of scientific data, employs a basic logic to explain a fundamental glitch in the promotion process: Employees are promoted based on their success in previous roles, continuously rising through the ranks until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent.
Skills in one job, after all, do not necessarily translate into another. As the theory’s author, Laurence J. Peter, wrote: “Look around you where you work, and pick out the people who have reached their level of incompetence. You will see that in every hierarchy, the cream rises until it sours.”
This (supposedly satirical) line of thinking is especially relevant for technicians, who tend to enter the workforce with a particular set of interests, only to have their success rewarded with a career trajectory they never had any interest in following.
But how are software developers and engineers supposed to advance in their careers without moving up the food chain? Built In New York checked in with two local tech professionals to learn more about the career opportunities available to administrative-averse engineers and how they’ve pushed to reach their professional goals — whatever they may be.
Tell us a bit about your career journey thus far.
I have worked as an engineer for the past 13 years in various roles, including software developer, server administrator, mobile developer, back-end lead, infrastructure lead, VP of engineering and principal engineer. I have worked on a wide range of projects, from mobile app development to front-end web development and back-end development to designing the architecture of large distributed systems and their cloud infrastructure.
Management isn’t for everyone, but many engineers feel it can be difficult to progress in their career without making the jump. How have you navigated conversations about career growth?
I think management is a good experience to have. It’s impossible to truly know what it’s like to be a manager if you’ve never tried it. However, I do agree that it’s not for everyone. I have been a manager, but I prefer to spend my time doing technical work, creating roadmaps and mentoring others. If someone is passionate about being an individual contributor, they should spend their time and energy doing just that and show their manager that that’s something they are passionate about and good at. It’s always an easier conversation when that aspect is clear.
If someone is passionate about being an individual contributor, they should spend their time and energy doing just that.”
What types of growth opportunities exist at your company for software developers who want to remain in an individual contributor role?
Bread provides two separate growth tracks: one on the management side, and one on the individual contributor side. Engineers ready to take the next step can choose which path they’d like to follow. I came in as a principal engineer, and since that’s a senior role, I had already made the decision to be on the IC track. However, I have seen many individuals at the company grow along the IC track once they decide management isn’t for them.
Tell us a bit about your career journey thus far.
I have been working as a software engineer for about six years now. Initially, I worked for a small business in Southern California, where I started first as an intern in college. After graduating, I continued at the same company as a junior software engineer and eventually graduated into a mid-level role. Then I moved to New York City, working remotely as I searched for new opportunities.
I started working at Boost in November 2019 as a mid-level engineer and have learned so much. A high-level skill I’ve developed is leading a project from start to launch. This includes important decision-making: planning sprints, distributing work to the right engineers and reviewing code in essential parts of the process. In a more technical scope, I’ve learned how to navigate a complex code base. Daily exposure to the domain opened my eyes to optimized architecture and efficient coding practices. Even after two years, I am still growing and working through many awesome experiences.
Management isn’t for everyone, but many engineers feel it can be difficult to progress in their career without making the jump. What steps have you taken to keep pushing your career forward?
Personal career growth has always been a priority for me, and Boost fosters an environment in which I can openly share my goals and collaborate with management on how to reach them. I have navigated conversations about career growth with my managers by having biweekly one-on-one meetings to discuss goals, progress and areas of improvement. I’ve taken the initiative in being open about my weaknesses in order to gain as much feedback as I can. In addition, I reflect often on what I can do better as an engineer at Boost.
To earn higher engineering roles, it’s essential that I do my best in contributing to my team. In pushing my career forward, I have asked for more responsibilities, such as holding ownership on parts of the platform, being involved in interviews and conducting onboarding lessons for new hires. Continuous exposure to these types of opportunities have given me more confidence in taking the next steps forward on my career path.
To earn higher engineering roles, it’s essential that I do my best in contributing to my team.”
What types of growth opportunities exist at your company for software developers who want to remain in an individual contributor role?
As an engineer at Boost, there are many opportunities for platform ownership as an individual contributor. This includes writing engineering requirements documents, constructing epics for sprints and planning an organized timeline. Leading engineers function as subject matter experts and collaborate with others throughout the development process. Insurance is filled with many kinds of complexities, especially with the many existing insurance products out there, so there is definitely an abundance of opportunities to implement these features.
Throughout my time at Boost, I have grown a lot in terms of designing and planning projects, productive collaboration, and software architecture. Within my first year, I was tasked with building out an insurance product and planning the work that needed to be done. Soon after, I was brought into software architecture meetings for new platform features, which were heavily collaborative. I am now trusted to contribute to high-level designing and project planning, which demonstrates to others and myself that I have grown a lot since my beginnings at Boost.
