I became a FAANG Staff Engineer in 5 years. These are the 14 lessons I learned along the way.

I took notes over the last 3 years as I was promoted up to Staff Engineer. Here’s what I learned.

A few years ago I made the jump from the midwest to a FAANG company in Silicon Valley. I wrote about getting offers at Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google, and LinkedIn. I also wrote about my negotiations with them.

Since then, I’ve dreamt about writing about a successful transition to Silicon Valley. A piece about all the oops! and aha!s along the way, the good and the bad. A compilation of what I wish I could have given 2016-me a heads-up about.

In the last few months, I hit a career milestone: Staff Software Engineer. It’s something I’ve worked hard for, something I’m proud of, and something I wanted to take a moment to reflect on.

So, here’s the piece I’ve wanted to write. I’ve taken notes for the last three years about the bumps along the way, about my successes and my failures. I hope it can serve as a rising tide to lift all boats.

First, a few personal details

I prefer remaining anonymous when blogging. Some personal details are relevant, though, so I’m providing them here: