Dispelling Career Advice Myths in the Tech World

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The ‘career advice’ I have for you: “It depends!”

I’m no career guru, but I’ve spent over a decade in the complex, ever-evolving universe of software systems and engineering solutions. I am a Staff Engineer which, in tech lingo, is like saying I’m an old owl in the coding forest — and I’ve seen my fair share of algorithms.

Now, let’s talk LinkedIn — the bustling hub of professional wisdom and, the breeding ground for advice from folks who’ve been around the block a few times.

It’s fantastic that they want to share their experiences, but here’s the thing — they sometimes present their ‘personal’ tales as ironclad rules. It’s almost like they’re handing you the “10 Commandments of Office Pooping” or something! 💩 Who knew there was such wisdom to be found in restroom etiquette? But hey, in all seriousness, career guidance, like life itself, can be as unique as your choice of restroom schedule! 🚽

Here’s the thing: These golden nuggets of advice can not only add a sprinkle of extra anxiety but also lead people down paths that don’t align with their true career aspirations.

The issue with these misconceptions is that they can divert your precious energy and steer your career in directions that don’t align with your true aspirations, ultimately leading to mismatched expectations and unfulfilled desires. When it comes to your tech career (or any corporate journey, really), there’s no one-size-fits-all rulebook. 📣 There’s no secret formula, no universal mantra, and no “thou shalt” or “thou shalt not” that applies across the board. The real answer to most career conundrums? “It depends.”

Many things happen because of certain conditions, environments, atmospheres, cultures, and, well, let’s be honest — sheer luck. In this funky article, we’re going to debunk some common career advice myths and explore why it’s perfectly okay to take life a little less seriously. Let’s dive right in, shall we? 🌟

1. To Code or Not to Code: The Senior+ Engineer Dilemma

How much code should a senior+ engineer be writing? 🤠

The Myths: You’re on your way up the tech ladder, and suddenly, you’re bombarded with advice like, “As you become more senior, you don’t need to code much. You should be the glue that holds the team together, an influencer with a broader perspective!” It’s as if someone handed you a superhero cape and said, “Put away that coding sword!”

But hold up, let’s not wear the cape just yet.

“It Depends” Version

In reality, how much you code depends on your company’s size/stage and culture:

🚀 Startups: If you’re in a startup, you’re expected to be a coding wizard, even if you’re higher up the ladder. Even CEOs of some good startups code a lot regularly. In these lean environments, coding is your ticket to success. It’s like winning the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones — you’ve got to earn it!

🏢 Mid-sized Companies: As you move to mid-sized companies or a few among other tech giants, things shift. Here, influencing others is essential, but you lead by doing, not just talking. Think of it as being the cool uncle at a family gathering — you show the way by rolling up your sleeves.

📦 Amazon (and Similar): Some places, like Amazon, expect less coding at Senior levels, but you’ll craft detailed design docs to align teams and focus on influential leadership. You’re the master conductor of a symphony, ensuring harmony. However, deep code understanding is still vital to enable trust, because data-driven technical design is all about action, not words.

Remember, actions speak louder than words and in this tech world, adaptability is your best ally. 🦄💻✨

2. Cracking the Code of Promotions: Beyond Tech Skills

The Myth: You’ve honed your technical expertise to a razor’s edge, ready to seize that promotion. The advice is clear, “Exceptional skills are all you need. Avoid office politics, and let your code do the talking!” 🤯

“It Depends” Version

Here’s the twist — as you ascend the ranks, many things, including policies, come into play, making it a matter of luck despite the hard work delivered by a tech-savvy mind. At the Engineering Manager (EM) level, promotions might resemble empire-building games, especially in big companies. 🏰 It’s like trying to claim the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones — it’s not just about sword skills; it’s about alliances and strategy.

🏃‍♂️ God-Skipped queue: Picture this: You’re second in line for a promotion, and suddenly, your counterpart leaps ship to another company. Lo and behold, you’re next in line for that coveted role. Unexpected, yet thrilling!

👩🏼‍💻 Tech Hero Struggle: Remember, promotions are often more than just tech prowess. I have often seen folks with deep technical expertise getting promoted in company A but then struggling in company B because company B is all about product visionaries. Another aspect of technical skill is the direction in which you apply it: You might be promoted for fixing a Sev1 bug with one line of code that saves the company millions of dollars but not when you added an optimization to the MySQL open-source engine.

💼 Project Prioritization and stage at which you entered: If your project hits a roadblock, though it’s not necessarily your fault, your promotion is at risk. It’s often too late to shift from passion projects to those with high-impact potential. On the other hand, it also depends on when you joined the team. If you were one of the founding members and stayed put, you would naturally be more eligible to get promoted than the rockstar you hired who is technically more sound than you.

🤝 Relationships: Having a solid rapport with your manager and peers isn’t just an office cliché. It can be a practical career move. Think of it as networking but with a twist of professional camaraderie. Introspect, how can you help your manager succeed, that indirectly brings you fortunes?

3. Move Fast and Break Things

Ah, the age-old debate — should you sprint ahead like a race car or tread cautiously like a tortoise? 🏁

The Myths: To achieve something meaningful, you should “Move Fast and Break Things”.

Folks like these are adrenaline junkies, revving their engines, ready to zoom into uncharted territory. And that’s great…..sometimes!

“It Depends” Version

Similar to the coding expectations we covered in the first point, this should resonate with the stage the company is in. Your speed should match the terrain you’re navigating, just like choosing the right gear in a car.

🚀 “Move Fast and Break Things”: This approach is ideal in the startup world, where trust is earned over time by delivering incremental values. Startups can afford some bumps and scrapes as they gain momentum. It’s like learning to ride a bike; you might wobble at first, but you’ll eventually find your balance.

🌐 “Move Steadily but Make It Correct”: On the other hand, when you’re in a company handling millions of queries per second, there’s no room for hasty moves. It’s like piloting a jumbo jet — precision and safety come first. Customer trust is paramount, and one major hiccup could send your reputation plummeting. Once again taking the example of Amazon (I worked there for 6 years), this is the reason that it focuses so much on documenting decisions well and applying a well-thought-through strategy to deliver features.

4. Using New Technologies to showcase skills at your new workplace

The Myths: In order to improve systems, we need to upgrade our tooling and technologies. For example, we are running a very older MySQL database and should move on to CockroachDB for better performance and scalability. (🤸🏿 This will land me an impactful project and a possible path to promotion!!!)

Imagine this: You’re in a company that’s humming along with a tried-and-true database that’s been battle-tested over the years. Everything is stable, like a well-oiled machine. But here come the newbies, waving the banner of “Use this new, hot database! It’s the future, and it’s ten times faster and scalable!” 🚀💿

“It Depends” Version

🧐 Sure, that new database might promise blazing scale and speed, but your existing one is a fortress of stability. Switching to a new database is a big move that requires careful consideration. Is it worth the effort and potential disruptions? Sometimes, the speed boost is just a myth, and you end up with a soufflé that falls flat. Along with that, there might be a strong historical reason(s) why MySQL was chosen at first and how much stability effort has gone into it.

🚀 Other Examples:

• Programming Languages: Junior engineers often advocate for the latest programming languages. They promise faster execution, but the transition can be like changing the foundation of a skyscraper — it’s possible, but it’s a massive undertaking, and the performance gains might not be as spectacular as expected. There are instances where moving to another programming language is inevitable and that’s almost always the case when the language is battle-tested, proven to ease out the pain of monolithic architecture, eases out hiring needs and the company has some level of tooling to support it.
• Cloud Services: The cloud offers endless possibilities, and some claim to be more efficient. It’s exciting, but the performance and cost gains may not always justify the effort. In reality, it can sometimes be even costlier to move to the cloud when you have predictable scaling needs, despite the famous “pay-as-you-go” cloud business strategies.

Balancing innovation with stability is the hallmark of successful tech endeavours, recognizing the trade-offs and navigating the intricate web of opportunity costs.

5. Working relentlessly

The Myths: To be truly indispensable in these challenging job environments, you’ve got to grind, sacrificing sleep, personal life, and sanity. It’s okay and often important to ensure you make yourself irreplaceable!” ☕🌙🏃‍♂️

It’s as if someone handed you a badge of honour for being a sleep-deprived workaholic. But is this badge worth the cost of burnout?

“It Depends” Version

There’s nothing like true irreplacability. Everyone, including executives, can be laid off despite whatever you have done for the company. When it comes to decisions that CEOs have to make: layoffs to save the company or saving your employment, the choice is clear. This is something we must learn from recent layoffs in the 2022–2023 tech “made-up” recession. They will immediately post for another person’s job opening, but you are irreplaceable at home.

Health and personal life: Working smart, empowering others and force-multiplying is the key to work-life balance. Do constant prioritization and eliminate, automate and delegate stuff so as to make time for your personal life and health.

Spirit of a true Engineer: Now, that doesn’t mean you should not care about work. In true spirit, you should take responsibility. Actually, that’s the key to growing in your career. Experienced Senior engineers also shape their team and juniors to actually make themselves replaceable (not to get laid off, pun intended, but to empower others’ careers and to tackle bigger challenges themselves). 🌟💻🧘‍♀️

Sprints inside marathon: Obviously, if you had hit an unfortunate setback in your career and you are put back into a performance improvement plan, working overtime to meet the needs is fine. So is the case when launching projects with deadlines to satisfy the customer’s needs. In tech, it’s about being agile. Sometimes you sprint, sometimes you pace yourself. It’s not about choosing one over the other; it’s about knowing when to hit the gas and when to hit the brakes.

These myths we’ve uncovered today are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more out there waiting to be challenged and debunked. But for now, that’s a wrap on this myth-busting adventure!

And here’s a friendly reminder: if you’re ever feeling the weight of workplace stress or simply want to succeed while maintaining your sanity in life, check out my other post here. There, you’ll find more insights and tips to navigate the corporate jungle with confidence and composure. 🌟💼🌿