Advice for new principal tech ICs (i.e., notes to myself)

Post by willseth » Sat, Oct 25, 2025, 2:49 PM UTC

ninetyninenine wrote: post #44

procaryote wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some companies suck at promoting the right people, but a good principal engineer is the 10x person, or someone who makes several teams more effective by helping them figure out the bigger technical issues. If you think management is like 1x talent and effort, you should try management for a bit.

I have. It's more stressful. But it's still 1x talent and 1x effort. Anyone can do it, it's just harder in the same way being a garbage man is hard. 10x engineers don't need to be principals. The idea behind principals is that they don't do any engineering. They leverage the work of others to become 10x. It's very much considered a "leadership" or management role overall. A 10x engineer is usually literally a person…

Post by the_af » Sat, Oct 25, 2025, 2:58 PM UTC

questionableans wrote: post #51

the_af wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The way the author describes it (in contradicting terms; see the point where he claims if you're a Principal IC, you were promoted because you already acted like one, making the ~30 items of advice redundant) it's the most stressful position ever. Be critical, don't be in the critical path, be laid back in an advisory role but be hands-on or you're setting yourself up for failure, work on stuff you enjoy but be ready…

It’s all about being balanced and picking the right strategy for the situation, not doing everything all at once. A guide like this could be useful for someone to consult when they find themselves in a different situation, regardless of their seniority level. And in my experience, more senior engineers don’t have a greater risk of being fired for a project going badly because they identify problems to work on that ma…

Post by sys_64738 » Sat, Oct 25, 2025, 3:20 PM UTC

nadam wrote: post #27

I find it amusing how people take this 'leveling game' at big companies so seriously. The title they get at these companies become their identity. They live by the rules the company imposes on them. Amusingly almost the opposite of independent thinking, which they are so proud of. What I found during my career is that some people blossom at these big companies, and some, with equal talent cannot really realize themse…

Post by justinhj » Sat, Oct 25, 2025, 3:46 PM UTC

astura wrote: post #78

YuukiRey wrote: post #24

I find it a bit strange when people write about themselves in third person on their own website (see footer and about). Anyway, the article seems very Amazon centric since I have no idea what an L6 or an L7 is. I get that they’re career ladder steps but that’s it. And having testimonials about yourself on your own website… The whole website feels like I clicked on an Ad for a person.

That's why I flagged it and encourage you to flag it too. Let's keep this self-aggrandizing slop off of HN.

Post by cvwright » Sat, Oct 25, 2025, 4:33 PM UTC

the_af wrote: post #39

questionableans wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s definitely not for everyone. But if the person, the org and role are a good fit, it’s not going to be that kind of worst case scenario. IMO, “nothing is not your job” is odd phrasing that doesn’t really mean “everything is your job,” it’s more like “see something, say something—-in a way that is received constructively and results in positive change, whether through your own actions or others’.” The unstated cor…

The way the author describes it (in contradicting terms; see the point where he claims if you're a Principal IC, you were promoted because you already acted like one, making the ~30 items of advice redundant) it's the most stressful position ever. Be critical, don't be in the critical path, be laid back in an advisory role but be hands-on or you're setting yourself up for failure, work on stuff you enjoy but be ready…