#28 is concerning. Sponsorship? Consultancy?
Advice for new principal tech ICs (i.e., notes to myself)
31–40 of 163 posts
Re: Advice for new principal tech ICs (i.e., notes to myself)
#32I 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.
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Re: Advice for new principal tech ICs (i.e., notes to myself)
#33Re: Advice for new principal tech ICs (i.e., notes to myself)
#34Re: Advice for new principal tech ICs (i.e., notes to myself)
#35> Nothing is not your job. Yeah, screw that. These roles with fancy titles may come with astronomical compensation for an engineer—and rightfully so—but they're essentially buying your soul. You're not an executive, and are still below them on the political and compensation ladder, but you'll easily have 10x more on your plate than an executive. You'll be expected to act as a lap dog for the company for anything tech…
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 corollary is if you’re in a shitty organization that just will not get better, the most positive change you can make for the world is to stop wasting your time helping them and go somewhere better, where you can make a difference.
Re: Advice for new principal tech ICs (i.e., notes to myself)
#36I 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…
> I find it amusing how people take this 'leveling game' at big companies so seriously.
It has a huge payoff (think 7 figure TC/year for principal+ at big tech), with little personal risk required. It's no wonder people take it so seriously.
Re: Advice for new principal tech ICs (i.e., notes to myself)
#37To me, in a way, it reads like Principal IC is the worst possible job.
You're doing all the politicking and influencing stuff many of us presumably don't like and associate with management roles, while also being expected to be "hands on" and at the top of your technical game. "Nothing is not part of your job", as this article describes it.
Someone who's not doing this, the article argues, "is setting themselves up for failure." Yikes! These are not rookies if they reached Principal IC, but the most experienced team members ever, yet the author still feels the need to say this. Which makes me thing it's a really perilous path.
Seems highly stressful. I'd rather stay a low-level IC. Do we need to move up or out? (In general I mean, I wouldn't want to work at Amazon).
Re: Advice for new principal tech ICs (i.e., notes to myself)
#38The subtle disdain I hear from these types of super elite principal distinguished architects about actually writing code amuses me. Of course actually writing code is far too lowly of an activity, they’re more of an “ideas guy”. Fred Brooks had a good laugh about these types decades ago.
I have one of those jobs, and I don't contribute a lot of code at work anymore (sometimes, when it makes a difference or I can help save a lot of time).
I still write code almost daily however, e.g. for personal projects or in FOSS. For one, I love it as an activity - writing code is stress-relief for me. If I don't do it for some time I really feel deprived. I also think it's necessary to keep the first-hand knowledge of stacks and tools alive and well, e.g. for effectively communicating with engineers in a way both sides will enjoy.
I also do still make a point to e.g. do a MR regularly at work, partly to make sure I know the processes and their pain points, also so I can use my clout to complain if we make engineers waste time with stupid stuff, as processes also tend to accumulate cruft over time.
And obviously I don't think of writing code as a "lowly activity". Quality and skill matter on every level.
For that matter, you can also encounter quite a lot of "the architects don't know how to code"* stereotypes, so the subtle-disdain thing can go both ways (your comment may be exemplary). I try to prove them wrong by having written more and more different stuff than most :-)
* = https://i.programmerhumor.io/2021/11/programmerhumor-io-prog...
Re: Advice for new principal tech ICs (i.e., notes to myself)
#39> Nothing is not your job. Yeah, screw that. These roles with fancy titles may come with astronomical compensation for an engineer—and rightfully so—but they're essentially buying your soul. You're not an executive, and are still below them on the political and compensation ladder, but you'll easily have 10x more on your plate than an executive. You'll be expected to act as a lap dog for the company for anything tech…
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 to justify why it needs a Principal or you're "working on the wrong thing", sponsor, consult, explain to leadership, mentor, code, be present, do not be too present, "feel the pulse", don't attend too many meetings, don't attend too few, gently nudge, don't speak all the time, be careful about staying quiet, etc etc.
Seems like hell. And presumably, you'll get fired if things turn out badly with a project.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Re: Advice for new principal tech ICs (i.e., notes to myself)
#40To me, in a way, it reads like Principal IC is the worst possible job. You're doing all the politicking and influencing stuff many of us presumably don't like and associate with management roles, while also being expected to be "hands on" and at the top of your technical game. "Nothing is not part of your job", as this article describes it. Someone who's not doing this, the article argues, "is setting themselves up f…
I'm reading the first couple of pages of the "Staff Engineer" book and from the various descriptions of the Staff+ role, i can't help but think it's just management without the actual power/say of being a manager. It's _even more_ politicking than being a manager because you have to do it both the soft and hard way.