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Mar 20, 2023·edited Mar 20, 2023

Good summary of the engineering journey. Some things I would add.

It is useful to leave the ladder and travel sideways for a while. Becoming a manager, with all of its good and bad aspects makes you realize firsthand, the impact of dependencies across a large body of work.

It also provides the opportunity to coach and work with different stakeholders at different levels, including key stakeholders who don't understand the technology. Becoming a manager for a year or so will make you a better engineer. Explaining to others who dint understand the technology well will make you think about how you need to understand the topic well enough to teach it

Then there is the architecture path. This has a significant role in any organization.

Architects start with WHY then WHT and then HOW. Engineers spend less time on the business aspects of WHY. Why is it about demand? Demand drives how supply is consumed and in the age of massive digital disruption, WHY must be understood.

Winding through this path across several verticals offers a chance to renew one's perspective

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