Career Progression
Self Improvement¶
Career¶
| Link | Notes |
|---|---|
| Troy Hunt How I optimised my life to make my job redundant | Troy Hunt's point of view |
| Gergely Orosz My "Investment Mindset" | Could work that seems like "sunk costs" on the short-term really be an investment for the long-term? |
| Being visible | Why visibility matters |
| Being Glue | If you stop doing those things, the team won't be as successful. But now someone's suggesting that you might be happier in a less technical role. If this describes you, congratulations: you're the glue. If it's not, have you thought about who is filling this role on your team? |
| A career ending mistake | An insightful essay to help you assess where your career is going and where you want to go |
| Does the title even matter? | Why titles do matter |
| Work / Life Balance |
|
| The Tarzan Method | Something that often throws people off is the idea that they need to doggedly progress in a straight line  |
| A Pyramid-shaped Career | Getting a high-status role early in your career can limit you. You start to associate success with status, and anything that looks like a “step down” feels like losing ground or going backward |
| What “managing up“ really means: A Practical Guide to Working with Your Manager | At its simplest, managing up means working with your manager in a way that makes collaboration easier. It is a collaboration skill |
Practical¶
| Link | Notes |
|---|---|
| ❗️ Write a brag document |
|
| Why you need a "WTF Notebook" | Every time I join a new team, I go to the next fresh page, and on top of that page I write: "WTF - [Team Name]." Then I make a note every time I run into something that makes me go "wtf," and a task every time I come up with something I want to change |
| Expiring vs. Long-Term Knowledge | How much of what you read today will you still care about a year from now? |
| Getting better feedback on your work |
|
Performance Reviews¶
| Link | Notes |
|---|---|
| Gergely Orosz Performance Calibrations at Tech Companies | |
| Gergely Orosz Preparing for performance reviews ahead of time | Things you can do for a better performance review, starting months ahead of when this review will happen |
| Gergely Orosz Performance Reviews for Software Developers – How I Do Them In a (Hopefully) Fair Way |
|
| Gergely Orosz Common Performance Review Biases: How to Spot and Counter Them | 8 common biases in performance reviews and how to counter them |
| Year End Review |
|
Questions to ask
- How am I doing compared to your expectations?
- What do you see as my strengths & weaknesses?
- What skills do I need to get to next level?
- Any tips on professional development?
Promotions¶
| Link | Notes |
|---|---|
| Gergely Orosz Software Developer Promotions: Advice to Get to That Next Level |
|
| Gergely Orosz Preparing for Promotions Ahead of Time | Advice to get ready for a promotion, and a reality check on how they work |
| How to get promoted | Almost everyone who does great work toils in relative obscurity. Performance reviews are social fiction. How do people really advance through the corporate hierarchy? |
Questions to ask
- Can we walk through the expectations for the next level to make sure I understand them?
- What's the most effective thing I can do to make myself a stronger candidate?
- What areas do you think I should focus on?
- What are the requirements needed to advance?
- What are the skills that I'll need to demonstrate?
- How can I best demonstrate them?
- If I don't get promoted this cycle, what are some of the likely causes?
- Examples
- I'm ready to move ahead in the organization or I will be ready soon
- I'm enjoying what I do and I look forward to taking on more
- I'd like to be a candidate for the manager position that's coming up
- I've only been here for two years, but I've learned a lot and I want to keep learning and growing