Where the Hell am I Going? Career Trajectories in Software

Where I have been

I have spent my career helping other engineers whether through growing and leading teams, one on one mentorship, producing internal learning materials, or standing on my soap box with a megaphone.

Hopefully, I can boil things down into a series here on Dev.to that will be helpful to anyone trying to figure out where to start, how to grow, and where they want to be.

What we'll be discussing

I'll start by presenting our Software Development Matrix. A simplified matrix designed to highlight core skillsets and experience levels.

Then we'll discuss what exists beyond this matrix, and how to break out of it.

This will start with more generalized concepts, resources, and strategies.
Then each post may become more specific to various career paths and specializations.

The Matrix has you

There is a lot of nomenclature that is tossed about when we discuss careers in tech. Especially in software development. A lot of terms are used interchangeably, but I will do my best to be specific and consistent.

For example:

• Coding/Coder
• Programming/Programmer
• Developing/Developer
• Engineering/Engineer

Combined with the typical Junior, Mid, Senior level indicators, we can combine these to make probably 80% of all job titles you might find posted.

Instead of Programmer, Engineer, and Developer being different titles, I'll present them as different skillsets that any individual can possess at different levels. You can be a great programmer, but a terrible engineer.

This creates a matrix of skillsets and skill levels that I believe makes up the core of the software development workforce. It's fundamental that we understand this, understand where we are inside of it, and most importantly how to escape from it.

T-Shaped People

Page 46 of Valve's New Employee Handbook describes the idea of T-Shaped people. We'll explore this concept, as it is a cornerstone in my strategy for escaping the matrix.

You can be the absolute best at all the skills within our matrix of software development, but that will not help you escape it.

Questions for You

I'm going to wrap each of these up with questions for the community. Firstly, for my curiosity but also to guide what areas to approach in this series or where to put in more details.

Drop a comment with your answers.
And I will share mine in the next post.

1. Do you have an undergraduate degree in Computer Science, and do you feel it prepared you for your work?
2. Have you had a job that you felt made you better at what you do? Have you had one that left you feeling like you've gotten worse?
3. How much does your title matter to you? Would you take a better job with a "lesser" title?