Staff Engineer - Kirjakasa

paperback, 371 pages

Published Jan. 31, 2021 by Will Larson.

ISBN:: 978-1-7364179-1-1

(2 reviews)

At most technology companies, you’ll reach Senior Software Engineer, the career level for software engineers, in five to eight years. At that career level, you’ll no longer be required to work towards the next promotion, and being promoted beyond it is exceptional rather than expected. Should you stay there, move into engineering management, or continue down the path of technical excellence to become a Staff Engineer?

What are the skills you need to develop to reach Staff Engineer? Are technical abilities alone sufficient to reach and succeed in that role? How do most folks reach this role? What is your manager’s role in helping you along the way? Will you enjoy being a Staff Engineer or will you toil for years to achieve a role that doesn’t suit you? Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track is a pragmatic look at attaining and operating in Staff engineering roles, building on …

At most technology companies, you’ll reach Senior Software Engineer, the career level for software engineers, in five to eight years. At that career level, you’ll no longer be required to work towards the next promotion, and being promoted beyond it is exceptional rather than expected. Should you stay there, move into engineering management, or continue down the path of technical excellence to become a Staff Engineer?

What are the skills you need to develop to reach Staff Engineer? Are technical abilities alone sufficient to reach and succeed in that role? How do most folks reach this role? What is your manager’s role in helping you along the way? Will you enjoy being a Staff Engineer or will you toil for years to achieve a role that doesn’t suit you? Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track is a pragmatic look at attaining and operating in Staff engineering roles, building on the lived experience of folks who've walked before you.

1 edition

phildini, while reading reviewed Staff Engineer by Will Larson

Fundamentals, padded out

3 stars

There are not a lot of great books on how to be a Staff+ Engineer, because there are not a lot of books on being a Staff Engineer, period. I really enjoyed Larson's book on Engineering Management (An Elegant Puzzle) and so was hopeful I'd get a similar volume equally packed with good strategies and information.

This is... not that. It's not bad by any means, and the first third, the section that synthesizes everything gleaned in interviews with Larson's own thoughts, was excellent and insightful. The issue is that the Staff Engineer interviews, making up somewhere around the back two-thirds of the book, started feeling repetitive to me very quickly. Were there insights there? Yes. Were they worth the time spent reading them? Unclear. The book does make it clear that Staff Engineering is more art than science, more ✨vibes✨ than a clear path, and I think the book's …

There are not a lot of great books on how to be a Staff+ Engineer, because there are not a lot of books on being a Staff Engineer, period. I really enjoyed Larson's book on Engineering Management (An Elegant Puzzle) and so was hopeful I'd get a similar volume equally packed with good strategies and information.

This is... not that. It's not bad by any means, and the first third, the section that synthesizes everything gleaned in interviews with Larson's own thoughts, was excellent and insightful. The issue is that the Staff Engineer interviews, making up somewhere around the back two-thirds of the book, started feeling repetitive to me very quickly. Were there insights there? Yes. Were they worth the time spent reading them? Unclear. The book does make it clear that Staff Engineering is more art than science, more ✨vibes✨ than a clear path, and I think the book's structure tries to reflect that.

As with An Elegant Puzzle, the collection of Resources in the back of the book makes up for a lot, and makes this a solid reference for anyone interested in Staff Engineering. Do I recommend reading it cover to cover? No.

sunstone reviewed Staff Engineer by Will Larson

Useful!

4 stars

The interviews with staff engineers at various companies helped a lot more than I thought.