<description>&lt;p&gt;In this episode of The Retrospective podcast, co-hosts Jeremy and Peter delve into the characteristics that define a senior software engineer. They explore the multifaceted nature of seniority, emphasizing that it is not just about years of experience but a blend of technical expertise, business awareness, team impact, and leadership skills. Through analogies and personal anecdotes, they illustrate how senior engineers are not just adept at coding but also act as multipliers of their team’s success. They discuss the holistic view and forward-thinking mindset expected of senior engineers, drawing on examples from their own careers. The episode also touches on the importance of fostering growth in others, handling technical debt pragmatically, and effectively communicating complex technical topics. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Advice is offered to engineering managers on how to guide team members aspiring to reach senior levels, emphasizing the importance of demonstrating these traits consistently over time.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Here are some articles and further food for thought:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://hackernoon.com/senior-engineers-reduce-risk-5ab2adc13c97"&gt;Senior Engineers Reduce Risk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://roadmap.sh/guides/levels-of-seniority"&gt;Levels of Seniority&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://swizec.com/blog/why-senior-engineers-get-nothing-done/"&gt;Why senior engineers get nothing done&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://skamille.medium.com/an-incomplete-list-of-skills-senior-engineers-need-beyond-coding-8ed4a521b29f"&gt;An incomplete list of skills senior engineers need, beyond coding&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Looking a bit further ahead of the Senior level:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://medium.com/box-tech-blog/what-a-senior-staff-software-engineer-actually-does-f3fc140d5f33"&gt;What a Senior Staff Software Engineer Actually Does&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.theengineeringmanager.com/managing-managers/vp-director-what/"&gt;VP, Director, what?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;00:00 Intro&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;00:36 Overview&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;01:40 Senior People Operate on a Different Time Horizon&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;05:07 The Impact a Senior Engineer Can Have&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;06:38 Technical Expertise&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;08:16 Team Impact&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;11:44 Business Awareness&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;16:02 How They Behave&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;18:34 Demonstrating Leadership&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;20:29 Advice for Engineering Managers&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;25:42 Summing it up!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;26:18 Outro&lt;/p&gt; &lt;footer&gt;&lt;p&gt;Share your thoughts about the episode (and the podcast) at &lt;a href="mailto:feedback@the-retrospective.com"&gt;feedback@the-retrospective.com&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/footer&gt;</description>

The Retrospective

Jeremy Brown & Péter Szász

S2:E04 - What Puts the Senior in Senior Software Engineer?

NOV 12, 202427 MIN
The Retrospective

S2:E04 - What Puts the Senior in Senior Software Engineer?

NOV 12, 202427 MIN

Description

<p>In this episode of The Retrospective podcast, co-hosts Jeremy and Peter delve into the characteristics that define a senior software engineer. They explore the multifaceted nature of seniority, emphasizing that it is not just about years of experience but a blend of technical expertise, business awareness, team impact, and leadership skills. Through analogies and personal anecdotes, they illustrate how senior engineers are not just adept at coding but also act as multipliers of their team’s success. They discuss the holistic view and forward-thinking mindset expected of senior engineers, drawing on examples from their own careers. The episode also touches on the importance of fostering growth in others, handling technical debt pragmatically, and effectively communicating complex technical topics. </p> <p>Advice is offered to engineering managers on how to guide team members aspiring to reach senior levels, emphasizing the importance of demonstrating these traits consistently over time.</p> <p>Here are some articles and further food for thought:</p> <p><a href="https://hackernoon.com/senior-engineers-reduce-risk-5ab2adc13c97">Senior Engineers Reduce Risk</a></p> <p><a href="https://roadmap.sh/guides/levels-of-seniority">Levels of Seniority</a></p> <p><a href="https://swizec.com/blog/why-senior-engineers-get-nothing-done/">Why senior engineers get nothing done</a></p> <p><a href="https://skamille.medium.com/an-incomplete-list-of-skills-senior-engineers-need-beyond-coding-8ed4a521b29f">An incomplete list of skills senior engineers need, beyond coding</a></p> <p>Looking a bit further ahead of the Senior level:</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/box-tech-blog/what-a-senior-staff-software-engineer-actually-does-f3fc140d5f33">What a Senior Staff Software Engineer Actually Does</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.theengineeringmanager.com/managing-managers/vp-director-what/">VP, Director, what?</a></p> <p>00:00 Intro</p> <p>00:36 Overview</p> <p>01:40 Senior People Operate on a Different Time Horizon</p> <p>05:07 The Impact a Senior Engineer Can Have</p> <p>06:38 Technical Expertise</p> <p>08:16 Team Impact</p> <p>11:44 Business Awareness</p> <p>16:02 How They Behave</p> <p>18:34 Demonstrating Leadership</p> <p>20:29 Advice for Engineering Managers</p> <p>25:42 Summing it up!</p> <p>26:18 Outro</p> <footer><p>Share your thoughts about the episode (and the podcast) at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>!</p> </footer>