Career Growth#

Your career doesn’t happen to you — you shape it through deliberate choices about what to work on, who to work with, and how visible your contributions are. Technical skills get you in the door; career management determines which doors open next.

Self-Advocacy#

If you don’t advocate for yourself, no one else will — at least not consistently. Self-advocacy is not arrogance; it’s ensuring your work and aspirations are known by the people who can influence your path.

Why Engineers Under-Advocate#

Self-Advocacy in Practice#

The Impact Statement Formula#

Instead of describing activities, describe impact:

Visibility#

Visibility is doing good work AND ensuring the right people know about it. It’s not optional — it’s how opportunities and promotions happen.

Building Visibility#

flowchart TD
    A[Do impactful work] --> B[Document and share results]
    B --> C[Present in team/org forums]
    C --> D[Help others - create reputation]
    D --> E[Get recommended for opportunities]
    E --> F[More impactful work at higher scope]
    F --> A

The “Brag Document”#

Maintain a running document of your accomplishments:

• Update weekly (5 minutes)
• Include: what you did, what impact it had, who was involved
• Use it for performance reviews, promotion packets, and interview prep
• Format: date, project, action, outcome, evidence (links, metrics)

Nobody remembers what they did 6 months ago. Your brag doc does.

Building a Personal Brand#

Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. In engineering, it’s built through consistent expertise and generosity.

Brand Components#

Where Your Brand Lives#

• Your code reviews (tone, thoroughness, helpfulness)
• Your Slack presence (helpful? clear? approachable?)
• Your documentation (does it exist? is it good?)
• Your incident response (calm? effective? communicative?)
• Your presentations (clear? valuable? memorable?)
• Your reputation with other teams (reliable? collaborative?)

Navigating Promotions#

Promotions are not rewards for past work — they are recognition that you’re already operating at the next level. Understanding this changes how you pursue them.

The Promotion Equation#

flowchart LR
    A[Performing at next level] --> B[Evidence / documentation]
    B --> C[Sponsor who advocates for you]
    C --> D[Opportunity / timing]
    D --> E[Promotion]

All four elements must be present.

Promotion Strategies#

Sponsor vs Mentor#

You need both. Mentors are accessible; sponsors are earned through demonstrated competence and reliability.

Interviewing (Both Sides)#

As a Candidate#

As an Interviewer#

Networking#

Networking is not collecting LinkedIn connections. It’s building genuine relationships with people in your field — relationships that create opportunities, knowledge, and support over years.

Genuine Networking for Engineers#

Networking Anti-Patterns#

Career Path: IC vs Management#

Neither path is “better.” Choose based on what energises you, not what seems more prestigious.

Key Takeaways#

• Self-advocacy is informing, not bragging — make your impact visible to those who matter
• Maintain a brag document; update it weekly. You’ll thank yourself at review time.
• Promotions require four things: next-level performance, evidence, a sponsor, and timing
• Sponsors are earned through demonstrated competence — they advocate for you in rooms you’re not in
• Build genuine relationships before you need anything — networking is long-term investment
• Choose IC vs management based on what energises you, not status