The Impossibility of Making an Elite Engineer
First published June 2017. I had been coaching at Facebook for 6 years at this point. I wanted to reflect on how the most effective people got to where they were.
After coaching hundreds of engineers, I got to thinking about why more people don’t reach the top levels. Part of it is the curve—the top 3% is always going to be the top 3%. Part is bias—from childhood through education through a career some talent is repressed based on gender, melanin, or just the vagaries of geography.
Even with all the privileges, most folks don’t make it to the elite level. Some folks do make it, though, but to get there they have to pass through the Gates of Paradox:
Longevity/diversity. Elite engineers stick with projects long enough to see the consequences of their decisions. Insight is best mined deep in maintenance. At the same time, elite engineers have enough diversity of projects to separate context-dependent lessons from more general ones.
Success/failure. Elite engineers need to succeed enough to maintain confidence and initiative but they also need to fail enough to question themselves and their assumptions when doing so is valuable.
Mentored/self-directed. Most elite engineers can point to one or more mentors who changed the trajectory of their career. Elite engineers are also self-directed learners, trusting their curiosity as a compass pointing towards future growth.
Urgency/slack. Elite engineers work hard, but lots of folks work hard. Elite engineers have the habit of investing the margin in personal growth. When that odd hour or two isn’t likely to yield a great new feature, it can still yield useful learning.
While all elite engineers face these contradictions, there are as many paths through them as there are engineers. In conversation, some patterns emerge:
Longevity/diversity. Pick projects with a short Time to Production Feedback (T2PF). Structure existing projects to slash T2PF. Once you’ve learned your lessons, move on to a contrasting project.
Success/failure. Cut your losses but learn your lessons. Focus on what you could have done differently.
Mentored/self-directed. Build and maintain relationships with engineers you admire. Trust your curiosity as a compass pointing to your future growth.
Urgency/slack. Work hard on your main responsibility, but take time to learn when that’s the best use of marginal effort. You’re worth it.
"Longevity/diversity. Elite engineers stick with projects long enough to see the consequences of their decisions"
That is what I was saying to some colleagues in the past years. Jumping from a job to the next one every 3-4 years doesn't allow you to see the consequences of your decisions... I learned a lot staying in companies for 6-9 years. I know... maybe it is too much for someone, but you don't need to plan in advance. For sure you can stop following the mantra "change your job after 3 years otherwise you'll stop learning", because that's simply not true
“Elite engineers have the habit of investing the margin in personal growth.” - excellent quote