Skills Engineers Should Focus on for Advancement

90% of advice on getting promoted to senior engineer talks about being an ‘expert’ but misses the real direction. Here’s what no one talks about, but every top engineer knows.(Insights from my experience after building a multiple teams at Microsoft) ♦ Build Others Up, Not Just Your Code - Success isn’t just about your own work; it’s about lifting the entire team. Support your teammates, share what you know, and guide those who need help. Strong teams build strong engineers. - Example: Taking time each week to coach junior developers on tricky problems didn’t just help them; it made our whole team faster and better equipped. ♦ Influence Without Authority - You don’t need a title to lead. To grow as a senior engineer, influence projects, decisions, and people by being reliable, sharing your vision, and proposing solid solutions. - In team meetings, I’d often offer ideas on project direction, showing I was ready to step up, even without an official leadership title. ♦ Understand the Business Impact of Your Work - Great engineers think beyond code they understand why their work matters. Focus on how your contributions impact broader goals, whether that’s reducing costs, improving the user experience, or driving revenue. - Example: I once proposed adding analytics to a feature I built to measure its impact. That data proved its value to the team and got further support from leadership. ♦ Handle Complex Problems With Simplicity - Simplicity scales. Break down complex problems into clear, manageable parts. Overly complex solutions may look impressive but are often harder to maintain. -I simplified a complex backend algorithm, which cut processing time and made it easier to update in the future. ♦ Focus on Execution Over Perfection - Perfectionism can hold you back. In real-world projects, you often have to deliver with trade-offs. It’s about knowing when to move from planning to execution. -Instead of perfecting every detail, I learned to ship functional code and iterate based on feedback, which sped up our delivery. ♦ Show Consistent Reliability - Consistency beats occasional flashes of brilliance. Deliver quality work, meet your deadlines, and communicate clearly. Reliability builds trust and sets you apart. -:Meeting deadlines regularly and openly communicating any issues built trust with my team and was key to taking on larger projects. Remember: The path to senior isn’t about titles, it’s about earning trust and making a real impact.

The emergence of agentic AI doesn't eliminate the need for technical knowledge; it changes how that knowledge is applied. The skills that will become more valuable: • System architecture and design • Problem definition and evaluation • Data interpretation • Business impact assessment • AI prompt engineering and guidance The skills that will become less critical for most engineers: • Detailed syntax knowledge • Manual debugging of common issues • Writing boilerplate code • Configuring standard infrastructure Don't fight this evolution. Embrace it and position yourself at the higher-value layers. The best engineers will be those who can clearly define what they want built, not just those who can build it.

I am a Software Engineer at Meta with almost 2 decades of experience. Here’re the 5 learnings if you want to grow faster as a SWE: 1. Know the next level before promotion After you are performing well at your current role expectations, start approaching the next level. - Learn from seniors, understand their perspective - Look for areas you can help & can get noticed In short, prove that you deserve the promotion before you ask for it. 2. Become your own user - go on reddit or twitter threads - read through the users feedbacks and conversations - be empathetic & maybe have a conversation with few users This shift helped me move beyond just shipping features to actually improving the experience. 3. Data is your saviour Start diving into logs, events, and exceptions more deeply. - Where are users spending the most time?  - What’s making them drop off? - What are the most common exceptions?  - Which workflows are unintuitive? You can make better engineering decisions if you spend some time consuming the data 4. Every problem is not yours to solve Ask yourself: - Is this issue truly high-impact, or am I just trying to get it off my plate? - Is this a problem I should solve, or is it better to guide someone else to take it on? - Delegating was tough at first. But it’s crucial to identify your problems and delegate rest. The best engineers I’ve worked with aren’t the ones who take on the most work—they’re the ones who ensure the right work gets done by the right people. 5. Be a force multiplier - document more to save others time - build tools and scripts that automate tedious tasks - Guide others to help achieve their goals   Your team will move faster, and you will become more valuable—not just as an engineer but as a force multiplier. => Final Thought: The biggest shifts in my career didn’t come from just writing better code—they came from these small shifts. If you’re looking to grow as an engineer, try incorporating some of these steps into your own journey. Raman Walia

Great engineers stand out through behaviors, not just technical skills. Top performers prevent problems by deeply understanding requirements before coding. This saves weeks of rework that comes from rushing. Career growth depends more on communication than knowing frameworks. Engineers who explain complex ideas simply and write clear documentation get promoted faster. Leaders notice consistent output, not short bursts of productivity. Working steadily for months impresses more than working intensely for a week. Elite engineers know when not to code. They find simpler solutions that need less maintenance and create fewer problems long-term. The biggest success factor - Making everyone around you better. Engineers who help their whole team improve always advance faster than those who work alone, no matter how brilliant.

10 Underrated Skills Every Software Engineer Needs (And How to Master Them): Having lead hundreds of engineers, I've seen a set of skills jump to the top as the ones that are most critical to build. Hint: It isn't a specific technical skill. Master these and make them visible to stand out: 1. Know What Not to Build - Always ask: Is this solving the right problem? - Focus on what will move the needle. Look at the long-term cost. 2. Make Things Simple - Simplify code, systems, and ideas. - Break down problems into small pieces. 3. Communicate Ideas Clearly - Explain complex ideas with clarity. Keep it concise. - Write down your ideas. 4. Progress > Perfection - Ship, learn, and iterate. No system is perfect. - Focus on continuous improvement in everything you do. 5. Deeply Understand User Problems - Understand the user and the larger landscape. - Use this to guide priorities and decisions. 6. Ask the Right Questions - Use questions to challenge assumptions and reframe problems. - Dig deeper with Why? (repeat Why until you get to the root). 7. See Failure as Data - Treat mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow. - Review mistakes without curiosity, not defensiveness. 8. Prioritize Experimentation - Iterate to reduce risk and improve outcomes. - Don't wait for certainty, test ideas and move quickly. 9. Always Learn - Continuously learn. New tools, perspectives, and approaches. - Spend time learning about the business, too. 10. Focus on Results - Look beyond your part to how it connects to the whole. - Think end-to-end and focus on impact. What I have seen over and over again: These skills separate the standout engineers. Master these, and you’ll become a better engineer, a stronger teammate, and build products users love. What skill do you think is most important for engineers to master? Share your thoughts below. ♻️ Repost to help connections who are ready to grow. ➕ Follow me, Melody Olson, for more like this.