An effective engineer:
- produces results
- gets things done efficiently
- focuses on value and impact
In The Effective Engineer, Edmond Lau explains how to maximize your impact (and as a side benefit, accelerate your career growth). It's a concise guide with actionable tips for all software engineers.
After becoming a Senior Software Engineer, you'll get to decide if you want to stay on the individual contributor route or take on a management role. Each track has their pros and cons. While a management role may pay more, it's perfectly fine to stay as an IC also. There are plenty of software engineers who stay on the IC track and are able to reach financial independence.
Further Reading
- Effective Engineer Talk — a talk from the author
- A Senior Engineer's Checklist — a checklist of senior software engineering qualities
- Candor's Guide on Performance Reviews — besides delivering senior quality work, you'll also want to get feedback and promote your own career