Reaching Senior Software Engineer in Big Tech (Google, Amazon, Microsoft, FAANG)

Senior software engineer is the best role in big tech for someone who wants to program while keeping design freedom and not having to do too much leading. It's also a necessary step for becoming a principal engineer.

This video talks about the things that are expected of senior software engineers at Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and so on. Based on my 30 years of being a software engineer and mentoring other software engineers, this is the best advice I can give.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
00:00 - Introduction
00:51 - Senior band at Google/Amazon/Microsoft
01:14 - Why
02:20 - How long from entry level
03:05 - Reaching senior
04:32 - What seniors do
05:56 - Making the case
07:14 - Steps to take
09:16 - Summary

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[valleyjo]

In my experience time-boxing team level contributions is even more important once you reach senior. I could easily spend hours reviewing others' code, designs, improving live site etc. Like you say, this does not contribute to my deliverables, yet this work is still part of meeting expectations. It's a delicate balance that I struggled with (and sometimes still do). Having mentors was key for me to try to figure out this balance.

[pamfan]

It's been two years since you published this video and I'm benefiting from it in 2024. Thank you! All great advice that reinforces what I've heard from disparate sources, in one concise video.

[faence]

In my experience it's been easier to get promoted by switching companies rather than trying to go through the promotion process. Although imo it's contingent on that you are actually able to demonstrate to your employer that you've already been performing at the next level.

[Itachi.Uchiha.Offical]

So I asked for a video about the transition to seniority and this is really helpful for me. It looks like the best thing you can do is to push for it and proactively talk to your manager about it, which makes sense.

[kaushalrjain]

Thank you so much for this wonderful video Sir! It's really helpful. I have a strong feeling your channel will explode into one of the largest technology channels on YouTube as your content is very detailed and point to point. Please keep it up :)

[ultiumlabs]

proudly smash subscribe button. Great to be your early subcribers. Great content and help a lot.

[brianhuang]

Love the content! I learn a lot from all of your videos. Keep it up :D

[j-espresso]

Interesting perspective and insights. Did you ever fail any of these BigTech interviews at Amazon, Google or Microsoft before acing them?

[Rscnry]

I hope to see a YT video how a good principal engineer in action. I saw a lot of videos giving advice but what do we do with that if without a good real example?

[OGRfilms]

Have you considered charging for 1-on-1 mentoring? I'm at a crossroads in my (early-stage) career and I could use advice from someone with your experience. I'm sure there are others like me.

[xboxer]

If your first SWE job isn’t in a big company does all of this still apply? When you first join a big company what level do you start at, an entry level or the level you were at in your previous job, or is it based on your specific experiences at the job?